Christmas Charity Ideas to support our troops

Posted By Froggy

As usual, Hugh Hewitt is on the leading edge and has called out the B5 community to suggest some worthy military charities that people can donate to in lieu of giving Christmas gifts.  I find this to be a fantastic idea especially since my father is a man who has all that he needs and wants, is a proud veteran, and whose birthday is in the midst of the Christmas season. 

Hugh linked to one of my favorites already, the United Warrior Survivor Foundation which is run by a personal friend of mine and fellow SEAL Reservist, Nick Rocha.  This charity is unique because it focuses its efforts on the widows and families of fallen Special Operations Forces operators.  They provide money, counseling, and financial planning advice to the widows left behind.  Nick and the UWSF were featured on NBC Nightly News a week or so ago, here is the story with video.

My other submission is the Naval Special Warfare Foundation, which provides money for the immediate needs of the families of fallen SEALs and college scholarships to the children of fallen SEALs.  The NSWF has committed to putting all the kids of SEALs who gave their lives on the battlefield through college.  This is a long term project and very expensive but very important.  Capt. Bob Rieve (Ret.) is the chairman of the NSWF and he was the Commodore for NSW Group 2 when I was at SEAL Team FOUR.  He was a great Commodore and his stewardship of the Foundation has been outstanding.  I spent quite a bit of time speaking with him at the UDT/SEAL Reunion last summer and he impressed me as a man who is deeply committed to his SEAL brethren.

I personally donate to both of these charities every month and I am quite certain that they are both being managed properly and provide a crucial service to our SOF operator's families.

Froggy OUT

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Comments

[Caleb]

I can't believe that Soldiers Angels hasn't already been listed, but it has now. Also the Wounded Warrior Project. Another would be Operation AC. There is one keyed to the Marines and one providing for war dogs, but I can't remember the links right now. Maybe someone else will post the links.

[Peg C.]

My charity at work is the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (the only military-oriented charity my employer offers out of over 2,000 to choose from -- ridiculous!). I just re-upped for 2007. I also have given to Fisher House among others already mentioned above.

[bthun (the red neck formerly known as bruce)]

That is an outstanding idea, truly in the spirit of the season.

Thanks for the links.

Can a thread with all the recommended links be made sticky, i.e. kept at or near the top of this or a designated blog or listed off in the sidebar throughout the season? Just to make the links easy to find when you're making suggestions to friends and relatives.

[cc]

The charity I've been supporting this past year and has applied and is waiting for their official tax-exempt status is www.operationquietcomfort.com. This charity provides support to the recently wounded in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo and to the staff who care for them at the combat support hospitals. Tax deductible donations can be made by donating to Monroe Vineyard Church for the benefit of OQC until their application has been approved.

Each wounded soldier is given a duffle bag full of personal care items, CD player, CD's, and other items. There are several other special projects too. Join the Yahoo group, read the files and see the photos to get a good idea of the mission of this group. Or click on the How You Can Help link for donation information.

Thank you.

[jenny]

GREAT idea!

I'm with bthun -- keep a list up throughout the season, if possible. I volunteer with SA, but I know there are so many other orgs out there, I like to give a little to a lot of different places but don't always know where to go or who's really reputable. Your input helps. Thanks, guys (and thanks for your service)!

[Some Soldier's Mom]

When our son was wounded in '05, one of the first people to contact us was Patti Bader of Soldiers' Angels who asked what they could do for us and our soldier. The first civilian to greet our son at Landstuhl was a Soldiers' Angel with personal items and a backpack full of his favorite food and a touch of home: OREO cookies. When we went to Germany, we -- and all the families of the sick and wounded -- were well cared for by the people of Fisher House who do the most incredible job at the most difficult time in a family's life.

So Soldiers' Angels (www.soldiersangels.org) and Fisher House -- for us the Landstuhl houses as they care for the wounded from Iraq & Afghanistan (http://www.fisherhouse.org/theHouses/europe.shtml) will be our Christmas charities... Oh, and American Snipers (http://americansnipers.org/) 'cause they do another kind of good work.

[SGT K]

I run a shopping site that generates commissions for veteran/soldier charities and will be looking at adding the charities listed above to our list of recipients. Glad to have read this for more ideas.

http://www.buy4good.org/military/

~Sarge