BlackFive

The official kickoff of the 2010 fundraising campaign for Cooking with the Wounded is now underway!

The ladies of the Yellow Bowl Bakery in Lafayette, Indiana -- seen here at their "practice" event last November at Walter Reed --  will be the first team of chefs to travel to Landstuhl for the program.  I can also say that other chefs have stepped forward with interest, including some you may know...  While those discussions are underway, more can't be said, but there is interest and appreciation for the effort.  Now, we need to raise some money to help make it happen. 

To help that effort, I have an offer for you.  The individual donor who makes the largest donation by close-of-business next Tuesday (19 January 2010) will get one of the autographed photos from Phyllis Diller.  The company that makes the largest donation by then will get one as well.  One lucky person will be chosen to get a Christmas card sent to me by Ted Nugent in response to the Cooking with the Wounded program. 

In addition, we are trying some new things with this program.  In a first for Soldiers' Angels, companies that agree in 2010 to provide $100,000 in funding each year for five years will be listed as Founding Sponsors, and that list will remain on the Cooking with the Wounded site until at least the end of the calendar year 2020, with links. Individuals and companies that donate $5,000 - $10,000 will be named Bronze Level Sponsors; those that donate $10,001-$25,000 will be listed as Silver Level Sponsors; those that donate $25,001 to $50,000 will be listed as Gold Level Sponsors; and, those who donate $50,001 or more will be listed as Platinum Level Sponsors. These sponsorships will include listing in a special section of the site along with appropriate links. Other benefits may also apply. 

Tax deductible contributions can be sent to Soldiers' Angels by mail or through their website. To ensure that contributions through the web site go to the effort, please note in the comment field that the donation is for Cooking with the Wounded. If you also send an e-mail to cooking(at)soldiersangels(dot)com, noting the date and amount of donation, it will allow the Cooking with the Wounded team to send a personal thank you as quickly as possible.

I know times are tight and the economy frankly bites.  Yet and still, I hope you can find it to donate even a dollar.  Everything we can get will help, and each trip also not only allows a good meal, but it also provides the chance to stock the wounded warrior barracks there with food for after the event. 

Thank you for your support, your donations, and your consideration.

LW

UPDATE:  Want to help but have no money?  Help us get this in the media.  Contact your local news paper, radio stations, and television stations about it.  Reach out to nationally syndicated shows, your favorite morning show, favorite pundits, etc.  Rather than link to this story, link to this press release or the Cooking with the Wounded page.  The more people we have contacting local and national media, the better.  The more people we have blogging about this, the better.  Any help on this is very much appreciated.