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Archive for the ‘Charity’ Category

Shooting For The Troops – Charity 3-Gun Match

Monday, October 24th, 2016

Shooting for the Troops is a charitable organization connecting Veterans and First Responder Non-Profits (and the warriors they support) to the outdoor industry, shooting sports organizations, and citizen supporters, through world-class competitive shooting sports events.

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Their mission is to foster and develop relationships between the outdoor industry and shooting sports organizations to host world-class events raising funds in support of charities and organizations dedicated to our nation’s veterans and first responders. Shooting for the Troops seeks to raise awareness of select non-profit organizations, promote shooting sports, and introduce new shooters to shooting sports in a safe, fun, and friendly environment through these scheduled competitions.

This Veteran’s Day weekend 2016, they would like to invite you to take part in their Shooting for the Troops’ 3-Gun Match which will be held at:

CGG Range & Training Complex
5068 Hwy 64 East
Franklinville, NC 27248

There will be a vendor display on the range both on Friday and Saturday, November 11th and 12th. Friday’s match will be military-only, and then on Saturday there will be a highly competitive 3-gun match.
All proceeds this year will be donated to Task Force Dagger. The Task Force Dagger Foundation (TFD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that supports the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). TFD works hard to fill the existing gaps in coverage and to serve where needed by providing assistance to wounded, ill, or injured US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) members and their families. They respond to urgent needs, conduct Recreational Adaptive Therapy Events, and provide next-generation health solutions for issues facing our service members and are a rallying point in combatting Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), and environmental exposures. TFD’s cohesive programs enable families to seize the moment and live life.

Links to sign up:

Friday:

squadsignup.com/benefit/TaskForceDaggerRegistration.php?MatchId=1

Saturday:

squadsignup.com/benefit/TaskForceDaggerRegistration.php?MatchId=2

You can also sign up through the Shooting For The Troops website: shootingforthetroops.com/events

How Cool Is That?

Thursday, October 13th, 2016

I really like Thirty Second Out’s ‘Victory’ print, depicting actor Robert Duvall in his iconic role as Col Kilgore in ‘Apocalypse Now’. Apparently, so does he.  He signed one of the prints and it will be auctioned off to raise money for the World of Honor fund early next year, but you can get yours now at thirtysecondsout.com/products/poster-victory.

LBT Inc Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Wednesday, October 12th, 2016

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and LBT, Inc is doing their part to help find a cure.

Ken Beasley, the VP of Manufacturing at LBT Inc shared this statement with us:

LBT is proud to boast a 80% female dominated work force. Over the last 3 decades, these fine ladies have a combined 1,500+ years’ of sewing experience/expertise between them.

We are proud to say that we have 6 survivors who have won the fight with breast cancer on our team; we are equally devastated to say that we have had 3 team members who fought and lost their battle with breast cancer. With that being said, awareness and early detection are the key components in defeating breast cancer, so please join LBT and SGK in the search for “The Cure!”

They’ve created these Pink packs as a means to raise money and awareness.

$10 dollars from each pack sold will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Tidewater organization as well as a portion of all patch sales too.
lbtinc.com/pink

FRA Provides Aid to Baton Rouge Shipmates

Saturday, September 24th, 2016

Alexandria, VA—September 21, 2016. The Baton Rouge area received between 25 and 30 inches of rain for three days on August 11. The Lafayette area, where numerous FRA Branch members live, received 15 to 20 inches. Baton Rouge FRA Branch 371 has more than 75 members living in the affected areas. Two days of flash flooding inundated the homes of several shipmates. The Amite and Comite rivers both rose to new record highs from August 13 to August 15, 4.5 feet above previous record crest. Tens of thousands of homes were completely destroyed and many were not located in flood zones.

What is commonly referred to as a flood zone is also called a 100-year flood zone. More accurately, there is a 1% chance of flooding each year. Those outside the flood zones are sometimes referred to as being in a 500-year flood zone. This recent event has been called a 1000-year event. Official estimates, as of 9/2/16, were more than 160,000 properties were affected.

Using maps of flooded areas, FRA Branch officers made a list of 50 shipmates to contact. For those shipmates who reported damage to their homes, FRA Branch 371 President David Thompson and Vice President Jay Johnson personally drove to each residence to survey the damage of approximately 40 shipmates. Thompson stated, “We had to drive through crowded streets and around mountains of flood debris to check on each house, including some who live more than 120 miles away. It is heart-rending to see mile after mile of ruined homes.”

It is imperative to ‘gut’ or remove everything as soon as possible from a flooded house to prevent mold from blooming. Mold will still be there, but is much easier to clear if the house is dried out quickly and all furniture, flooring and drywall are removed. Once a house has been gutted it is not fit to live in. After 12 days, Thompson and Johnson contacted all shipmates with damage homes and sent the final list to FRA national headquarters. Soon after, checks issued from the FRA Disaster Relief Fund were presented to fellow FRA shipmates to help with their needs.

www.fra.org

TAPS Joins Forces with West Point Runners to Honor Families of America’s Fallen Heroes

Wednesday, September 21st, 2016

Arlington, Va. – The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is excited to announce their partnership with West Point’s U.S. Army Garrison Installation Family & MWR to honor those who have lost loved ones to military service, regardless of circumstance, through physical and social activities.

On Sunday, Oct. 9, three West Point teams (two active duty and one cadet) will run for Team TAPS in the 32nd Annual Army Ten-Miler race in Washington, D.C. The Team Long Gray Line athletes will sport their West Point gear with a TAPS logo patch; and each will run for a fallen West Point cadet or graduate in honor of their legacy and in tribute to the families they leave behind.

“This is such an incredible partnership to not only raise awareness of the TAPS mission of providing compassionate care and assistance to our heroes’ families and loved ones but to have our current and future Army leaders serving as TAPS Ambassadors in educating our military families that TAPS is and will be there for them, always.” said Tyler Gierber, USAG West Point’s Family & MWR Marketing Director.

The West Point teams at the Army Ten-Miler hope to inspire service academy graduates from across the country to join forces and donate to the Team Long Gray Line’s Team TAPS fundraising page at www.taps.org/TeamLongGrayLine. Contributions will support TAPS programs and ongoing support of surviving families of military loss. Through TAPS, survivors can participate in peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, healing seminars and retreats, camps for children, casework assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and the 24/7 National Military Survivor Helpline.

“The commitment and excitement of Team Long Gray Line support to TAPS and our Army Ten-Miler efforts is inspiring,” said West Point Class of ’93 graduate Craig Wilhelm of Team TAPS. “The funds and awareness raised by our Team TAPS athletes will help those families who have lost a loved one to military service. We are deeply grateful for the three West Point teams running for Team TAPS and our partnership with the United States Military Academy.”

www.taps.org

Veterans Family of Brands Outdoor Expo

Wednesday, August 31st, 2016


Supporting the right veteran based nonprofit organizations has become a crapshoot lately. An organization of veteran owned and supporting companies have discovered the answer to this. This group formed “Veterans Forward Operating Base/Family of Brands (VFOB),” which answered the problem this, way:

What if every time you purchased a product you were directly supporting military and first responder veterans and their families?

Many residents and guests of the Flathead Valley in Montana did just that on July 23, 2016, at the first annual “Veterans Family of Brands Outdoors Expo,” and raised over $42,000. The proceeds from this event went to support the Special Operations Wounded Warriors and the Lone Survivor Foundation. Both of these organizations give over 95% of their donated money to the veterans they support.

The Expo was the creation of VFOB companies to showcase the veteran owned and supporting products from this group and other local outdoor industries.

The event had 40 vendors in attendance and was hosted at the Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork, MT. The backdrop to the show was the Benghazi Memorial, the only memorial in the nation dedicated to those who died in Benghazi. This memorial is located at the Flathead Lake Lodge and was paid for and located by the generosity of the people of the Flathead Valley and other Americans.

Targeting Special Operations Wounded Warriors, and the Lone Survivor Foundation for their donations was an easy decision. The Special Operations Wounded Warriors (SOWW) is a foundation, not affiliated with Wounded Warrior Project, that is dedicated to the American warriors collectively known as Special Operations. These are the warriors who do not receive recognition because of the secretive nature of their missions. This foundation provides funds for scholarships of their dependents and recovery of their wounded soldiers.

Additionally funds were earmarked for the Lone Survivor Foundation, Marcus Luttrell’s foundation, whose mission is to restore, empower, and renew hope for our service members and their families.

While both of these nonprofits are reputable, they are just two of the ones that Veterans Family of Brands supports. There is a strict qualification process for the group to be able to add a non-profit to their list. The first of which is that they must be veteran supporting. The second, and just as important, is that they must give 95% or more of their budget back to their charitable mission. The 2017 event will be focused on making the funds raised for veterans living in the Flathead Valley.

A host of Special Operations Warriors and Televisions Hunting Show Celebrities were in attendance to include,
Ron Bellan (Seal) Host of Reaper Outdoors

John “Tig” Tiegan, Hero of Benghazi

Jack Hanna, World Renowned Zoologist

Jana Waller, Host of Skull Bound TV
Laramie, “Sasquatch” Miller, Host of Sasquatch Mountain Man

Tom and Olivia Opre Host of Eye of the Huntress

John “Tig” Tiegan, mesmerized the crowd at a charity dinner for the event with the true and accurate story of what truly happened in Benghazi. Tig told the story in a way that only soldiers who have walked in that shadow could. As a surprise gift, Tig was given a NEMO Omen //Recon in .300 Win Mag by Karen Gerrard, one of the dinners guests who purchased the rifle at the Live Auction during that night.

There were also many veterans in attendance to included Navy Seals, Green Berets, Army Rangers, Marine Recon, and many others. These veterans came from many different wars from Viet Nam, the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan deployments. The dedication of these veterans and the other volunteers are determined to make this annual show a success and plan to enlarge the 2017 show from 40 to over 200 exhibitors, including live fire demonstrations and shooting competitions.

The second annual Expo is currently being scheduled for August 4 – 6, 2017.

American Humane, Schultz Family Foundation, And NCR Foundation Create Guide That Helps Veterans In Need Obtain Service Dogs

Thursday, August 11th, 2016

“Wags4Patriots™ Guide to Getting a PTS Service Dog” helps veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury

WASHINGTON, D.C. –? American Humane, which has worked with the military for 100 years, today released a guide to help veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress (PTS) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) obtain service animals. The publication, whose creation was supported by the Schultz Family Foundation and the NCR Foundation, is called the “Wags4Patriots™ Guide to Getting a PTS Service Dog” andwill be made available free of charge to veteran groups across the country. It can also be downloaded at www.americanhumane.org/wags4patriots.

The guide was developed by American Humane’s experts based on interviews with American Humane service dog grantees, their family members, service dog agencies, mental health providers, dog trainers and veterinarians. Information in this guide will help set expectations for the service dog procurement process, as well as the cost and expense of owning a PTS service dog during its lifetime. Importantly, the guide will detail how to identify a credible PTS service dog agency.

“Every day, 184 veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress (PTS), which make it difficult for them to adjust to life back on the home front,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane’s president and CEO. “American Humane has long advocated that veterans suffering from the hidden wounds of war be provided with service dogs because we know these four-legged heroes can help save the lives of our human warriors after they return home from battle. Veterans with service dogs have reported improved sleep, decreased startle responses, and a decrease in the need for prescribed pain medication. The dogs help their handlers to live the lives they once did.”

For veterans struggling with PTS, the complex process of obtaining a service dog can be daunting. Having a guide to navigate the service dog procurement process is therefore invaluable and it can even shorten the time to secure a PTS dog.

“There’s no question that service dogs help veterans with post-traumatic stress or traumatic injuries,” said Elizabeth Willett, Sr. Program Officer, Onward Veterans. “Standardizing the process with this guide will help more of our returning military members get access to man’s (or woman’s) best friend.”

“The NCR Foundation is honored to be a part of this project,” said Yvonne Whitaker, Leader, The NCR Foundation. “It’s important to us to help level the playing field for individuals so they have the skills and tools to reach their goals. This program helps returning veterans feel safe and more fully participate in their lives both personally and professionally.”

To learn more or to support American Humane’s programs to help active-duty military members, military families, and military animals, visit www.americanhumane.org/military. To download a free copy of the guide please visit www.americanhumane.org/wags4patriots.

Boot Campaign Unveils Innovative “ReBOOT” Program to Support Mental & Physical Treatment for Veteran

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016

Boot Campaign is unveiling a ground-breaking new veteran assistance program – ReBOOT – designed to provide a comprehensive, individualized, multi-disciplined approach to increasing mental and physical well-being for America’s valued military heroes, it was announced today by Boot Campaign CEO Robyn Payne. Whether combating traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), depression or other transitional issues, ReBOOT tackles the root cause of the struggles affecting so many of our brave servicemen and women. Lieutenant (Ret.) Morgan Luttrell, U.S. Navy, a cognitive neuroscientist and Boot Campaign’s new director of development, will guide the ReBOOT initiative.

This pioneering new Boot Campaign program brings together world class mental and physical treatment partners thorough diagnostic evaluations, so each veteran gets specific care needed to live a fulfilling life. The program includes, but is not limited to, ReBOOT brain treatment partner’s Brain Treatment Center, Center For Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas, Brian Performance Institute, University of Texas, Southwestern and ReBOOT nutrition and fitness partners Virginia High Performance and EXOS and ReBOOT brain treatment coalition partners Infinite Hero Foundation, Team Never Quit, 22 Kill and Airpower Foundation.

“We’re proud to launch the ReBOOT assistance program, which is a new focus for Boot Campaign that was determined through careful consideration and months researching where the donations of our many generous supporters can be best utilized in accordance with our mission,” says Payne. “The commitment to our veterans and this program by our treatment partners is extremely gratifying and gets us off to a great start, and we welcome the support of the public and private sectors to make this important initiative a resounding success.”

Veteran advocate Luttrell, who completed more than 14 years of military service, including nine tours to Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations, helped design a program to foster a confluence of partners to address the current needs of our veterans. Since retiring from service in 2014, Luttrell joined the Brain Performance Institute and the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he currently serves as a research scientist while pursuing an advanced degree in cognitive neuroscience.

“Since retiring from the Navy, it’s been a passion of mine to pursue opportunities of finding a better way to treat veterans and first responders in traumatic brain injury,” says Luttrell, “and I’m excited and honored to help Boot Campaign shape the ReBOOT initiative that will provide a more comprehensive program veterans can count on.”

Fundamentally, ReBOOT is an innovative pipeline to “reboot” and remove all financial barriers related to treatment and conditioning for overall mental and physical health and well-being for veterans. The ReBOOT protocol is a multi-discipline approach to treating veterans with TBI and other combat-related issues. Because brain injuries are so complex and different for each person, an Omni directional approach is necessary. To date there are no known cures for TBI, PTS and other brain disease, but there are a number of veteran-run institutes, centers and facilities that are moving the needle in the right direction to decrease the various issues plaguing America’s service member and give them and their families back what they lost during their service to this great nation.

The ReBOOT protocol brings forward the best TBI facilities in the country that offer a veteran-based treatment program and strategically aligns them with the veteran’s needs. The program begins with a pre-cognitive assessment so the candidate has a baseline to build on. The candidate will visit the appropriate center for valuable treatment and training protocols for their particular issues. Additionally, the candidates will have the opportunity to visit a high performance institutes to balance out their nutrition and get their bodies back into physical shape. The last stop in the pipeline is to conduct a post-cognitive assessment in order to measure how far the candidate has come. The amazing part about this concept is the science and treatment is there, the ReBOOT program is connecting the dots.

“The pipeline is a living, breathing, ever-changing design that ebbs and flows with the times,” explains Luttrell. “If one particular treatment is not working any longer we replace it with the latest and greatest cutting-edge science. ReBOOT is all about the veterans and bringing them back!”

Donations in support of ReBOOT go to veteran grants for everything they need to regain positive mental health, including treatment at an innovative brain treatment center, travel costs, living expenses and lost income replacement. Approximately 22 percent of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom combat wounds are brain injuries, and Boot Campaign believes financial concerns should NOT be the barrier between a warrior and necessary treatment. The average cost for a veteran to receive individual health and wellness care can run from up to $100,000.

For more information on Boot Campaign’s ReBOOT assistance program, please visit the website at: http://www.bootcampaign.org/reboot/.