SOS Support Our Soldiers, Inc. selects
Veterans organizations that are proven well
established tax exempt, nonprofit
organizations formed to assist our nations’
military Veterans and their families.
2009 Beneficiary
Candidates Were:
Hope, Faith, Love, Charity, Inc.
The Stand Down House for Homeless Veterans
Foster,
53, is searching for homeless veterans --
and he knows where to look. Whether in a
vacant lot behind a supermarket or a small
clearing off the highway, homeless vets
aren't that hard
to find: One in three homeless adults has
served in the military, and more than
150,000 veterans nationwide are homeless on
any given night, according to the Veterans
Administration. Working with the sheriff's
homeless outreach unit, Foster finds vets
camped in tents or makeshift lean-tos, where
he delivers a message: There's help for you
if you want it." For our
heroes to be living in these conditions,
it's totally unacceptable," said Foster.
Since 2000, approximately 900 veterans have
found life-changing help at Foster's
facility, Stand Down House named for the
military command that gives troops time to
rest after arduous duty, the program
provides homeless male vets food, shelter
and a safe place to recover, as well as the
tools to conquer their personal problems."
The idea is that they can relax now; we'll
take care of them," Foster said. Foster's
motivation to help these men is personal: He
used to be one of them.
The Fisher House™ program is a unique
private-public partnership that supports
America's military in their
time of need. The program recognizes the
special
sacrifices
of our men and women in
uniform and the hardships of military
service by meeting a humanitarian
need beyond that normally provided by the
Departments of Defense and Veterans
Affairs. Because members of the military
and their families are stationed worldwide
and must often travel great distances
for specialized medical care, Fisher House™
Foundation donates “comfort homes," built on
the grounds of major military and VA
medical centers. These homes enable family
members to be close to a loved one at the
most stressful times - during
the hospitalization for an unexpected
illness, disease, or injury. There is at
least one Fisher House™ at every major
military medical center to assist families
in need and to ensure that they are provided
with the comforts of home in a supportive
environment. Annually, the Fisher House™
program serves more than 10,000 families,
and have made available nearly three million
days of lodging to family members since the
program originated in 1990. By law, there is
no charge for any family to stay at a Fisher
House operated by the Department of Veterans
Affairs; and Fisher House Foundation
uses donations to reimburse the individual
Fisher Houses operated by the Army, Navy,
and Air Force. No family pays to stay at any
Fisher House!
The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project
is to honor and empower wounded warriors.
Mission Statement: To raise awareness
and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of
severely injured service men and women, To
help severely injured service members aid
and assist each other, and To provide
unique, direct programs and services to meet
the needs of severely injured service
members.
CORE VALUES:
FUN
INTEGRITY
LOYALTY
INNOVATION
SERVICE
Pres. Obama and Defense Sec. Robert Gates
help kick off the annual Soldier Ride at the
White House. (AP Photo by Gerald
Herbert)
Founded
in 1978, Vietnam Veterans of America is the
only national Vietnam veterans organization
congressionally chartered and exclusively
dedicated to Vietnam-era
veterans and their families. VVA is
organized as a not-for-profit corporation
and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(19)
of the Internal Revenue Service Code.
VVA'S
FOUNDING PRINCIPLE:
"Never again will one
generation of veterans abandon
another. "GOALS: VVA's goals are to promote
and support the full range of Issues
important to Vietnam veterans, to create a
new identity for this generation of
veterans, and to change public perception of
Vietnam veterans.
UCLA Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Operation
Mend," a unique partnership between Ronald
Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Brooke Army
Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and
the V.A.-Greater Los Angeles Healthcare
System has been established to help treat
several U.S. military personnel wounded
during service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The project was launched with the help of
philanthropist Ronald A. Katz, a well-known
inventor and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical
Center board member, who recognized that
providing excellent care to injured soldiers
need not be limited to the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs and the Armed Services.
The project aims to serve as a model for
other medical institutions interested in
helping additional wounded service members.
"'Operation Mend' represents an
extraordinary collaboration between the
surgeons and staff of Ronald Reagan UCLA
Medical Center and Brooke Army Medical
Center," said Katz, whose Katz Family
Foundation will fund all uncovered costs
associated with the project, including
lodging patients and family members at
UCLA's Tiverton House, a hotel on the
hospital campus designed to meet the needs
of patients receiving treatment at UCLA.
The Stand Down House for Homeless Veterans
Vietnam
Veterans of America, Inc.
Korean War Veterans Association, Inc.