My Blog Cares

USA Cares: Warrior Treatment Today

2009-07-26T21:47:00.005-04:00

I've been trying to post on the blog all summer long, but with the computer problems and the kids out of school... i've seem to run short on time. I wanted, tho, to take time to post this very important information.

USA Cares started with a team of volunteers that had a passion for what they were doing. Today, going into the 7th year, they have grown to include solutions for the problems facing our service members and veterans, yet have still kept the passion that first drove the organization to start. The only difference is, there are more of us that are driven by the passion and strive to meet the examples that the Founders all set for us.

The information below is the new program that has been a great success in its few shorts months and continues to grow and most of all, WORK!

WARRIOR TREATMENT TODAY
Bridging gaps to PTSD/TBI Treatment for Veterans

Warrior Treatment Today is a USA Cares program designed to bridge the gap between personal financial demands and the need to receive treatment. Specifically, our program seeks to remove the financial barrier that exists for many service members who suffer from PTSD and/or TBI, but cannot afford to leave their employment for treatment. National Guard and Reserve personnel are particularly vulnerable to this barrier as they resume their civilian lives upon return from deployment. Should they be referred for treatment of a significant duration, they have to not only keep their jobs, but also acquire the dollars necessary to continue to meet their financial obligations.

USA Cares will take on the responsibility for paying essential houseold bills (rent/mortgage/utilities/car payment) while the service member is attending residential type PTSD/TBI treatment. In so doing, USA Cares will facilitate attendance to mandated/recommended treatment programs by removing the financial obstacles many face today. The recent Rand study suggests over 300,000 suffer from PTSD/TBI, with fewer than half of these cases actually identified. Thus, the magnitude of the problem is significant. We believe any program that will help diagnosed service members attend necessary treatment is of great value and deserves our full support.

Due to the potential size of the PTSD/TBI treatment problem, no one sector can be expected to adequately cope with the problem. A public-private sector partnership is essential if this problem is to be resolved. Military treatment facilities, the VA hospitals and clinics, and respected civilian hospitals must all work together to even begin to make a dent in the caseload. USA Cares has teamed up with a Houston hospital, TIRR Memorial Hermann, a leading rehabilitation facility, to provide care to TBI-type sufferers. A fellow member of the coalition for Iraq-Afghanistan Veterans, TIRR Foundation collaborated with TIRR Memorial Hermann to create the Project Victory program. Project Victory provides treatment for military personnel, and veterans of recent military service, who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom, and who have screened positively for, or have been diagnosed with, post concussive symptoms or traumatic brain injury while in combat or stateside. As good as the Project Victory program is, a financial barrier to an 8 to 10 week treatment program remains for many would-be attendees. University Behavioral Health of El Paso, Texas has also joined with USA Cares as a provider of PTSD/TBI treatment to the military. The basic structure of the Warrior Treatment Today Program is outlined below:

Stage 1: Identification and Verification
Scenario ONE: Service Members seeking support will come to USA Cares in our traditional manner via the World Wide Web and complete a simple application that details how we can contact them, and the nature of the problem or issue. The client will be contacted by our staff, who will discuss the requirements and needs of the family. Should the issue of PTSD/TBI be revealed by the client, the case will be passed to our Advocacy Center who will suggest screening (if it has not been done) and provide references to locate screening facilities. The goal is to not let the family plunge into financial crisis.

Scenario TWO: A service member is referred for residential PTSD/TBI treatment by competent medical authority (VA in the case of Veterans, Title 32 Guard, and inactive Reserve). He may have gone for screening as a result of Scenario ONE, or any other number of ways. At the time of referral to residential treatment, the service member must be made aware of USA Cares and our program to help with finances while at treatment. (Lacking the ability to support the family due to absence from work for an extended period, the referral will likely not be accepted/executed). The service member applies to USA Cares under our Warrior Treatment Today program which includes the below general guidelines:

Qualifying Elements:

Injury is connected to service in Iraq or Afghanistan
Service Member has been diagnosed by competent medical authorities, either military or civilian
Employment and income loss is not covered by medical or unemployment insurance
Family will be in danger of losing their home if they don't receive assistance
Service Member has been accepted into qualifying treatment center for recovery and rehabilitation

Stage II: Determining Requirements & Gaining Approval

USA Cares will assist in housing, food, utilities and transportation related costs as required
USA Cares will require documentation that supports the need
Food costs will be developed along the required amounts from the USDA, which an example says that a family of four requires about $518 a month
Case will be reviewed and approved by a USA Cares Virtual Committee

Stage III: Implementation and Assistance

Approved cases are moved to accounting where each month the approved amounts are paid directly to the provider
Incremental assistance can be extended out over the period of treatment not to exceed 180 days
The Family Resource Coordinator will maintain contact with the client throughout the case length

In the future, USA Cares is working to involve other top flight civilian hospitals in the program. Working with our partner, Mercy Flights, we can transport an invisibly wounded warrior anywhere in the USA at no cost to the service member. We envision a network of such hospitals all working to treat the enormous caseload that PTSD and TBI represent from today's war. Bound together by information technology that can quickly handle referrals and locate treatment centers, this program is exportable to any state. We believe that a number of states will consider this opportunity to give their state's military the treatment they deserve while not endangering their financial future. This program is being initiated in Texas using facilities in Houston, El Paso, and, hopefully, Dallas. The Texas program will serve as a model for other states. No American service member and their family should have to choose between paying the bills and getting treatment. USA Cares plans to see that they don't.

You can read about this program here and here.

If you read this and have a blog of your own, please post the information to your blog. The more we can get the word out, the more of these invisibly wounded we can help.

USA Cares "50 States in 50 Days"

2009-03-19T22:06:00.005-04:00

As you all know, i have been working with USA Cares for about 6 months now. About a month ago, Roger (Co-Founder) approached me with an idea that would take USA Cares into a new realm of technology. I have to say, I am SO excited about this new Campaign... "50 States in 50 Days."

We have teamed up with mGive, (A service of Mobile Accord, a Mobile Application Service Provider/Cause-Marketing Agency based in Denver, Colorado. They offer the strategic and tactical marketing expertise necessary to successfully implement scalable mobile donation and communication solutions on local and national levels.) With them, we are able to accept donations through texting. How much easier can it get?

With that in mind, Roger had this brilliant idea of doing a full out Campaign using the mobile giving idea. That's where you come in! (Hey... don't leave the page... at least hear me out!!!)

The first goal of the campaign is to find 50 volunteers who will take on the challenge of leading their state.

Their goal is to find a minimum of 100 donors within their state, who will text in $5 to USA Cares using the latest technology called mobile giving where the cell phone user texts a key word to a certain number and then responds with a “yes” when prompted to confirm the message. $5 is then added to the cell phone owner’s next monthly bill, and only one time. A person is able to text up to 5 times within a billing cycle. The length of the Campaign will extend over 2 billing cycles. Quotas are recorded by number of texts, not by individual people. So within your own household, you could already have 20 toward the 100 we are asking each Key State Volunteer to reach, and that is only if 2 people text in the maximum from your household.

We are looking for a key person in each state and there are a few that are still open. If you, or you think you know someone that might be interested, please let me know! We are in need of MD, NJ, OK, SD, CT, IA, MI, AR, ID, MN, WI, MO, NE, RI, UT, WV, ME, SC, and WY. Know anyone in those states?!

The campaign is tentatively scheduled to run from 1 April – 20 May 2009. At the conclusion of the campaign, three levels of prizes will be awarded:

Three key persons will receive an expense paid trip to Las Vegas on 12 November to attend the USA Cares 2nd Annual Golf Scramble
One key person will receive $1000 Visa Card for being first to reach $5000 worth of texts
One key person will receive a 32” Flat Screen TV for being first to reach $1000 worth of texts
All key volunteers will receive a gift bag at the conclusion of the campaign

I can promise you that USA Cares will commit time and effort in assisting with marketing and networking products and contacts. The 50/50 Committee is very dedicated to this Campaign and have come up with some good ideas to help our KSVs. You won't be in this alone. We are committed to making this almost effortless!

We will soon have a website up and running, but for now, we are doing most of our work through Facebook.

If you feel it's something you would like to do, please contact me and let's talk! My work with USA Cares has been so fulfilling, as you have probably seen on this blog. I'd love for you to be involved, too!

Please don't make me beg!!!!!

Cross posted at A Life of Jenn

USA Cares and Wal-mart

2009-02-11T09:53:00.005-05:00

Do you shop at Walmart? Of course you do! WELL! If you live near one of these Walmarts... i have a big favor to ask of you!

Radcliff, KY
Russelville, KY
Elizabethtown, KY
Bowling Green, KY
Leitchfield, KY
Franklin, KY
Bowling Green, KY #5236
Central City, KY
Hardinsburg, KY
Beaver Dam, KY
Bardstown, KY

The next time you are in one of the Wal-marts listed below, please take a moment to check out the apparel department. Look for the long & short sleeved red t-shirts and sweatshirts & hoodies that display the "I Care, Too!" logo. If you have any extra money at all, please please please consider purchasing one!

These stores are the test market to see how well the apparel will sell. If all goes well, USA Cares has the opportunity to put this apparel in more Wal-marts across the country! With this money, so many families will be helped!

Please help our cause of helping military families... and wear your RED shirt on FRIDAYS!

You can visit here to learn more information!

Cross posted on my other blog.

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T21:15:00.003-05:00

Today, we honor the patriotism and courage of those that have served and are currently serving.
Thank you for your courage, your sacrifice and for the brave men and women you are. Our country is what it is because of you. My children have the future they do, because of each of you. Thank you.

I also wanted to thank the Veterans at USA Cares for their service. You gave selflessly by your time in the military and you continue your selflessness by way of giving back now. You show your appreciate everyday by way of USA Cares because you know what it means to serve and to sacrifice. Thank you for your patriotism and for your caring and compassion for those that are currently serving.

Thank you to all of you. Thank you.

Dennis Miller on USA Cares

2008-11-07T21:15:00.002-05:00

*grins* This is an excerpt from this interview:

Q: The latest item on your long resume is USA Cares.
A: I've done a lot of things for the troops over the years. To be the national spokesperson for such an organization, well, I'm highly flattered. The troops afford me to have all of these jobs. Without them, I don't think we have much over here. When people say they support the troops but not their effort, they would rather you say you don't support them and the war.

'nuff said!

EVENT!! ~ Black Trumpet Bistro

2008-11-07T14:02:00.002-05:00

Are you in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area? If so, this event is a MUST-ATTEND!

Black Trumpet Bistro will be honoring our Veterans, Military and their families by holding an event filled with delicious food, American wines and great fun. A portion of the proceeds will go to USA Cares to help these honorable men and women and their families through difficult times.

This event will be held on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2008.

To learn more, please read here and here and here and here.

EVENT!! ~ Shake It Up! Dance Studio

2008-11-07T13:57:00.002-05:00

How cool is this!

A dance studio in Redlands, Calif. is hosting a dance event that will benefit USA Cares. This Veterans Day fundraiser will be held on Nov. 15, from 8pm til midnight. They will have a live band, dance lessons, dance performances, food, raffle prizes and more!

Read more here.

I think this is SUCH a cool event. If you are in the area, please! help support this studio's efforts to give back and make an appearance!!

USA Cares & School

2008-11-07T13:54:00.000-05:00

I went today to talk to the teachers at Princess' school. i think i mentioned before that they (the 8th grade "team") was considering USA Cares at their community service project for the year. I spoke to them today and they all seemed very excited about it and are already coming up with some ideas about ways for the kids to be involved!!

It's not just that USA Cares will benefit from the help, but this is more about getting our youth involved and them knowing that they make a difference and can and should feel a responsibility in giving back.

A few ideas that were thrown around were having a Veterans Tree around the holidays, having "Wear Red on Fridays" days and making some blankets for the Operation Lap Wrap that USA Cares does. This is an idea that can be done by anyone, anywhere. This one happens to be taking place in a school, but it can be done by people in any setting. Just take a look at what these people are doing!

It warms my heart so much to know there are people excited about this organization like I am.

Crossposted at A Life of Jenn

Ways to Help and Be Involved

2008-11-06T09:39:00.006-05:00

When i was trying to find some way to give back, i used to wonder how to know i was getting involved with something that was directly affecting another person. There are SO many opportunities out there, just so much to choose from. And i am sure most, if not all, have people involved in these organizations that are as wonderful, compassionate and selfless as the people that are involved in USA Cares. But i just could not be more excited and feel more blessed than being involved with this organization and the people that make up USA Cares. I'm not the only one that feels blessed, motivated and excited about being involved with such an organization. Check out this story. And this one, too.

If you have ever thought about a way to get involved, please please please consider USA Cares. There are so many ways to get involved. Donate money, donate your time, purchase items that give a portion of the money to USA Cares, start a drive of needed items to give to the service members, simply writing on your blog. Below are some examples.

++ Donate money
Share a Minute:
A deployed service member spends 525,000 minutes in harm's way. The USA Cares Share A Minute program is asking Americans to donate one minute of support ($25.00) to provide emergency assistance to military families that are in financial crisis due to the hardships of multiple deployments .If we can cover an entire year of minutes of a deployment, USA Cares will have $13,000,000 to provide emergency assistance to our troops and their families. For more information, please visit here and here and here.

++ Wear Red on Friday.
USA Cares is a proud partner of the national “red shirt on Friday” movement that demonstrates the support of our troops and their families. The following is a great description of why we should all wear red on Fridays (taken from redshirtfriday.us):

Red Shirt Friday is a symbol of unity of support for our solders who have given their lives and their freedoms so we might enjoy ours. Red Shirt Friday is not just to give thanks to the thousands that have died for us. It is also for the millions that have served our country, are serving our country now, and to the millions that have supported our brave military. It is for the loved ones that have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for our benefit. Mothers, wives, brothers, sisters, children, and relatives. It is for the friends neighbors, communities, organizations, states and our nation that suffer from our loss. It is for all of the ones that are serving now and have served. It is for our P.O.W.s and M.I.A.s.

Purchase a T-shirt from USA Cares:
Money from the t-shirts goes directly to helping the military families. You can purchase the t-shirts here.

Organize a "Wear Red on Friday":
... at your place of employement, a company you do business with, an organization you are involved with... the possibilities are endless. Can you imagine walking into the grocery and seeing everyone wearing red, in support of our troops? These companies are already on board:
Nolin Electric, Radcliff and Elizabethtown Holiday Inn, The Kiwanis Club of South Orlando, Boonedock’s, Cardinal Health

My daughter organized a Red Wear on Friday at her school. You can read about it here.

More information can be found here and here about the I Care Fridays campaign.

++ Purchasing items that portions of the money will be donated to USA Cares. Maybe you have a child(ren) that you need to purchase gifts for for the upcoming holidays.
Bionic Gloves:
Louisville Slugger and Bionic Gloves have teamed up with USA Cares in its mission to help service members and their families. They will be donating a portion of holiday sales to USA Cares.

Bionic has set up a charity code for USA Cares – USACARES – that used when ordering any Bionic glove on the Bionic gloves web site, http://www.bionicgloves.com, will send a portion of the proceeds to USA Cares. Bionic will get the word out about USA Cares through its holiday e-mail blast and podcast PSAs.

If you have any plans of purchasing new or updating old equipment for your player, please consider using this code and know that you will be putting a smile on more than your recipient, the military personnel and their families will be smiling, too. You can read the full story here.

A Glove of Their Own:
‘A Glove of Their Own’ an uplifting tale of children’s love and passion for baseball. But don't let the theme of baseball detour you if your little one is not into the sport. This story is more about giving back and extending friendship. The message is priceless. You can read more about this book at the website.

The sale of each book generates $3.30 for charities, Salomon said. Three charities receive 10 cents each. Purchasers can then designate the remaining $3 of the donation to USA Cares by using the USC 247 charity code on the Web site where the book is ordered.

Read more about this program and the work the author is doing to give back here.

Louisville Slugger:
Here is a great way to support our Troops by purchasing a USA Cares Louisville Slugger bat. The bat is a 34# full size adult bat with a red handle and a blue barrel. The Louisville Slugger oval, USA Cares logo, and engraved text are in white. The Bat was created in part with Operation Slugger II and effort to help our men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq have a little recreation. Hillerich & Bradsby Co. will be donating $10.00 for every bat sold to support the mission of USA Cares and help military families with quality issues of life and help support the troops. You can read more here or go here to purchase.

++Participate in the many events and functions that benefit USA Cares or sponsor you own!
Golf Scrambles

Organizations/Companies Make Their Own

++ Put together items needed for Service Members. You might do this as a family or get an organization involved.
Operation Lap Wrap:
Operation Lap Wrap mission is to bring a piece of the outside world to these Wounded Warriors. The Lap Wrap is a symbol of warmth, security and caring. The personalization gives it a feeling of home. Our Service members are sometimes flown into the hospitals in a gown; some go home with a hospital gown, and some with lost limbs. These Lap Wraps are a way to show that we are out here and we care. You can check out this idea here.

My daughter did this for a service project for school. She currently has 2 blankets made and is anxious to make more. We are going to be suggesting this as a service project for the girls on her cheerleading squad to do.
A yarn and knitting business in southern California has stepped up to make volunteer contributions both donating blankets and offering discounts to customers. Read more here!

Operation Backpack:
When service members are wounded, they, many times, leave behind all their belongings. This includes a bag to carry their things in when they leave a health facility. USA Cares collects backpacks, duffle bags, etc., and gets them to different facilities all over the country so that the Service Member will have something to carry their belongings home in. You can read more about it here. (Warning: have tissues ready!)

Operation Brave Boxer:
The Mission of Operation Brave Boxer is to provide clean undergarments, hygiene items, phone cards and postage to the Service members who arrive at Military Medical facilities. Service members who are medivac to Medical Facilities consistently arrive in hospital gowns or with their clothing cut away from them to treat their injuries. Some do not have their first visitor for days, weeks and some single Service members have no family to run errands for them. Providing them with clean undergarments, hygiene items and a phone card to call home lets them know that someone was thinking about them, before they even arrived. For more information read here.

++ Get children involved. Our young people are the future of this Great Country and we need to teach them, not only by words, but by example. Show them ways they can help. The pride they feel knowing they are contributing is not only a self-esteem booster, but teaches them to care for something bigger than them.
Lights for the Troops:
Count the number of light bulbs in your house or residence and then, send one dollar for each light, to USA Cares, Inc. This idea has a very moving story behind it. Please be sure to go here and read about it.

Garage Sales:
Hold multi-family or community yard sale and designate proceeds to USA Cares.

Liberty Lemonade:
Individuals set up a lemonade stand to raise funds for USA Cares; possible locations include golf courses, front yards, during garage sales and other community functions.

Patriot Rock Sales
A youngster recently came into USA Cares with a wonderful donation and an idea so creative it touched everyone's heart. She took rocks from her driveway, painted them red, white and blue and sold them on the sidewalk for $0.10 apiece. She and her friend collected $47.00!

How you decide to get involved, what you do, how you do it, the amount of time... that is all only bounded by your creativity, motivation, resources and desire. You can do anything you put your mind to. If you are interested in helping in anyway, whether one listed here, or one of your own, please contact me. You can leave a comment or email me directly. My email address is jennmomof3@gmail.com. I will answer any questions you might have, and if i don't know, i will find out!

All of these things can be found on the USA Cares website by clicking on the Fundraising or the Volunteer/Projects dropdowns.

Children are just short grown ups

2008-10-22T13:42:00.007-04:00

Princess is 13. She will soon turn 14. Sometimes i look at her and i could just rip my hair out, then there are times that i look at her and get tears in my eyes at how good of a girl she is.

She IS a teenager. She has a smart mouth and she's messy, and for some reason, she thinks it's a good idea to park all her clothes in the floor as to not mess up the dresser and closet. Her hair is very important, but only the front of course (because she can't see the back). She thinks Mom is very uncool and dad hates her. But... with all that said...

She's smart (straight A student) and beautiful (blond hair, blue eyes) and funny (well, i did mention she is a blond, right?). She's her own person, doesn't try to fit in and is not embarrassed to say when she does or doesn't like something, even if it's against what's cool and the norm. She's ambitious and self-motivated. Most parents are sad to see their kids grow up, but not me. i am looking forward to the day that she makes a life of her own. i am anxious to see what she will do with the life lessons she's learned and to see how her father and i have influenced her life... good and bad. It's why we have kids, right? To turn them into productive, successful people for society. And well, i am anxious to see what she does with the information she has been provided.

How lucky am i that yesterday i was provided a glimpse into what kind of person my daughter really is.

About a week ago, she mentioned to me how she's not used to not having a service project to do each month. Having been in catholic school since kindergarten, this year she is in public school and this was one of the things she said she misses. She and i talked about what she could do and i mentioned some ways she could get her school involved as well.

Fast forward to yesterday. I got a call from her school counselor, Nancy. She said that Princess had been into her office and talked to her about doing a community service project to raise money for USA Cares. Nancy talked about how impressed she was with Princess for having the idea and coming to them to implement it.

Princess had gone to her teacher, Mrs. Peak, and told her of the idea for the students of the school to wear red on a Friday for a small amount (50 cents, a dollar, something small) and to take the money that is raised and give it to USA Cares. She was then sent to speak to Nancy about the idea.

The school is very receptive to the idea. i am going to give them some more intensive information about USA Cares, but i feel very positive about this. Nancy said that she would be interested, once finding out more, in making this the service project that the 8th grade will adopt for the school year. Which means... it's not only a one time thing, it could possibly be all school year long that the students will be involved in working toward helping USA Cares.

This is something that could be done by any child. Not only would they be helping out a great charity... but think of how good they will feel about themselves. This could really be something that could go very, very far.

I am so proud of Princess. If this is any indication of what kind of adult she will be, then i have done my job well.

Cross posted at A Life of Jenn

CFC and USA Cares

2008-10-14T15:20:00.002-04:00

It's that time again... you know, to designate where you charitable contributions will go? Yep, the CFC campaign has started and many organizations will be sitting on the edge of their seats hoping that your money will help them in the year 2009.

i can't say what is right for you... or for your money, but if you are undecided about what charity your wish to be associated with, i do hope you will take a hard, long look at USA Cares. (Have some questions? Leave a comment or email me and i will be happy to answer or find the answer for you!)

Here are a few of the statistics that i know off the top of my head:

Over 6,000 service members have been helped.
USA Cares has granted aid to service members in all 50 states and 7 overseas territories.
Over 500 home have been saved from either eviction or foreclosure.
Because of the help of USA Cares saving homes, 1,100+ children still have a roof over their head.
Independent, external audits have been done and for 3 consecutive years it concluded that 90% of the donations go to help the families.
USA Cares doesn't ask for any money in return. The aid given to Service Members are done in the form of grants, not loans.

i was thinking about this being the CFC sign-up time and thought about something i read that was written by Roger Stradley, one of the Founders of USA Cares. Thought i would share some of that with you here:

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

CFC and USA Cares
USA Cares has its own CFC number. 12359

Why is that important? For the past nearly five years, we have not solicited or allowed our clients to either pay us back, or send us donations specifically tied to a grant we provided them. So we have turned away 7,000 possible donors.

For a non-profit, that might not be smart, but that is how we are doing it. Now, through CFC, we are in the position to allow all federal employees who want to help those who serve assist each other.

Why select us for your CFC contribution? I think there are several reasons.

One. We don’t loan money. AER, Navy Relief and other similar protected agencies, loan money, true, it is without interest, but a loan is a loan, and in this case, the first one that gets repaid. A recent article in a national magazine stated that over 90% of all AER assistance was with loans. We don’t loan money. Nor do we submit our clients to detailing their entire life history.

Two. We are responsive. There are lots of organizations that say much of the same things that we say we do, but the truth of the matter is, their response time is measured in weeks and months. If we have all the requested information, and we can get a hold of the client, we can open and work the case in hours. We do that almost routinely with families who have no food.

You can continue reading here.

In closing... if you wish to put your money into USA Cares, you can do so feeling as if you are directly helping a member of our military.

Thank you for even considering USA Cares for your CFC contribution.

EVENT! ~ Golf Tournament in Las Vegas

2008-10-14T14:28:00.003-04:00

What are you doing on Veterans Day 2008?

No better way to spend the day honoring those that have fought for our freedom than to participate in a golf scramble that will benefit just those people. USA Cares will be hosting a golf scramble in Las Vegas on Veterans Day, November 11, 2008.

The following information can be found here:

Enjoy Cascata Golf Course, support USA Cares and military families Nov. 11

Thursday October 2, 2008 | 09:43:21 102 words

Las Vegans, we’ve got it pretty damn good – it’s time to give something back.

Do your part by participating in the upcoming Imperial Palace and Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon’s Veteran’s Day Charity Golf Tournament to benefit USA Cares, organized by Harrah’s Entertainment’s H.E.R.O. committee.

USA Cares (www.usacares.org) is a global non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to military families through community initiatives, corporate and individual contributions and grants.

The event is being held on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, at Cascata Golf Course.

To register, or for more information, contact billsimperialhero@harrahs.com or call Brad Overfield at (702) 835-5713.

If you are going to be in the Las Vegas area, get a group of friends together and play a round of golf! Will be alone? Don't be shy, your new best friend might be waiting for your participation on their team (yes, that's what i tell my kids to get them to particpate, too!)! Don't play golf or won't have time? Consider sponsoring a soldier or a team of soldiers to play!

More information can be found by calling or emailing the above contacts. If you have questions, feel free to leave comments here and i will do what i can to get them answered, if i don't know the information myself.

You really will be contributing to a great cause while participating in honoring the Veterans on Veterans day.

What else do you have to do?

EVENT! ~ Golf Tournament in L.A., Calif.

2008-10-14T14:10:00.005-04:00

GOLF ENTHUSIASTS !!! ....

If you live in or are going to be in the Los Angeles area on November 10th, 2008 (which is also the birthday of the USMC) you MUST check out this golf tournament.

Taken from this website:

Firm Sponsors Golf Tournament for the Benefit of USA Cares

Oct 1, 2008

USA Cares, a nationwide charitable organization serving military service members and their families, will hold its second annual charitable golf tournament on November 10, 2008 at the MountainGate Country Club in Los Angeles. Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., a national law firm, along with Hagen, Streiff, Newton & Oshiro, RGL Accountants PC and Matson, Driscol & Damico are sponsoring and underwriting the tournament. Comedian and commentator Dennis Miller will play in the tournament and emcee the dinner.
About USA Cares
Mission Statement: USA Cares exists to provide military families with financial support and other critical resources in their time of need.
Implementation: Since its founding in 2003, USA Cares has fielded over 6,000 requests for aid and distributed nearly $3.5 million, in funds and services in-kind, to military families in 50 states and 7 overseas territories, along with related financial counseling. Currently, it is receiving over 100 requests for aid per week.
Efficiency: Under its by-laws, USA Cares must distribute at least 90% of donations to military family recipients in cash or services. USA Cares primary operational facility and call center is located in Radcliff, Kentucky (outside Ft. Knox) allowing substantial economies in rent, personnel costs, and other overhead.
Operational Philosophy: USA Cares, recognizing its limited resources and the great need, operates on a "tough love" principle. Aid is given for the essentials, such as housing (rent and mortgage support), utilities, food and primary transportation. Non-essential items such as discretionary credit card expenditures, second cars, recreational costs and the like are not eligible.
Operational Mechanics: Aid requests to USA Cares are often on an emergency basis and time sensitive. To combine rapid response with protection of scarce resources, USA Cares follows these simple but effective guidelines: 1) verify the applicant's military connection; 2) verify the existence of the debt in question as well as the need for an emergency response; 3) send a check to the creditor or service provider in question to resolve the problem--no cash goes directly to the applicant and per recipient limits apply. In the case of food requests, amount and item-limited credit cards are issued.
Reputation and Credibility: USA Cares has been recognized by the President, Members of Congress, and major media outlets, such as NBC, NPR, and Woman's World Magazine. Perhaps more importantly, it has repeatedly been recognized by aid recipients, as well as troop commanders in the field, for the quality, timeliness and discretion of its aid. It is a registered 501 (c) (3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code and has recently been accepted in the Combined Federal Campaign. Its finances and operations are audited by Dean, Dorton & Ford, CPAs, of Lexington, Kentucky. Visit the web site at www.usacares.org for more details. Click "Success Stories" for details of families aided over the past four years.
For more information about sponsorship opportunities or to participate in the tournament, contact:
Yvonne Waters
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
2049 Century Park East
Suite 4400
Los Angeles, CA 90067
310.552.0130
Click here to register online.

This is a great opportunity to help out a great cause and work on your handicap!! If you are interested, be sure to contact the Yvonne at the above number!

AUSA Annual Meeting 2008

2008-10-13T13:00:00.003-04:00

I was honored to get to go to DC from Oct. 4th to the 8th with USA Cares. Yes... yes... i got to be an adult for 5 whole days, with no Dora or Diego, apple juice or diapers!! We left on Saturday and drove to DC, stayed until the last day of the conference and then drove back home.

I had never seen anything of this size. The Convention Center itself was huge, but the exhibit hall and all the exhibits were simply amazing. I imagine this is equivalent to Disney for a child for a military buff! *grins*

Helicopters and Bradleys and vehicles and machines that i don't know the name of... all on display in the "booths" of these companies. I use the word "booth" lightly, because they all ranged from 10' x 10' to probably 100' x 100'. Some were 2 stories and had conference rooms and meeting areas. One had a theater! Companies i have never heard of that are some of the biggest defense contractors in the world were there. Did you know that Osh Kosh makes military vehicles? I thought they make cute little overalls for children and matching outfits, but instead, i learned that they make a vital vehicle for our forces... and part of it is made right here in Louisville!!!

I got to meet so many different people.

I met and shook hands with all kinds of different people... I met Generals and Colonels and Lt. Colonels... i met enlisted soldiers of all different ranks... i met female and male soldiers... i met military wives and children... i met government workers and employees of some of the vendors... i met Directors and Presidents of companies and volunteers of others.
I was honored to meet Steve Wilkos and Dennis Miller. They are both Spokespersons for USA Cares. Mr. Wilkos came on Monday and was very nice. He's just a regular guy... nothing like his big, bad persona on TV. He talked about his family and was very gracious. Linda, his Manager, i think, was fun and interesting to talk, too. Steve walked around to a few booths and some folks got their pictures taken with him. Mr. Miller came on Tuesday and did a 2 hour autograph and photo session. He spoke personally with every person that came through line and was very personable. He had flown in the night before, got up early and did his radio show from DC and then came to the Convention Center. As tired as i am sure he was, he took time to get on a personal level, even if only momentary, with each person and his smile never showed any sign of tiredness in any of the 140+ pictures he took with them.
Michelle and Jennifer from Thumbs Up, Johnny!, Tania from Operation Life Transformed, the people from Battlemind, USO... these were some of the vendors around us. Very nice people that all believe in what they are doing and passionate about helping Service Members and their families. I even got to listen to some soldiers sing at the booth (Very good singers!) at the end of our section, the Army Installation Management Command.
I got to see General Petreaus and Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren.

Most of all, though, i got to spend 5 days with some amazing people that have a passion for the jobs they do with USA Cares. Just watching them interact and discuss the organization with passers-by was almost an emotional experience everytime. You could hear it in their voices and see it in their eyes. They not only believe in what they do, but they know, most of them, from personal experience. 5 of them are ex-military, one grew up a military brat... they are very knowledgeable about their work and how it will best help.

I have been asked most, since being home, what the best part was. And while meeting Dennis Miller was a treat and there were a few surprising moments, my favorite part was watching the soldiers that i got to speak to, or one of the other people from USA Cares was speaking to, and watching their eyes and their body language when they learned about how USA Cares and what they are doing to give back to those that are sacrificing so much. They really were very appreciative and gracious with their words of support and thanks. Imagine that... they are thanking us?! There were many that talked about how they know of people this could help, or how they will definitely be giving to this organization this year thru CFC because of it being such a worthwhile cause.

Once people learned what we were all about, they were so recpetive to engage in conversation and were eager to learn more. I think the biggest thing was learning that USA Cares gives grants, not loans. Most organizations that give money to military families for bills and everyday living expenses expect to be paid back. And when people learned that USA Cares was not like this, they were not only surprised but grateful... and this was across the board, not only by Service Members but also by those that wish to support them.

I know i keep saying it, but i feel so blessed to be a part of something that does so much good, with people that believe in what they do and have a passion for not only the cause but for the people the cause supports.

I didn't get to see much of DC... well, i did get to see Embassy Row, that was pretty cool. I have to remember to thank Jack for that little detour. The entertainment was so good though (thanks to Jack and Bill for that, too!!) that i feel like i missed a few Embassies. I was there to work, so i didn't mind not seeing DC, but i am SO anxious to go back now and take the kids. It was such a busy city and so lively... and the food was good, too! And i feel like after 5 days, i could have done the Metro all by myself!

I had an amazing time... i learned SO much about the USA Cares. AND!!! Did i mention, i got to be an adult (no Dora or Diego to fill my conversations for the day) for 5 whole days?!

Crossposted : A Life of Jenn... A Journey

History and Description of USA Cares

2008-10-10T13:30:00.004-04:00

Knowing more about an organization sometimes helps. It did with me. As I stated in the post before, I did as much research as I could before becoming involved with this organization. I hope by placing this here that someone will read and realize what caring and passion has gone into the building of USA Cares.

The mission of USA Cares is to help bear the burdens of service by providing military families with monetary and advocacy support in their time of need. The history of USA Cares began in March of 2003 following the successful local effort called Kentuckiana Cares. WAVE-3 TV, Louisville, Kentucky's NBC Affiliate, Kroger and the Fort Knox Chapter of the Association of the United States Army joined efforts and raised $121,000 by selling Support Our Troops yard signs. While supporting the Kentuckiana Cares Program during Operation Iraqi Freedom, founding team members realized that a significant gap existed in the support structure provided to 2.2 million Service Members and their families.

In response to that need, on 6 Oct 2003, USA Cares was organized and incorporated as a 501(c) (3) corporation in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Its purpose is to provide direct assistance with quality of life issues via grants, counseling and mentorship. USA cares gives support to all branches and ranks while protecting the privacy and dignity of the family. It is our policy not to discriminate in any manner based on race, religion, creed, status, or situation when providing assistance.

USA Cares is a national military family support effort that does not rely on membership, posts or chapters. Typical funding sources are through individual and corporate contributions. USA Cares exits to provide assistance and support exclusively to military service members and their families. By maximizing the advantages and capabilities of technology, namely the Internet, we are able to position and direct local, regional and national support opportunities in direct aid, one family at a time. Our personal military experiences gives us expertise in Army, Navy and Air Force affairs.

Accolades from President and Mrs. Bush, Secretaries of the Army and Navy, and countless others evidence the effectiveness of our staff and volunteers. We are proud to have added Dennis Miller to our team in the role of National Spokesperson for USA Cares. His endorsement of our program has increased the visibility of USA Cares dramatically.

USA Cares has also been fortunate to "partner" with numerous other local, regional and national organizations, such as the VFW, American Legion, Blue Star Mothers, Rotary Clubs and the Association of the United States Army. In particular, USA Cares has partnered with several large organizations including the Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) of St. Paul, Minnesota, Cardinal Health, Pride Mobility and Chase Bank.

Our Family Services Division concentrates our support in three sub-programs: wounded warriors, housing and quality of life. Our Wounded Warrior program recognizes the depth of financial strain caused from being visibly or "invisibly" wounded such as with Traumatic Brain Injury or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Our housing program has assisted more than 500 military families facing foreclosure or eviction with more than $1 million in support. Lastly our Quality of Life program offers Service Members who often due to the strains of deployments, find themselves in need of assistance with an unexpected car repair or higher than usual utility bill.

USA Cares, Inc. and me

2008-10-10T12:48:00.003-04:00

I feel that having a sense of community and instilling that in my children is one of the most important aspects of life. It is a lesson I pride myself on teaching them by example. My passion for the last couple of years has been the War and the Service Members that are fighting this war. I didn't know how it was that I was going to give back, but I knew I wanted it to have a direct affect on those that are putting their life on the line for me, my family, my loved ones and my country each day.

I had been very involved on committees with my church... sitting on some boards, chairing a couple, organizing fundraisers. I really enjoyed what I did, but my last pregnancy forced me to slow down. During that time, I re-evaluated what I wanted to spend my time doing. I knew the baby would take a year of two of all my time being dedicated to her, so I wanted to find an organization that I could delve into completely, and find a longevity with, like the committees I served on at church.

Fast forward a couple of years later... onne night in May, 2008... I was having a case of "can't get to sleep despite being exhausted." After laying there for hours with no luck of seeing only the back of my eyelids, I turned on the TV. To FOX News my remote automatically went. Bill O'Reilly was on, and while I love his show and watch often, I knew it was a good choice to go to sleep to, or I had hoped. While laying there with my eyes closed, hoping that Bill's voice would lull me to sleep, I heard Dennis Miller talking about becoming the National Spokesperson for USA Cares, "an organization out of Louisville, KY." I immediately sat up in bed and thought... I live in Louisville, but haven't heard of this??

The next day, in all my sleepless haze, I did a little research and found out about USA Cares. I read the website and went to all the links that pertained to USA Cares in Google. I knew with school getting ready to be out for the summer, it would be difficult for me to give my time, but I decided that I would follow USA Cares and what it does, is doing and will be doing over the summer and make a decision on volunteering at the end of the summer.

On September 11, 2008... I filled out the application and sent it in to USA Cares. You can read here, here and here how excited I was to have gotten word back from them, met with them, and been allowed to be involved. I was invited to go with them to the AUSA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. I spent 6 days learning from and observing those that are so passionate about this organization and interacting with those that are benefitting from an organization like this. It's an amazing set of people that make up USA Cares. Their humble characteristics are only shadowed by the passion and belief of what they do. It was an honor to be around these people and watch them talk proudly about what they do and why they do it. Many heart-warming moments and a few tear-welling eyes told me that I was right where I need to be.

I have done 6 months worth of research on this organization, spent a week with the people that make up this organization and had the privelege of seeing the reaction and gratitude on the faces of those this organization is set up to support. I really do feel that this is my calling... helping those that sacrifice so much because they care so much about the USA. I am proud to be a part of something to show that USA Cares about them.

I care, too.