HomeHomeNovember 2004, Part 2
OPPORTUNITIES for Giving Thanks and Sharing
In America, the holiday season is a time for reflection and giving thanks for the abundance in our lives. And this year, many are visibly showing their thanks and appreciation to the troops serving our country by putting yellow ribbons on their vehicles.
Americans are generous, giving people who reach out to those in need and give help and support. Unfortunately, the paradox in our culture is that those who need help the most are often too embarrassed or ashamed about living in "reduced circumstances."
Right now, thousands of military families are sacrificing much more than the average American, and ironically, they are often suffering as a result. Family breadwinners are serving overseas for extended tours of duty, leaving loved ones and friends, not to mention their jobs or small businesses at home. Many military families are living in reduced circumstances, and have had to apply for food stamps or visit food banks as a result of their service to the country. Oftentimes, soldiers are having trouble getting home, or military families are finding it difficult to get to their injured loved ones at various VA hospitals around the country.
November happens to be "National Military Family Month," and there are many ways to provide tangible support to troops and their families. A few of them are listed below. If you have additional ideas or suggestions, please let me know. Let’s remember the tremendous sacrifices made by our military families---not just at holiday time, but all year ‘round.
Happy Holidays.
Teresa
tcallies@hotmail.com
A Few Ways to Help…
Through Operation Hero Miles, Americans, as well as several airlines, are using frequent flyer miles to help troops return home. You can learn more about this program on the official web site, and you can also learn more about Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), who created this program.
Fisher House Foundation
Travelers on Northwest Airlines and Delta Airlines can support troops and their families by donating frequent flyer miles to Fisher House Foundation.
The Fisher House Program offers an inexpensive "home away from home" for military families who need a place to stay while their loved ones recuperate at nearby VA hospitals. According to their web site, this public-private partnership "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 Department of Defense. 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."
Is there a Fisher House near you? You can click here to find out.
Please note: Northwest Airlines frequent flyers have until November 30, 2004 to donate their miles to Fisher House Foundation.
Other Resources and Organization
The Disabled American Veterans organization has a Charitable Service Trust which accepts donations through workplace giving programs. The purpose of the Trust is to better the lives of disabled veterans and their families.
In addition, the Disabled American Veterans also has a National Service Foundation which also accepts gifts. The NSF "exists to develop financial resources in support of the goals and purpose of the DAV, including providing support to DAV's National Service Program and other service initiatives."
Army Emergency Relief is "a private nonprofit organization incorporated in 1942 by the Secretary of War and the Army Chief of Staff." Their only mission is to help troops and their dependents. Here’s more about how to donate.
The resource web site, 4MilitaryFamilies.com offers many helpful suggestions for supporting troops and their loved ones.
The service organization Feed the Children is going to offer "care" packages to soldiers serving overseas this holiday season. Here’s how to donate to this cause.
Operation Homefront offers a number of ways to help military families.
The American Red Cross also serves military families. You can read more about this on the Military.com web site.
And, many local United Way chapters are assisting needy families. Here’s an example from Honolulu’s UW web site.
The non-profit organization Gold Star Wives has been helping war widows and children of fallen soldiers since 1945.
The non-partisan, non-political Blue Star Mothers are fighting for cheap airfares for troops who often can’t qualify for the 21-day advanced booking fares that many "regular" travelers use. You can read more about the Blue Star Moms’ petition efforts here.
TAPS stands for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, According to their web site, this non-profit serves "families, friends and military service members who have been affected by a death in the armed services. We offer peer support, crisis response and intervention, grief care and counseling resources, casework assistance, long-term survivor wellness, and community and military outreach." You can reach them at 1-800-959-TAPS (8277).
Other Tips for Assisting Military Families
Patricia Erickson, Family Resources Manager for Family First, has written thoughtful articles about remembering our military families and the tangible ways in which we can help.
The U.S. Postal Service offers suggestions for supporting the troops on its official web site.
A Few of the Journalists Who Have Covered This Important Issue
Bill Whitaker of CBS News wrote a story on October 19th, about "US Military Families in Need"
On September 14, 2003, Christian Hill of Olympia, Washington's The Olympian wrote about the hardships of military families in their part of the country.
Shortly after Memorial Day, 2004, David Sarasohn of The Oregonian wrote an article about nationwide efforts to help hungry military families, such as America’s Second Harvest and their contributions to National Guard families.
Unfortunately, the problems of military families did not begin with the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In early 2003, Brian Mann wrote a piece about military families living in poverty which is found on the globalpolicy.org web site.
In the summer of 2003, Wayne Specht and Jennifer Svan wrote about the need for a food pantry on Misawa Air Base, Japan, for Stars and Stripes.
Information on the Financial Health of Various Charities
Would you like to give to a charity, but are unsure about the group that you’ve chosen? Charity Navigator can help you. They offer information on over three thousand organizations, and provide tips on giving.
And Finally, A Note on Rumor Control…
These days, outrageous rumors of all kinds fly through cyberspace and spread like a bad case of the flu. If you would like help in separating fact from fiction, try truthorfiction.com. They also have a section on rumors involving the military.
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