|
Thank you for visiting my fundraising page!
As an Air Force Special Tactics Officer (www.specialtactics.com) who has served with most of these fallen warriors, I have been trying to find a special way to help all my fallen special operations warrior's families and this is it! I will train for an entire year for the Virginia Double IRON Triathlon (4.8 mile swim, 224 mile bike, and 52.4 mile run). I have attached the link for the race (http://www.usaultratri.com/) if you have any other questions. The race will be held on 4-5 Oct 08!
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) provides two critical elements supporting our combat forces who are putting their lives on the line everyday; Scholarship and Counseling Support and Wounded Warrior Support. The first is dedicated to providing free college scholarships and educational counseling to the children surviving Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps Special Operations personnel who are killed in a training accident or operational mission. The second is it provides immediate financial assistance to special operations personnel severely wounded in the global war on terror.
Today, there are more than 700 deserving children who should not be denied the education their fallen parent would have wanted for them. To accomplish this task, the SOWF is committed to providing scholarship grants, not loans, to all these children. The grants are used by the student for tuition, books, fees, room & board, transportation and personal costs. In 2006 alone, the SOWF provided a total of $1.5 million in scholarship grants, educational programs and financial counseling for 111 students at colleges and universities across the country. With some 100 students eligible for college each year through 2018, the Foundation's estimated financial need is $60 million.
The SOWF, in cooperation with the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), is part of a united effort to address the needs of special operations personnel severely wounded in the global war on terrorism. To this end, the Foundation has joined a coalition of non-profit organizations dedicated to assisting the wounded. The Warrior Foundation coordinates with USSOCOM to ensure all of the needs of the wounded special operations personnel are met including providing $2,000 to meet immediate needs their families face when severely wounded special operations personnel are hospitalized from wounds suffered in combat. Last year, the SOWF provided $300,000 in financial assistance to severely wounded personnel so they could meet much need immediate needs such as travel, lodging, transportation, etc.
Now that you understanding the magnitude of need for the foundation; how can you help? Over the next ten years the foundation will need ~$6M per year to sustain these educational grants. This works out to ~$55K per a student per a year or roughly 220K for a four year degree. Unfortunately, the 111 children per year expected to start college per a year will grow as our nation continues to train and operate around the world driving the need even higher for your support.
My goal is to raise less than 0.5% ($220,000.00) of the overall need and ensure one deserving child earns a four year degree keeping the dreams and hopes of his/her parents alive.
Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.
SOWF is a tax exempt 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Their IRS tax-exempt letter can be found on their website at: www.specialops.org
For the second year in a row, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation's largest non-profit watchdog group. It's Charity Navigator's highest rating for effective, efficient spending. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=7584
The Special Operations Warrior Foundation is just one of four veterans services & advocacy charities that have earned at least two consecutive 4-star ratings, and among military charities evaluated by Charity Navigator, less than 20 charities nationwide have received a four-star rating. http://www.specialops.org/news.asp#4star
Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too! Additionally, I am looking for any help on running and biking supplies. I am going through tires, tubes, and running shoes pretty fast. Thanks.
Hoo-Yah Team!
|
