It’s not charity – It’s an investment in the future.

When a Service member is wounded in combat, in today’s conflict, the survival rate is many times higher than in previous wars, due mainly to much better and more timely medical care. However, the wounded can be left with the prospect of a long road of surgeries and rehabilitation.The cost to our military system in dollars is huge, and the cost to the individuals and their families is also gigantic.

I submit that, rather than a “cost” , a donation to Valour-IT is an investment. An investment in the future of our country and it’s people. Most of the injured are young, in the 19 – 25 year old bracket and otherwise healthy. With the technology available today, many of the injuries that would have relegated a person to a life as a dependent, shut-in,  the wounded are looking at a far different future.

Valour-IT is a program that provides appropriate technology to individual troops and also to hospitals and rehabilitation clinics. It is one of the many programs that Soldiers’ Angels supports and it provides voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries.  Technology supplied includes:

Join with us in raising funds for this amazing program as we kick off the 2011 Miliblog Valour-IT fund raiser!!  The contest runs from July 1 to July 14th and we are divided into teams by Military Branch. All funds raised go into the same pot to help our Wounded Warriors, but the team that raises the most, gets bragging rights for the year!! GO MARINES!!!!

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Toby Nunn at tobynunn@soldiersangels.org, 510-305-0004
Social Media Powers Laptops and More for Wounded Troops
Soldiers’ Angels Project Valour-IT
Conducts Online Fundraising Competition
Pasadena, CA (June 28, 2011) – As the number of American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines suffering battlefield wounds continues to grow, today’s economic challenges continue to squeeze military support nonprofits. Soldiers’ Angels Project Valour-IT—which has supplied over 6,000 severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines with adaptive laptops and other devices to aid their recovery and reintegration—is addressing that squeeze with a fundraising technique it pioneered: online competition.
Held July 1-14, the Valour-IT fundraising competition will draw on blogging, Facebook, Twitter and other social media to raise money and awareness for the needs of wounded troops. Divided among four “virtual teams” named in honor of U.S. military service branches, participants will also use flyers, word-of-mouth and traditional media outlets to spread the word. The goal is to raise at least $100,000, which will meet increased demand for Valour-IT services through October 2011.
“Project Valour-IT changes lives,” says Soldiers’ Angels founder Patti Patton-Bader. “Wounded heroes report that being able to use a laptop helps them feel whole again. Physical therapists are actually designing therapy sessions around Wii Sports! And something as normal as a handheld GPS reduces stress and helps a hero cope. It’s just amazing what this project does!”
Each of the devices Valour-IT supplies helps restore confidence and independence for a wounded hero. Voice-activated laptops reconnect the wounded with the world and develop self-confidence by showing soldiers they can continue to be engaged and productive despite their injuries. Servicemembers also use the laptops to research their medical care or prepare for a post-military career. Physical therapists report Wii Sports is extremely motivational and beneficial when used in physical therapy settings, and wounded personnel with short-term
memory loss due to TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and severe PTSD use GPS systems to keep from getting lost or disoriented when they move on to more independent living.
For more information about the fundraising competition, email campaign@soldiersangels.org or visit www.soldiersangels.org to donate. All funds raised go directly to wounded troops with no overhead costs removed, and requests for support are vetted through case managers.
About Soldiers’ Angels
Established in 2003, Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-based, award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing aid and comfort to members of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as veterans and military families. For more information, see www.soldiersangels.org. Tax ID# 20-0583415 CFC #25131
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