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Valour IT

Investments In The Future

Jul 1st, 2011
by OH Hell.
1 comment

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:

  • Voice-controlled Laptops – Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.
  • Wii Video Game Systems – Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions (donated only to medical facilities).
  • Personal GPS – Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.

    • 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!!!!

    Valour-IT – GO MARINES!!!

    Jun 27th, 2011
    by OH Hell.
    No comments yet

    Can You Lend a Hand (For those without…)???

    Jun 24th, 2011
    by OH Hell.
    1 comment

    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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    A Challenge….

    Nov 9th, 2010
    by OH Hell.
    No comments yet

    Imagine for a moment that you only have one hand. Or more than a moment. Choose a hand, right or left, doesn’t matter. Then try and go about your every day activities without using that hand.

    Tough, isn’t it? Hard to zip your pants, button your jacket, tie your boot. Try driving a stick shift truck. Open a door while holding a bag of groceries or a baby. Typing on a computer.

    Now imagine that it’s forever.

    Imagine that it’s not just one hand. It’s both.

    It’s not imaginary for a lot of young men and women coming home from the war in A’stan. It’s real.  It’s forever. It sucks.

    Make it suck less. Donate to Valour-IT and help supply a voice activated laptop to an injured service person. Help them re-connect to the world.

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    Final Push!!!

    Nov 9th, 2010
    by OH Hell.
    No comments yet

    Thursday is Veterans Day and the final day of the Valour-IT fund raiser for 2010.  Once again, YOU, the generous donors, have blown past our original goals – Here are the totals as of 11/08

    TEAM ARMY $19,478

    TEAM NAVY $7,877

    TEAM AIR FORCE $4,565

    TEAM MARINE $31,220

    No Branch Specified $7,096  Total $70,236

    Today’s change:

    No Branch Specified $425

    TEAM ARMY $595

    TEAM NAVY $1,735

    TEAM AIR FORCE $145

    TEAM MARINE $3,615

    We still have three days left – let’s set our goals higher – the need has never been greater. Why not make a donation to Valour-IT in a loved one’s honor for a Christmas gift? That’s what I do every year and everyone really likes it. Especially since the alternative might be FRUITCAKE!!!!!

    10 Things That Make Me Happy

    Nov 8th, 2010
    by OH Hell.
    No comments yet
    1. Giving and receiving a bear hug from one of “my” Marines. (Thank You Justine – I really needed that hug!!)
    2. Seeing a smile on a formerly grumpy face when I say “Thank You for Your Service”.
    3. Getting a letter back from someone I don’t even know in response to a note I wrote them.  I know military personnel that are deployed are BUSY, and it means a lot to hear from them.
    4. Having a whole houseful of people I don’t know show up to pack boxes to send overseas.
    5. Getting offers of help from people I meet while standing in line at the Post Office.
    6. People that, when I ask for one small thing for the troops, go over and above, not only giving what I ask, but more.
    7. The community of bloggers that work so hard to promote the Valour-IT fundraiser and let me participate, even though I am nowhere near the caliber of writer that they are.
    8. The great support from our whole community for our troops.
    9. Knowing that the little things we do will have a positive affect on the morale and well-being of our deployed troops and their families.
    10. Seeing the fund raising thermometer go UPPPPP!!!! Go Marine Team!!!!

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