wounded warriors
Can You Lend a Hand (For those without…)???
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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Coming Home – A Documentary
You are invited to the Premier of Coming Home a Documentary about Sgt Jesse Cottle United States Marine.
It will screen Sun. Jan. 30th at Timberline Church 2908 Timberline Rd. Ft. Collins 80525.
The doors open at 1:30 and the film is at 2:00. No cost. It’s about 40 min long.
On July 19th, 2009 Jesse was seriously wounded in action in Now Zad, Afghanistan while on patrol with his EOD team and a squad from 2/3 G Company. Unfortunately, the Taliban found out EOD were using metal detectors to locate and disarm their IED’s (improvised explosive devices). That said, the Taliban figured out how to make IED’s with no metal in them. During the aforementioned patrol, Jesse was struck by a no-metal-IED and sustained bi-lateral amputations due to the severity of the blast. Jesse’s EOD team quickly rendered aid and med-evac’ed him to a Blackhawk helicopter where he was flown to the hospital in Bastion, Afghanistan. From there he went to Bagram, Afghanistan, then to Germany and on to Bethesda, Maryland. His medical team there was excellent and Jesse successfully made it through six surgeries over his travels. Jesse was then flown to the Naval Medical Center San Diego where he went through rehabilitation and prosthetic training.
Detailed Info
Website:
- http://vimeo.com/staticage
- Starring:
- Jesse Cottle
- Directed By:
- Aaron Pendergast
- Plot Outline:
- Coming Home is a documentary film about an explosive ordnance disposal technician, the incident in Afghanistan that cost him both of his legs, and his recovery.
A Challenge….
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.
Final Push!!!
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!!!!!
Rules….
Reasons why Marines win….
US Marine Corps Rules for Gunfighting
1. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.
2. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.
3. Have a plan.
4. Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won’t work.
5. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
6. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a “4.”
7. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.
8. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral & diagonal preferred.)
9. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.
10. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.
11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.
12. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your intention to shoot.
