Military Etc….

THOMAS BROWN / STAFF Newman’s Own President Tom Indoe, left, with Tammy Fisher, trustee, Fisher House Foundation, right, gives the top award of $15,000 dollars and a Newman’s Own bust to Dave Mahler of USA Together during the 2009 Newman’s Own Awards at the Pentagon on Sept 10. Eleven grants were given to organizations for their plans to improve the quality of life for military families.

Eleven organizations received a total of $75,000 in grants, ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 apiece, for their efforts to improve the quality of life for the military community.

USA Together, a Web site that links wounded service members with donors, was the overall winner, receiving a $15,000 grant and a bust of Paul Newman, provided by Newman’s Own, which sponsored the competition, along with the Fisher House Foundation and the Military Times Media Group, which publishes Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times.

USA Together’s founder, Dave Mahler, said he plans to use the $15,000 to create a program working with other veterans service organizations to allow more help to flow to veterans with unmet needs.

Since USA Together became fully operational in December, donors have helped about 150 families through the site. Needs vary from help with child care costs or purchasing new tires, to help making a mortgage payment or buying a mattress.

“The requests are shockingly mundane,” Mahler said.

“This is the most polite, grateful, thankful group of people I’ve ever worked with,” Mahler said. “These service members are a joy to work with. They thank you for answering the phone.”

During the ceremony, Mahler said his initial idea was “let’s just put the list on the Internet and people will step up.”

Although getting the idea up and running was harder than one would think, he said, “Americans have proved they would step up and meet these needs.”

On any given day, you won’t see a lot of requests for help on the USA Together Web site, Mahler said; there are so many donors out there ready to help injured and wounded service members, and their families and Gold Star families, that requests are fulfilled quickly.