| Wounded Warrior Family Foundation’s Mission Article by Sophia Crosby and Tom Doane When a loved one commits his or her life to the military, they are not the only one going into the service. Spouses, partners and children of America’s military also serve their country in their own way. Frequent moves, long separations and constant worry are just a few of the stresses put on today’s military family. If that loved one returns home from war tragically wounded or doesn’t come home at all, it is the family, not just the soldier, who must learn to cope with the physical, emotional and psychological strain. The Wounded Warrior Family Foundation is a national organization that accepts beneficiaries’ from such families in all 50 States. The 501c3 Non Profit Foundation has very low overhead due to the volunteer structure of its organization. As a result, virtually all donations go directly to the families that are being helped. Founder and President of the Foundation, Lt.Col. Tom Doane, (USAF-R), says that while seriously wounded veterans were being pretty well taken care of, spouses and children, who are frequently more affected by such a family disaster, lacked sufficient assistance. When worrying about or caring for a loved one, the last thing anyone needs to worry about is money and financial problems; but that doesn’t mean that the bills stop coming. By supplying financial and educational grants, the Foundation helps the family get over this hurdle. Many times, the family is faced with a drastic cut in income when VA and SS benefits are delayed. Helping these families budget and stay current with their financial obligations, and more importantly, providing essentials like food, clothing, dental and utilities until they can make it on their own, is not only critical in meeting this Country’s obligations to its freedom fighters, it is paramount in the Wounded Warrior Family Foundation’s Mission. The Foundation is also proud of its association with the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-80298) which solicits and provides donations to the Foundation and in fact has enabled it to survive for three years. The CFC is a major arm of the United Way catering to military and federal employees specifically and this Foundation hopes to be a part of this strategic and efficient organization for many years to come. Feds are encouraged to participate in the charitable organization of their choice and there are many besides (WWFF) Wounded Warrior Family Foundation. The WWFF Foundation does not beg for donations; but is very active on social networking sites spreading the word of what we do. We have found that when people know about us and visit the web site that donation happens. In this way, with a volunteer force we are expanding rapidly so as to have the financial capability to help more families. We will never be able to repay our service men and women for the sacrifice they have made, but we can all help by giving back. The severity of their personal afflictions alone is devastating enough. It is our hope to insure the stability of the financial burden as well as the mental oppression that accompanies the devastation our families face after such a tragedy. The Wounded Warrior Family Foundations focus is to help provide the necessary funding in several areas such as: the relief of the post-traumatic stress and/or depression, education for parent and/or children, scholarships, retraining help, respite care, and skilled nursing care as well as relief care; this is just to name a few. This is your opportunity to help spread the word that The Wounded Warrior Family Foundation has the GUTS TO GLORY attitude and capability to help as many spouses and children of wounded servicemen and women as possible and in so doing help the vet as well in preserving family unity. Lt.Col. Thomas Doane (USAF-R) President/CEO |