HERO MILES
home with life-altering injuries and often
face months or years in the hospital. The
COALITION
Mission: Free travel for wounded service government pays for a limited number of
members and their loved ones. trips for parents, spouses, and children to
TO SALUTE
Background: Since 2004, America’s visit the wounded, but “today’s troops don’t
frequent fl iers have donated 15,000 airline always come from traditional families,”
AMERICA’S
tickets to the troops and their families. “We Weiskopf says. A visit from a close friend or
are extremely grateful to the fl ying public,” “signifi cant other” can be a huge boost for a
HEROES
says Jim Weiskopf of Fisher House, the 20-year-old wounded soldier, he says.
Mission: To meet the fi nancial needs of veterans
nonprofi t organization that administers the How to help: Hero Miles can combine
returning home with disabling injuries.
Hero Miles program. “The need is real.” small mileage donations to get a free ticket.
Background: This New York-based charity works
The need is growing because of “If the miles in your account are expiring
closely with military hospitals to identify families
improved technology that is saving lives on and you don’t have enough for a trip, it’s
who need help “putting food on the table and
the battlefi eld. More Americans are coming the perfect time to donate,” Weiskopf says.
diapers on babies’ bottoms,” says Patrick Norberto,
Mileage donations are
the coalition’s development director. “We’re seeing
not tax deductible, but
not just an increase in the number of requests, but
you can get a tax break
also an increase in the dollar amounts needed.”
if you donate money
The group, founded in 2004, has distributed
to help pay airport
$11 million in emergency aid to more than 6,000
charges and security
service members, sometimes even making car
fees, he says.
and home-loan payments. The primary focus is on
Web site: Go to www.
those returning with a 30 percent or higher
fi sherhouse. org and
disability during the transitional period before
click on Hero Miles to
government benefi ts kick in.
contribute or be linked
“Some of these reservists have families, and
with participating
mortgages they’ve been paying for years, and when
airlines’ mileage
they don’t have income, they fall behind,” Norberto
donation rules.
says. “To this point, we’ve been able to help all the
service members who’ve come to us.”
The group also provides resources for job
training and placement.
How to help: Although individual cash donations
AIR LIFT Fisher
are welcome, community groups also are
House’s Hero
encouraged to organize charity golf tournaments
Miles pays and other fundraisers. Some elementary schools
for trips the have organized “penny harvests,” turning spare
government won’t.
change into cash for disabled veterans.
Web site:
www.saluteheroes.org
UNMET NEEDS: VETERANS
OF FOREIGN WARS
Mission: Meet the urgent fi nancial needs replace tires that were “beyond bald” on
of the families of active-duty military the family car. After a military family’s
personnel. home burned to the ground in Washington,
Background: The mortgage crisis hasn’t Unmet Needs coordinated the rebuilding
spared military families. National Guard effort.
and reservists can lose up to 50 percent of How to help: You can donate money or
their civilian income while serving in Iraq volunteer to provide services such as
or Afghanistan, according to the VFW. That car repairs or mowing a family’s lawn.
makes it even harder to keep up with house Seed money for the program comes from
payments and other necessities. The Unmet Vermont American Power Tool Accessories,
Needs program, based in Kansas City, Mo., which donates a percentage of its sales
has distributed $2.2 million to more than to the effort. “It’s easy for anyone to get Y OF UNMET NEEDS
1,500 families since 2004. involved through a donation of time or
TES
“The amount of pressure that has been money, or simply by purchasing a bit or
OUR
/
C
lifted off our shoulders is a blade,” says Vermont
tremendous,” wrote one American brand
YNARD
soldier’s wife. “Not having manager Kevin Enke.
to worry about the medical Web site:
GES / MA
bills, rent for a month and
www.unmetneeds.com
AP IMA
being able to purchase the
T
/
AID AND COMFORT
things we need is more
YEA
than we could have asked
Injured in Iraq, Sgt.
for.”
Lonnie Maynard,
Another heartfelt
and family, got REAL HEROES So far, the coalition has
much-needed help helped injured veterans who have asked
AP IMAGES / GIL
thank-you came from a
spouse who was able to back home. for aid, including Daniel Gilyeat, above.
FISHER/
58
NEWSMAX / DECEMBER 2008
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