Blog Updates

My husband’s administrative role in a local school district includes interacting with various groups concerned with homelessness and near-homelessness. He received an email blast from Hope for Veterans because they had just placed a former career military in the lower part of our county, and she was in need of specific household items.

She was forced to separate from the Army in 2011 because she was a single parent with an infant and due to deploy back to Afghanistan–and had been struggling since then. Knowing that veterans are my chosen philanthropic focus (the Wounded Warrior Project, Hero Box, and the VFW are some of my favorites), he responded that we would be happy to send this veteran a check.

This was all arranged via Hope for Veterans after the intended recipient signed a release, and I sent her $100 in mid-June. Before she even cashed her check, I received back in the mail the sweetest typed thank you I have ever gotten from anyone for anything. It was heartfelt and humbling.

I went through my gift card stash and had put a “care envelope” together to send to her for the 4th of July. Enter Joe Terry with his $100 challenge, and I was able to include another $100 for this local good cause. Below is my most recent letter to my new veteran friend.

Hi.

Thank you for your beautiful note. It was good to know that my donation made a difference. No thanks are necessary, as you are the one who willingly put yourself in harm’s way in defense of me and my freedoms.

In honor of Independence Day, I had earmarked some never-used gift cards for you. They have been ready to mail on my desk for about a week. Meanwhile, and quite providentially, the CEO of my company just challenged each of us employees to “pay it forward” with a $100 to someone or something in need. In other words, he told us to share $100 with an entity of our choosing, and he would pay us back. So, I am happy to be sending you another check, in addition to a few gift cards.

Take care of your son—and of yourself.

Happy 4th of July—and God bless America.

“At the core, the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, and they didn’t want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So they fought, and won, and we all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful.”
— Stephen E. Ambrose, author of Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers: The U S Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany

Tom Pearson did not grow up in a border state, however, has lived in Texas since 1994 and spent stints working with non-profit organizations that serve immigrant families. This recent influx of unaccompanied kids coming to the United States is such a tough, complex, and heartbreaking issue. He appreciated the opportunity to help supply Circle of Health International with some additional funds.

Tom made a donation to a local NGO in Austin, Texas. You may read about them and their specific initiative at: http://www.cohintl.org/projects/texas.
[By Tom Pearson]

When we check out at our local grocery stores, we often hear the same question, “Would you like to donate a dollar to [fill in the blank with any organization name].” Sometimes we give; other times – when money is tight and the food run was budgeted to the penny – we decline. But, when Laura Vollbrecht saw the face of this little boy posted on a balloon in the store, she decided to turn that $1 into $100 and donate it to the Children’s Miracle Network. The location of your donation determines which community hospital receives the funds, and for Laura, this was The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), the nation’s first hospital devoted exclusively to caring for children.

“I could sense the lady behind me in line was getting impatient with the wait, but I went ahead a mad the donation anyways,” says Laura. “The clerk needed to ask the manager for help because no one really makes a donation higher than $1. And the woman behind me grew even more agitated. They figured out the transaction, thanked me for the donation, and I pulled out of the aisle to arrange my bags. It felt great to be able to give, but what made me more happy was when I saw that lady make her own donation.”

Here is my story..

This year, 2014, I turned 30 and in many ways, I feel as if my life’s journey has just begun. My college education is complete, I married my soul mate, and together, we purchased our first home. With these critical life events checked off of my ultimate to-do list, I now feel ready to embark on the next chapter of adulthood—and I must say, I am eager to turn the page. That is why when I heard the news that a high school classmate died suddenly and unexpectedly, I was jarred.

Just days shy of his 31st birthday, William Ridenoure suffered a massive stroke and in an instant, the final sentence of his life’s tome was penned. He leaves behind a wife, a two and a half year-old son, and many unwritten chapters that were meant to be filled with tales of the realized goals, hopes, and dreams he set for himself and his family.

With this donation funded by the CVI Power Foundation, I contribute to an account that will help his loved ones finalize just one of these unwritten chapters: a future education for his beloved son.

Fundraiser Website: http://www.youcaring.com/tuition-fundraiser/will-s-way-for-wes-memorial-education-fund/185381

By Elise Moores

With the help of Brent Alwood’s 5 year old son, he decided to give the money to their local library. Brent Jr. goes there all the time for arts and crafts, story time, and to check out books.

The desk attendant, at first, was a bit grumpy, but his eyes popped wide open when we placed the $100.00 bill on him so that made it fun.

Brent is hoping the library will use the money “so more people will learn to read their books.”
[by Brent Alwood]