Help for wounded Veterans and caregivers

December 10, 2008 By Claire
Posted in Life in the Military, Spouse and Family

The first part of this post has been copied from an email I received about an opportunity to help wounded Veterans and their families during the holiday season. The contact form has three options: 1. Send a monetary gift and a get well/Happy Holidays card to a wounded Veteran, 2. Send just a monetary gift, or 3. Send just a get well message.

The link to the donation and message page is linked in the message below. Continue reading beyond the first message. The second half of this message is about Operation Lift Transformed, which is a program that helps military spouses of wounded Veterans retrain in order to earn income from home while they care for their wounded spouse.

Two great programs. Two great resources. Two wonderful ways to reach out and give or receive depending on your need and ability this Christmas Season.

If you need to know how to apply for assistance through the Emergency Secret Santa program use the contact form provided at the donation site.

Excerpt:
…

My name is General Chip Diehl (Ret.) and I’m writing to you on behalf of the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes. The Coalition was founded in 2004 to provide financial and other aid for troops who have been severely wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.

We’ve just launched our Emergency Secret Santa Project, with a goal of providing a $500 Christmas gift check to 1,000 disabled servicemen and women.

By making a donation you can help provide Christmas presents for a little girl or boy whose parents – because of their disabling war injuries – just can’t afford it. Please click here to make a generous, tax-deductible Christmas donation.

Here’s why so many severely disabled troops are struggling financially: Those who have lost their arms or legs, or have been blinded, paralyzed or brain-damaged – can’t be left alone. And most families can’t afford a professional caretaker.

So the wounded GI’s spouse is forced to quit their job to care for them. In fact a recent survey by the Coalition shows 46 percent – or nearly half – of all spouses of wounded GIs have done so. Soon these parents are having trouble putting food on the table and paying their rent and utility bills . . . and buying Christmas gifts for their children could be entirely out of the question.

…
….

During the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Christmas Seasons, the Coalition provided a total of 3,752 Christmas gift checks, worth $500 each, to our troops wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan. So our patriotic family of supporters has already put smiles on the faces of thousands of children on Christmas morning!

Your Christmas donation can help someone just like Teresa Reid, of Palm Bay, Florida, whose husband Pete was paralyzed in Iraq. After receiving her $500 Christmas gift check, Teresa said.:
“We were broke. . . . If it wasn’t for the $500 check they mailed us my son wouldn’t have had a Christmas.”

Sadly, there are hundreds more severely wounded parents having an equally hard time this year. . . . parents who may have to choose between putting food on the table OR putting Christmas presents under the tree.

The good news is you can do something to help these financially strapped – and physically suffering – wounded heroes this Christmas Season. Simply click here
to help them provide toys for their children by making a tax-deductible donation to the Coalition’s Emergency Secret Santa Project.

Merry Christmas and thanks for whatever you can do,

Brigadier Gen. Arthur F. “Chip” Diehl III
U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

I bolded one paragraph above because I wanted to highlight another program that was designed to address that particular need. I have the pleasure of knowing the wife of a severely wounded Veteran and she has been a key agent and part of Operation Life Transformed. I have asked her for an interview and she has agreed. So, today I will introduce you briefly to OLT and then when I am able to interview Colleen you can hear more about it in detail. The following information was taken from the OLT website:

About Us
The mission of OLT is to, provide education and resources to our war wounded caregivers and military spouses.

Increase awareness of the long term needs of these families and support the caregiver and military spouse as they re-enter the civilian sector.

Our Focus
To enable our caregivers and military spouses to find job placement, flexible business models or participate in training and educational programs in fields that readily fit around medical schedules, deployment, disabilities, future rehabilitation and transitioning, to create a portable lifestyle for the military family.

Our Goal
To empower achievement, independence, and the assurance of renewed hope.

Eligibility Criteria
War wounded caregivers, including primary caregivers, moms, and dads. Active duty military spouses to include the National Guard and Reserve

Link to online application forms

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