Why I Love USACares (tissue alert)
USA Cares is an awesome organization dedicated to the United States servicemen and women. I wanted to share with you just one of MANY reasons why Troy and I are such ardent supporters of the charity.
The wife of a decorated Marine contacted USA Cares for help this past summer. Her husband, a medically-discharged veteran who was deployed to Iraq in 2003-2004, had been dealing with medical issues including multiple foot surgeries, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Since the family first contacted USA Cares back in August, the service member entered an in-patient facility for much-needed treatment for his PTSD. USA Cares, through the Warrior Treatment Today and Quality of Life programs, has provided the family with grants of $2,948—funds which paid for rent, utilities and food.
Recently while on a follow-up call, the service member’s wife told our Family Resource Coordinator (FRC) that she did not know how she would provide a Christmas for their two children, ages two and one. A very caring USA Cares FRC responded by contacting the local Toys for Tots who informed him that the deadline had passed for 2009 applications. Undaunted, the FRC tried another Toys for Tots agency who were eager to help this family. Not only did they collect a pile of age-appropriate toys for the children, they delivered them personally along with a $100 food card to provide for a wonderful Christmas meal.
