Archive for the ‘Charities/Contests’ Category
November 5, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests, You Served Radio
We here at You Served Blog and Radio are always auctioning items off on the You Served eBay store to help raise money for military charities. The great and popular band Smile Empty Soul who we had as a guest on the radio show a few weeks ago has donated many items to the show to help raise money from signed CDs to T-shirts to posters. The one big thing they donated, which is by far the biggest thing we have ever had on our eBay store is a Schecter Black Omen guitar signed by all the members of the band. This guitar lists for $399.00 retail, when it is not signed by such an awesome band. This one has a starting bid of $99.00 and we hope will go up from there.
The proceeds from this guitar are going 100% to the Valour-IT program which is run by Soldiers’ Angels.
Please check out http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320445244585 to see the item and make a bid.
No Comments »
November 4, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests, Patriotism
Soldiers’ Angels Volunteers Vow to Shave Heads for $100,000
Pasadena, CA November 3, 2009 – Members of Soldiers’ Angels’ volunteer leadership have raised the stakes on this year’s online Valour-IT Veterans Day fundraising competition, which helps provide America’s wounded soldiers with voice-controlled laptops and other technology that supports their physical and psychological recovery.
Divided among four “virtual teams,” a wide variety of bloggers and other New Media mavens have been competing online since October 26 to inspire the most donations to help wounded troops by Veterans Day, November 11. If the teams of online fundraisers can blast through their collective goal of $140,000 and bring in an additional $100,000 in donations, founder Patti Patton-Bader and National Communications Director Shelle Michaels have promised to shave their heads in honor of the achievement.
In just over four years, Project Valour-IT has given 4,100 voice-controlled laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, and has supplied additional items that may be a surprising fit in a recovery regimen–Wii game systems and handheld GPS devices.
“This project changes lives,” says Patton-Bader. “Wounded heroes say that being able to use a laptop helps them feel whole again. Physical therapists are actually designing therapy sessions around Wii Sports! And something as normal as a handheld GPS reduces stress and helps a hero cope. With all that this project can do for our heroes, I’m happy to shave my head if it will motivate donations!”
Each of the devices Valour-IT supplies helps restore confidence and independence. Voice-activated laptops reconnect the wounded with the world and develop self-confidence by showing soldiers they can continue to be engaged and productive despite their injuries. Physical therapists report Wii Sports and similar programs are extremely beneficial when used in physical therapy settings. Wounded personnel with short-term memory loss due to TBI and severe PTSD use GPS systems to keep from getting disoriented when they move on to more independent living.
Details of the current fundraising competition are available at www.soldiersangels.org and www.valour-it.blogspot.com. Donations can be made online at Soldiers’ Angels, or by sending checks or money orders to Soldiers’ Angels, Valour-IT Fund, 1792 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104.
Established in 2003, Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing aid and comfort to the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, veterans and military families. For more information, www.soldiersangels.org or 623-570-3903.
No Comments »
October 29, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests
This October, every major television network has agreed to focus on public service, volunteering, and participating in the community. As a part of this effort, ServiceNation – a coalition of 200 organizations committed to promoting public service – has launched an exciting new contest. They are looking to find America’s best “service heroes,” individuals who go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities. I figured that since many who read this blog know someone in the military, that there would be no shortage of potential nominees. It is worth a second to check out the link below.
http://www.servicenation.org/page/s/heroes
No Comments »
By Claire
Posted in Charities/Contests, Spouse and Family
The 2010 Military Spouse of the Year is accepting nomination for 15 more days. Nominations are open for all spouses of members in all branches of the US Armed Forces. Please see the following for how you can nominate your favorite military spouse:
We’re looking for the best in the community. The leaders, the volunteers, the spouse who commits her time or his voice to our causes.
For the third straight year, Military Spouse magazine will name the “Military Spouse of the Year” (MSOY) on Military Spouse Appreciation Day. As past winners have, the Military Spouse of the Year will represent the sacrifice, patriotism, professionalis and altruism that embody this community of 1.1 million current and 20 million former military spouses.
Nominate yourself, your best friend or the person you admire most.
Please see their website for nomination instructions and applications.
No Comments »
October 19, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests, Life in the Military, Veteran Benefits
Sears invites all active military members to register for the Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry program. The Heroes at Home Wish Registry allows America to thank our military heroes and their families by donating to the program. All donations will be evenly distributed in the form of Sears gift cards amongst all military families and members accepted into the program. Registration will be open between 8:00AM CT - 6:00PM CT each day, so register and review program details at www.sears.com/wish today.
No Comments »
October 17, 2009 By Claire
Posted in Charities/Contests, Spouse and Family
I found the following at the Baby Designers… if you know someone, or if you are someone who qualifies for the contest, enter today! Let us know if you win!
We’re looking for 15 very deserving pregnant military wives. We understand that it can be stressful having their husbands so far away at such an important time. That’s why we want to help! This is a way of saying Thank You to our soldier’s and giving back to the community so all services that we are offering to the military wives are free of charge. The package includes customized birth plans, product shopping, clothing shopping (mom and baby), product demonstration, hospital preparation, full baby shower planning, diva day makeover, birthing classes, car seat installation, c.p.r. classes, 24/7 support, referrals, and reminder service.
If you know a pregnant military wife who deserves all that we have to offer please email us today.
militarywives@thebabydesigners.com
DO TO THE AMOUNT OF INTEREST IN THIS CONTEST WE ARE NOT ABLE TO TAKE PHONE CALLS REGARDING THIS CONTEST. PLEASE SEND EMAIL TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.
· Customized Birth Plan – We want to make sure that you are fully prepared and the hospital room is set up to your liking. We prepare a customized birth plan just for your wants and needs.
· Product Shopping – With new products coming out daily it’s easy to get confused on what’s really needed. We are the experts who can show you the latest products and trends.
· Baby Shower Planning – We will handle the tedious task of planning your baby shower. Invitation preparation, assistance with gift registry, gift return, product demonstration, and thank you notes.
· Hospital Preparation – Where will my other children go? Who’s going to get me to the hospital? What should I pack? Calm down and relax. Let us do the work for you.
· Diva Day Makeover – We want to make you a diva…hair, nails, makeup, and clothing.
· Reminder Service – No need to forget an important appointment because we do all of the remembering for you.
· 24/7 Support – It doesn’t matter if you have a question about childbirth, or need a listening ear, we are here.
· Birthing and C.P.R. Classes – These are classes every parent should take. It will make your life easier.
· Referrals – From infant play classes to a new doctor in the area, we can help.
The value of this package is $1,500.
Do to the popularity of this contest we have decided to extend our end date. Our new submission date will end 10/31/2009.
Winners will be picked by 11/30/09
No Comments »
September 30, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests, Patriotism, You Served Radio
The other day I wrote about the band Smile Empty Soul and the free download of the song This is War which they wrote in honor of the troops. Well they have given me both the original explicit version and the clean version for any and all troops or troop families to download. You can grab them from:
CLEAN VERSION
www.bouhammer.com/download/This_Is_War_acoustic_CleanRev.mp3
EXPLICIT VERSION
www.bouhammer.com/download/This_Is_War_acoustic_Explicit.mp3
They were supposed to be on the You Served Radio show last week, but Sean Danielsen broke his leg last week and was laid up in the hospital. Well being the real trooper he is, Sean wanted to get back on the show and make good on his commitment to us. So he will be on You Served Radio this week (Oct. 1st) which airs from 7-9PM EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/youserved as it always does.
Not only is Sean coming on the show as a representative of the band and offering the download for free, they have agreed to send You Served some signed posters, CDs and a brand new signed Schecter guitar for us to auction off at our You Served Ebay Store in order to raise money for Soldier’s Angels.
So if you have not checked out our You Served Ebay Store lately, you better start keeping an eye there.
You can learn more about the band at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smile_Empty_Soul
You can follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/_smileemptysoul
You can become a fan of theirs on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SmileEmptySoulOfficial
You can follow them on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/smileemptysoulmusic
No Comments »
September 21, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Charities/Contests, Patriotism
I’ve recently had the pleasure of getting to know a great American patriot by the name of George Samek. George is a Vietnam Veteran. He recently had the idea of raising a few dollars to purchase a few laptops for wounded troops. The project evolved into something even beyond what he thought it would become. Not long after starting the project, he had enough money to purchase more than 25 laptops.
Instead of just shipping off the laptops to the abyss of the postal service, Samek got together a band of patriotic misfits to deliver them in person on September 11, 2009. Hear this great warrior talk about this experience from WECT:
And not only is his idea gaining recognition here, it’s going international. The Canada Free Press recently the Laptops for Wounded Warriors program.
For some of America’s wounded warriors who have risked all in the defence of freedom, the recovery may be swift. For others who have lost precious limbs or endured near death burns at the hands of terrorists and insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, their challenging recovery may span months, to years, to a lifetime. The donated laptops serve not only as a window to the world but will also enable America’s wounded warriors to do something most take for granted—and that is to be able to say “goodnight” to their loved ones and keep in close touch with their families who often live in different states.
After contacting Walter Reed, Samek learned that laptops are the one item that the wounded warriors really wanted and truly needed and he began seeking donations to fulfill this need. As a veteran, his heart lies with America’s armed forces and for years he has been apart of the troop support organization, The Gathering of Eagles. “As a simple old soldier I wish to say thanks to each of you for joining in to make this happen,” Samek said, “I work for smiles from my military and those smiles become a good reason for them to know they know we care and they are not alone.”
The mighty band of patriots at Walter Reed included Captain Larry Bailey, Chairman of The Gathering of Eagles. Among the remarkable special mothers who attended, were Gold Star Mother, Muriel Pederson whose son, Sgt Ken Pederson USMC was killed in action in Vietnam and Gold Star Mother, Debbie Lee whose son, Marc Alan Lee, US Navy was the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq.
To donate to this most worthy endeavor please contact samek.george@gmail.com or send your donation to:
Gathering of Eagles/George Samek
1105 Copas Road
Shallotte, NC 28470
Among those who have donated laptops were Band of Brother and currently deployed fellow soldier Chad Longell, The Band of Mothers, Electric Motor and Contracting in Chesapeake Virginia, and Muriel Pederson, Gold Star Mother. A special thanks to the efforts of GOE Chairman Capt Larry Bailey, the Concerned Citizens of Chocowinity North Carolina (donated 14 laptops) and Best Buy, North Carolina. Donations were also received from many other troop supporters across America and Canada.
6 Comments »
September 9, 2009 By Troy
Posted in Charities/Contests
The You Served Radio cast and VAMortgageCenter.com have decided to switch up some things for our ebay store during the month of September. As you may or may not know, we here at You Served have a ebay auction store up where we auction off brand new items donated to the store from our guests on You Served Radio. You can check out our Ebay Store at http://stores.shop.ebay.com/userved
We have normally been donating this money to The Fisher House which is a more than deserving charity organization. However in this month we wanted to see if we could get more bids if all auction sales went to Soldier’s Angels. We post new items every Thursday and they run for one week. The items are always changing and are typically signed items by the artist/author/musician or they are just really good deals on great brand new things. The people that donate these items so it specifically for the purpose of helping us raise money for the great charities that we do.
As an example, this week (ending Thursday Sept. 10th) we have the book Intrepid: The Epic Story of America’s Most Legendary Warship. This is a brand new item and currently has only a $1.99 bid. This book is selling on Barnes&Noble.com for $21.56. You can get it for a lot less and have 100% of the proceeds go towards the Soldier’s Angels foundation. We also have up signed copy of SGT Murphy: A PVT Murphy’s Law Collection by Mark Baker.
After these items end on Thursday at 11:47 AM on Thursday two new items will go up a few hours later.
So Please help us here at You Served help Soldier’s Angels.
2 Comments »
September 1, 2009 By CJ
Posted in Charities/Contests
On November 14th, I will be participating in the 21st Annual Huntsville Half-Marathon and Heroes Run 5K. Naturally, I’m only doing the 5k so that it doesn’t take me three days to finish. As you know, due to my injury it really hurts me to run. However, to help raise money for our Wounded Warriors, I’m entering the race this year as a walker/light jogger. For more information on this particular run, click HERE.
Again this year the HTC is proud to partner with the Semper Fi Community Task Force to host the Heroes Run 5K. Come out and support Veterans recovering from combat injuries sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan by participating in the HTC’s Half-Marathon and Heroes’ 5K Run. The HTC and SFCTF, a local non-profit charity, have teamed up to show Alabama’s support for wounded veterans of all the Armed Services. Severely wounded military personnel will run with the citizens of our City, Madison County, and the entire Tennessee Valley region. Join us as we proudly recognize and support these brave young Americans to whom we owe so much, by running at their side in the Heroes’ 5K. And please visit the SFCTF website.
To help the SFCTF raise money, I’m soliciting donations on behalf of the You Served Radio Show. All the money raised will be presented to the SFCTF at the end of the race in the form of a check or money order. During the race, I will have my official You Served Flip Video camera to document the effort, which will be posted here.
If you’d like to make a pledge to support this endeavor, please send me an email (cj[at]soldiersperspective.us). The race takes place on 14 November, so please make all donations NLT than 9 November so that I have time to get the check cut and ready for the day of the race.
My goal is to raise at least $500 ($100 per km) walked. Obviously, if I go above that I’ll be happy. I’m also going to train to complete the walk in about 30 minutes (didn’t want to disappoint myself), which is a fast-paced walk!! Will you help me in helping the Semper Fi Community Task Force?
The Paypal address for all pledges is funds@youserved.com. Checks or money orders can be mailed, payable to “VA Mortgage Center.com” to:
VA Mortgage Center.com
ATTN: Josh Dippold
2011 Chapel Plaza Ct
Ste 109
Columbia, Mo 65203
They will add all the money together and send me one combined check as well as one of those cool 6-foot checks for cheesy pictures.
Total pledges so far.
2 Comments »
