Posted on 12/25/2012 3:35:16 PM PST by rlmorel
Over the years, my wife and I have taken this time of year to make donations to various organizations. My wife has generally chosen different avenues to help than I have (in the civilian sector locally) since I tend to choose organizations dedicated to helping the military (the exception being the Salvation Army) such as the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society, The Wounded Warrior Project, etc. (I was a brat and served myself, so I prefer giving to those types of organizations)
One of the organizations I have given money to over the years is the USO, and for personal reasons, I have decided to contribute elsewhere.
Can any Freepers suggest any other organizations they have given to that do a good job of getting assistance to those who need it in our military community? I am particularly interested in those that have low overhead and pass a higher portion of donations on to those in need.
Well, I think I can understand that point of view...I don’t see that from where I am at right now, but you sound like you see it and I can see how that would make you feel about it.
I think that is the nature of some relief of this kind, and even though some people do stupid things and can’t manage to save money from one payday to the next, I think some are just stretched tight to begin with.
In this case, I suppose I take the good with the bad. My mom was involved in the organization when we were kids, so I have always felt a connection and enjoyed giving to them.
I tend to lump it into the same category as the Fraternal Order of Police/Firefighters, which are union "charities."
Give to VFW or others with better track records so you aren't wasting your hard earned money.
Thanks, zerosix, I appreciate the insight.
Same here
They helped me replace an engine in my car once. And gave me money when someone stole my wallet on payday.
I soured on the Red Cross a long, long time ago. It was the whole United Way thing that really got my goat.
I regularly put 100+ miles in one way for missions. It is well worth it to honor our vets, our active duty troops and to ride with the Vietnam and other vets who I ride with.
If I may recommend an organization started right here of FR. The Silver Star Families of America support the wounded, ill, injured and dying of our Armed Forces from all wars.
And over 96 percent of every dollar goes to the vets.
No wages, no meeting.
Just hard work for the vets
silverstarfamilies.org
I know of 2:
TAPS - Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors that helps the families of military who die during the time they are in service;
Homes for Our Troops.org - builds handicapped accessible homes for troops all over the US. Everything is donated and the home is given free and clear. They are truly beautiful! And, the community gets involved in the building of the home and the welcome home party to give the key to the service member.
doc adams is a hell of guy.
He got something to happen when everyone who KNEW, thought hit was D.O.A.
check out the wish list. not a luxury wish in the bunch.
Merry Christmas
Please look into
Stossel had a segment on it here: http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/index.html
From Dallas, it is a 2 day event. I cannot express to you the gratitude of accompanying these heros. There are not many of them left. Please consider sponsoring one.
Do you know that the CEO of Wounded Warriors receives over $330,000 per year salary?
I give to Salvation Army and Catholic Charities.
So does my family, we like them quite a bit. Unfortunately my employer who used to match dollar-for-dollar donations to Fisher House has stopped this year, opting for Wounded Warrior instead. Pity that.
Thank you for your post. I’ll put WWP on my list. My employer dropped Fisher House (for some reason) as a “matching gift” recipient organization but added WWP. I was considering just writing a check to Fisher house anyway even though they won’t qualify for the match, but now I’ll write one to WWP (who will get a matching contribution from my employer) thanks to your post.
I, like you, had thought that WWP was worthwhile, why not, they claim they are, until some friends set me straight.
One charity that I failed to mention is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
You're obviously in a position to know first hand that WWP does help and not merely spend lots of money making glitzy ads to garner donations.
We go to charitynavigator.com before any contributions. Urge u to do so. We donate to the USO as they put more into programs than, for example, Wounded Warriors, who pay their ceo more than USO. And Salvation Army is about as efficiently run as any you’ll find.
Charity navigator is a real eye opener.
My friend said he never once saw his father cry until that day. He was so very moved by all the folks who showed up at the airports (both coming and going) to greet them as hero's.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.