Corporate Social Responsibility Press Release
provided by 
8.25.2008 - 02:55pm ET
News from:
USA Cares, Inc.
USA Cares Provides Grants To 1,412 Texas Military Families
More than $500,000 donated to assist those in financial need
(CSRwire) RADCLIFF, KY. - August 25, 2008 - USA Cares Inc., the nation's leading
non-profit organization providing post-9/11 veterans and military families
with financial support and other critical resources, has donated more than
$500,000 over five years to service members living in Texas. The grants
were used for getting treatment for wounded soldiers, saving homes from
foreclosure, and assisting with basic needs during times of serious
financial crisis.
These donations saved 56 Texas military families from losing their home to
foreclosure. Since 2003, 1,412 Texas military families received grants. USA
Cares received 397 requests for help from Texas families in 2004 alone, and
demand is rising.
"Today's military families are facing a perfect storm: multiple
deployments, rising gas and food prices, the sub-prime mortgage mess, and
a struggling economy. Coupled with visible and invisible wounds of war,
many families can't win this battle without our assistance," Roger
Stradley, founder of USA Cares, said. Post 9/11 wounded warriors and their
families from any branch of service can apply for help.
USA Cares has worked with military families since it was founded in 2003.
Since then, the organization has responded to over 11,000 requests for help
with more than $5 million in direct assistance grants. For example, USA
Cares works with other partners to field a program for post traumatic
stress disorder and traumatic brain injury victims who lack the financial
resources to attend the treatment they need and deserve, ensuring that the
service member doesn't have to choose between groceries or treatment. On
the housing front, USA Cares is a recognized leader in mortgage loss
prevention assistance for the military.
Nationally, USA Cares receives more than 100 new requests for assistance a
week. Dedicated staff and volunteers work through each one with the
determination and commitment to assist these families as quickly as
possible. "USA Cares is out there actually providing financial assistance
to solve these problems – we're not just talking about them," USA Cares
Executive Director Bill Nelson said.
For example, in Round Rock, USA Cares paid $500 in rent to keep a family
with two children in the home. In Post, the organization negotiated with a
mortgage company and paid $7,078.92 to save the family home. And in San
Antonio, USA Cares helped with a $500 vehicle payment because the service
member had transitioned to active duty from the National Guard and wasn't
paid correctly.
There are eighteen military installations in Texas, including Fort Hood,
home of III Corps; Fort Sam Houston, location of the Army Medical Command;
Lackland Air Force Base, the only entry processing station for Air Force
enlisted basic military training; and Camp Mabry, the home of the Texas
Military Forces.
USA Cares embarked on a national fundraising campaign on July 4. Share A
Minute will raise funds by asking Americans to donate $25 to represent one
minute of a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine's full 525,000-minute annual
tour of duty. Those minutes quickly add up to create hardships for
soldiers and their families during deployment or when they return, and it
costs USA Cares $25 a minute to help these families.
This level of support will ensure that USA Cares can meet all the needs of
military personnel and their families not only through the present twin
crises of PTSD/TBI and housing, but also the economic challenges yet to
come.
Stradley said there is no doubt that Americans will help by donating. "Our
nation, including the residents of Texas, has a level of compassion that is
unmatched in the world. This nation’s defenders need help, and it's now
our duty to come to their aid.'
To share a minute, go to http://www.usacares.org/ and click on
the Share A Minute logo or call 1-800-773-0387 for more information.
About USA Cares
and Share A
Minute
USA Cares is a
nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that helps military families bear the
burdens of service with financial and advocacy support. Its mission: to
assist wounded warriors and their families, to prevent home foreclosures
and evictions and to help with basic needs during financial crisis. Share A Minute asks
Americans to donate $25 to represent one minute of a Soldier, Sailor,
Airman or Marine’s full 525,000 minute tour of duty. In its five and
one-half years of operation, USA Cares has responded to over 11,000
requests for assistance, saved 465 military family homes from foreclosure
or eviction thus sparing over 1,000 children from uncertainty. Families
anywhere in America can apply for assistance through the USA Cares web
site, http://www.usacares.org/, or by calling
1-800-773-0387. For more information on USA Cares contact jrevell@usacares.org.
For more information please contact:
John Revell, Communications and Public Relations Manager
USA Cares
800.773.0387
270.352.5451
www.usacares.org
www.usacares.us
News Categories:
Health & Wellness and Philanthropy/Corporate Contributions
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