Family
Making sense of all of the resources available to veterans and their families can be a daunting task. In order to help, we have listed some but not all resources available by category. Please let us know if any of the links are no longer active and if you know of resources that we should add to the list. And always feel free to call or email for help finding resources, via the info on our contact page.
California National Guard Family Readiness
Debbie Skolnick, Family Assistance Network Coordinator.
Email: debbie.skolnick@us.army.mil
www.calguard.ca.gov/readyfamilies
The California National Guard established a Family Assistance Network as a resource to Guard and other military families - especially those involved in current deployments. They have developed rosters of civilian, government, and military agencies that can help families dealing with issues that have surfaced because of active duty. Family readiness handbook, resources, telephone contacts, training materials.
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
www.taps.org
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors is the non-profit Veterans Service Organization offering hope, healing, comfort and care to all those who are grieving the death of a loved one in the Armed Forces. TAPS receives absolutely no government funding, but through the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, all families faced with a death of a loved one serving in the Armed Forces receive information about TAPS and our military survivor programs.
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a leader in supporting the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. Begun in 2000 under the auspices of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, and established as an independent not-for-profit organization in 2003, the Fund has provided close to $60 million in support for the families of military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans. These efforts are funded entirely with donations from the public, and hundreds of thousands of individuals have contributed to the Fund. 100% of contributions raised by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund go towards these programs; all administrative expenses are underwritten by the Fund’s Trustees.
Fisher House Foundation, Inc.
Supporting America’s military in their time of need, we provide “a home away from home” that enables family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time — during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
Established in May 2004, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization that has provided over 6,000 grants totaling over $16 million in assistance to our Nation’s wounded heroes and families. This assistance helps with immediate financial needs and perpetuating needs, such as modified transportation, home modifications, and specialized equipment.
California Military Family Relief Fund (CMFRF)
http://www.calguard.ca.gov/j1/Pages/CMFRF.aspx
The California Military Family Relief Fund (CMFRF) was established to provide short term, financial assistance in the form of grants to California National Guard members and/or families impacted by mobilization and deployment who meet listed criteria.
Michigan National Guard Family Fund, Inc.
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The Michigan National Guard Family Fund was created to assist Air and Army National Guard families who experience financial difficulties with temporary emergency financial assistance, and to fund programs and training to maintain and improve the quality of life of our Michigan National Guard families. What constitutes a need? Emergency loss of income through activation for military duty, inability to maintain employment due to injury or sudden illness, or job loss; unexpected medical expenses; pay problems; or the accumulation of legitimate bills (e.g. rent, mortgage, electric, oil, gas, etc.). Inability to pay for basic needs: food, shelter, utilities, clothing, medical bills, and transportation due to unforeseen circumstances.
USA Cares, Inc.
USA Cares exists to provide military families with financial support and other critical resources in their time of need.
They provide “A Hand Up, Not A Hand Out.”
• Assisting wounded warriors and their families
• Preventing home foreclosures and evictions
• Helping with basic needs during financial crisis
Jacob’s Light Foundation
“Our Mission is to send our military overseas necessities and comforts from home. We focus on military without family or support from home. We want to give them the support they need and to be a lifeline from America.”
The Coming Home Project
The Coming Home Project is a non-profit organization devoted to providing compassionate care, support and stress management tools for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families. We are a group of veterans, psychotherapists and interfaith leaders committed to helping transform the wounds of war. We help veterans and family members rebuild the connectivity of mind, heart, body and spirit that combat trauma can unravel; renew their relationships with loved ones; and create new support networks. We build a safe space – a community — for veterans and their families to come together and share their stories, struggles and accomplishments. Single veterans are also most welcome.
Operation Homefront Inc.
Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance and morale to our troops, to the families they leave behind, and to wounded warriors when they return home. A nonprofit 501(c)3 founded after September 11, Operation Homefront leads more than 4,000 volunteers in 31 chapters nationwide. Since its inception, Operation Homefront has provided critical assistance to more than 45,000 military families in need.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation
This Foundation allows members and friends of the VFW alike across the nation to help support all the causes we so strongly believe in. In the end, the VFW Foundation will enable the VFW to grow, prosper, and provide many years of service to this great country and those who have proudly served it.
Armed Services YMCA of the USA
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is a national member association of the YMCA of the USA and works with the Department of Defense. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the ASYMCA has provided support services to military service members and their families for more than 140 years, particularly focused on junior-enlisted men and women – the individuals on the front lines defending our nation and their families. ASYMCA operates at 16 dedicated branch locations and nine affiliated community YMCAs, as well as six Department of Defense/Department of Homeland Security affiliates worldwide.
Cause – Comfort for America’s Uniformed Services Elite
Cause began its outreach shortly after the advent of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003 by providing personal care items and clothing to wounded soldiers arriving at Walter Reed from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Research has shown that recreation and entertainment are vital to the healing process, especially for those injured in the prime of youth. Cause steps in with programs designed to bring comfort and recreation into the lives of military men and women taking a long journey back to health.
Today, Cause programs reach hundreds of injured service men and women facing months of medical care and rehabilitation far from home and family.
Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families
www.zerotothree.org…key_military
Military Projects at ZERO TO THREE has launched a new three-year initiative, Coming Together Around Military Families (CTAMF). It is aimed at strengthening the resilience of young children and their families who are experiencing deployment and separation.
Family Literacy Foundation / Read 2 Kids
Their Military Program, an underway quality-of-life program for military families, helps keep parents and children connected while separated during long deployments, through the medium of reading aloud on videotape.
Our Military Kids, Inc.
Our Military Kids provides tangible support to the children of deployed and severely injured National Guard and Military Reserve personnel through grants for enrichment activities and tutoring that nurture and sustain the children during the time a parent is away in service to our country. OMK grants are made to honor the sacrifices military parents make and to ensure that the children have access to activities and support that help the children better cope with challenges arising during a parent’s deployment or injury recovery.
National Military Family Association
Their goal is to educate military families concerning their rights, benefits and services available to them and to inform them regarding the issues that affect their lives and to promote and protect the interests of military families by influencing the development and implementation of legislation and policies affecting them.
Veterans and Families
Veterans and Families is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit community service and support organization, founded and directed by Veterans, parents, grandparents, family members, employers, mental health professionals, academics, philanthropists and community leaders.
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
Mission is to provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships for higher education to deserving sons and daughters of Marines and children of former Marines, with particular attention being given to children whose parent was killed or wounded in action. Beginning in 2004, Toyota committed to funding a $1.25 million endowment for “Toyota Scholars”, which awards scholarships worth $5000 to students every year in each of Toyota’s 12 regions across the United States. In 2006, Toyota increased the endowment to $1.65 Million in order to provide scholarships in our four Lexus areas.
