Southern Alliance - Heroes CD in the works

A new CD is in the works!  The planned title of the new project is "Southern Alliance - Heroes".  All profits from the sale of the CD will go to the "Helping Our Heroes Foundation".  The CD will be a compilation of new songs written and performed by Southern Rock Heroes to help our injured and disabled war Heroes.

We want this project to be special and be able to stand on it's own and not just another compilation of "greatest hits".  The goal is to provide a collection of great music to help raise money to help an even greater cause.  There will be much more information available in the next few weeks.  A full list of artists will be published once it is finalized.  I am happy to announce that George McCorkle (Marshall Tucker fame) has agreed to produce the CD.  Please feel free to contact us at admin@downsouthjukin.com  for more info on the foundation, how you can help, etc.  When beginning this project I knew what type of organization I wanted all the proceeds to go to.  However, we did not know where to begin to find such an organization.  An old friend suggested HOHF and told me about their efforts.  Immediately, I said that is it!  These are the folks I have been searching for.  We (society) easily remember the Heroes who give their lives or come home without injuries.  However, the brave men and women who injured and/or disabled unfortunately tend to get forgotten.  We tend to forget they have a lifetime of sacrifice ahead of them.  These heroes will be fighting their battles for life.  We want to try and give something back, to say thank you for what you have sacrificed for our freedom!  More info on HOHF is available on their website at http://www.HelpingOurHeroesFoundation.org

About Helping Our Heroes Foundation:

Helping our Heroes Foundation

In support of

The Disabled Soldier Support System (DS3)

February 10, 2005
 

Who we are 

The Helping Our Heroes Foundation has been created to run parallel to the initiatives identified within the DS3 plan, providing funding, services, and volunteers to augment the support of the troops.  We have an active and participatory board of directors comprised of corporate and civic leaders.   

The foundation receives its list of qualified soldiers needing support from the office of the DS3 Chief and the offices of the hospital commanders, whose case workers would have completed initial contact and interviews with the soldier.  The office of the DS3 Chief is integral to the success of the foundation due to HIPAA regulations and other privacy issues.  The database of injured soldiers will remain in the custody of the US Army.  Only when a soldier has been interviewed, recommended, and subsequently given his/her approval, will their information be shared with the foundation for further contact and support. 

What we do

The role of the foundation is to provide mentors and patient advocates, identify and fund educational opportunities for the soldier, coordinate specialty counseling (financial, career, housing, legal, etc.), and assist with emergency needs as deemed appropriate.  The foundation will also provide the means for donated funds to be received and allow for volunteers to actively support their armed forces. 

The counseling and mentorship programs will mutually host "career sessions" in order to identify alternate career paths should the soldier be considering a military retirement, or if their injury mandates a change in skills.  These sessions would include discussions on:
-alternate careers
-education or skills needed
-resources available for preparation
-potential assistance in hiring
-resume writing
-And more 

Emergency funding will be made available to those who have immediate needs which are not being met by other agencies.  This may include funding for travel, housing, etc. for the soldiers family members OR assistance with payment of outstanding bills at home. This is a rare case, but can happen should a soldier get caught in between being retired (when they are determined to possibly not survive medically) and placed in the VA system. 

The foundation will also be able to receive funds donated from individuals and corporations.  They will receive a special tax status (TBD) and such funds will be used to support the overall program costs.   

Budget 

In order for the foundation to make the greatest impact on the lives of soldiers, the majority of funding received should be used for actual programs and not administrative costs. The foundation would provide funding for any scholarships, programs, volunteer education, and limited staffing. 

While the total number of soldiers requiring assistance from the foundation is yet to be determined, basic assumptions are necessary to best understand the magnitude of funding that will be required in order to meet potential needs. 

If one were to simply identify 250 soldiers in need or eligible for the educational component alone, this would require:
-250 laptops with software and access to printers; (based upon mass purchase) a cost of $1,500 each would come to: $375,000.
-One year scholarships and books for distance learning: 250 x $5,000. Comes to : $1,250,000.
The cost of computers and scholarships for 250 of our nation’s bravest men and women comes to over 1.5 million dollars, without any other costs added in.  The additional costs of training volunteers, start-up initiatives, specialty counselors, etc. would make this a multi-million dollar program; for the Army alone.   

The cost of doing the right thing will be high, but the cost of NOT doing the right thing for our men and women in uniform will be morally higher. 

The foundation will provide all Americans the platform to thank our troops, and for our corporations to demonstrate national pride.  We owe them this opportunity to become
involved.  NOTE: some notably generous gifts may already be being considered. 

Current Projects and Undertakings 

We are excited to announce a new partnership with Air Tran Airways who has graciously donated up to 50 plane tickets a month for family or wounded soldiers needing to travel to/from the hospital. 

The foundation was able to provide winter clothing and coats to those family members brought to Walter Reed over the holiday season, as well as emergency funding to assist them with housing, bills, travel, etc. The foundation has also created grant forms for financial need and is providing the requests as needed. So far, the amounts have been about $500 per family request. 

The foundation sponsored a Christmas party at WRAMC for patients and their families. Each soldier received a gift bag filled with hundreds of dollars of items including clothing, dvd’s and cd’s, books, magazines, holiday items, toiletries, gift passes to IMAX shows, phone cards, White House Christmas cards, candy, and so on. A caroling choir, a country music band, and Santa were all on hand to thank the soldiers and wish them a Merry Christmas. 

For the 2005 inaugural events, the foundation rented a mini bus and brought 26 people from Walter Reed (patients, family members, and volunteers to assist) to the Pennsylvania Gala at the Smithsonian Institute and the Hard Rock Cafe party following. The foundation provided for the cost of the tickets and in cases of need outfitted the soldiers and family members so that they could attend as the evening's heroes. While tiring, a great time was had by all. 

The monthly parties at WRAMC are still ongoing, and have a wonderful turnout of both family/patients and volunteers.  This provides a time to introduce volunteers to the patients and assist with any individual needs. The St. Thomas of Manassas Church is providing the lunch food for this event, and doing a wonderful job.  

The foundation hosted two resume and career development workshops for WRAMC and Bethesda patients in the fall.   

In December we hosted the first “Hire a Hero” night to introduce corporate representatives to discuss employment opportunities, career options, etc. with soldiers and Marines who have decided to pursue another career path after their recovery.  Representatives from 20 companies from around the country attended.  

We have sent over 900 stuffed animals, clothing and dvd's and videos to the hospitals in Iraq that our Army doctors are running. The toys have gone to injured children, and the clothing to provide for our injured troops and marines when injured and treated.  

We outfitted a new lounge at the Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad with furniture, reading lamps, tables and coffee makers for the medical staff and the soldiers being treated there.  We purchased the furniture and shipped it in January. 

Future plans

We will begin soliciting new computer equipment that injured soldiers may work on career planning and distance learning from their rooms. 

We are currently exploring distance learning that we might partner with a university(ies) so soldiers may complete coursework while they are recovering at WRAMC.  Ideally, credits will be donated from such universities.   

Currently, the Army does not pay for non-credit classes.  Sometimes companies will require special certifications or classes as an employment condition.  Perhaps there can be a legislative solution to address this in the G.I. bill, etc.  

In several instances, a spouse has moved to Washington to be with their injured husband/wife indefinitely during rehabilitation.  Sometimes a spouse/sibling/parent of an injured soldier gives up their job when they come to Washington.  The foundation would like to see caretaker grants provided on a case by case basis to families who lose income as a result of their temporary, albeit extended, move to Washington. 

Lastly, we are open to ideas and federal assistance to help corporations in their efforts to hire wounded veterans, if needed.  There are several things to consider:  reformatting their offices to enable disabled workers to perform their jobs (for instance, if a soldier lost a hand, or cannot type they will need a voice activated computer, etc.); introducing current employees to the ins and outs of working alongside disabled workers (if even necessary);  layoffs and firing of a disabled employee if it just isn’t working out (there needs to be some protections in place of the company, and procedures for such a scenario); and so on.  If a company has made it a point to set aside a number of jobs for hiring wounded veterans, these new employees and this initiative should not be/become a liability for the firm.