Dear subscriber,

About WISH for OUR HEROES

Incorporated in 2009, WISH for OUR HEROES is a national 501(c)(3) foundation dedicated to “Helping Heroes Battle Hardships”, by granting wishes to active-duty military and their families.

In just two years, WISH for OUR HEROES has granted nearly $1,000,000 in assistance to our U.S. troops.  With few operating costs, the non-profit operates at an astounding 4.8%, meaning less than 5% of their revenues contribute to operational costs (the gold standard for non-profits is 10%).  As a result, when you donate to WISH for OUR HEROES , you can be assured that every dollar of your donation goes directly to a military family. With a high level of transparency, you can even choose the exact wish to which you would like to donate. Granting wishes all across the globe, the organization’s mission is to be the largest source of aid to active-military families. To help grant a wish or to find out more, visit www.wish4ourheroes.org or www.facebook.com/WishForOurHeroesInc .

President’s Update

Greetings Fans, Friends, & Heroes!

First of all, in honor of Veteran’s Day on November 11th, I would like to thank all of our Veterans for their service.  I can’t begin to count the number of conversations I’ve had with Vietnam veterans (and veterans from other wars/conflicts) about the way they were treated when they returned from combat.  They honorably served their country, but when they returned home, they were made to feel embarrassed for their selfless service.  Thankfully, our nation has moved beyond that, and our sense of patriotism has never been stronger.  Regardless of how our citizens feel about our government’s position on the war(s), Americans are now united in their support for our troops.  That’s how it should be, and in my opinion, that’s how it always should have been.  Although we can’t change what happened in the past, we can take this opportunity on Veteran’s Day to thank our Veterans (of all ages) for their selfless service to our country.

Once again this month, we have lots of exciting news to report for WISH for OUR HEROES.  Our top priority has been the CFC (Combined Federal Campaign).  For those of you who don’t know, the CFC is the government’s official charitable giving program.  It allows federal employees to select a charity or charities to contribute to, either as a one-time or ongoing donation.  As a very young charity, we were accepted into the CFC, which we believe will be our primary source of revenue for 2012 and beyond.  Any federal employee who chooses to donate to WISH for OUR HEROES can rest easy knowing that 100% of their donation will help their brothers and sisters in the military.  We’re not able to spend marketing dollars on the CFC, because marketing dollars take away from granting wishes, so we’re relying on all of you to help spread the word about WISH for OUR HEROES.  Our ratio of admin/fundraising costs to total revenue is only 4.8%, which is one of the lowest %’s of any organization in the CFC.  We take pride in assuring that your donations go to the troops, and only the troops.  Our CFC # is 51938.  Please help us to spread the word.

In other news, we’re excited and honored to begin working with George Hill, former Spur and current Pacers’ star.  George’s community involvement is unmatched, and we’re honored to have him as part of our WISH for OUR HEROES team.  While many NBA players are all over the news doing many things during the lockout, George spent last week with the troops at Camp Atterbury.  He did this below the media radar, and in addition to helping us grant wishes, George respects and admires the sacrifices of our brave men and women.  Take a minute to read about George’s visit to Camp Atterbury, as well as other exciting wishes, fundraisers, and happenings from the past month.  Also, please read about our volunteer of the year, Sharon Teich, to see how you can get involved with W4OH. Thank you, Sharon, for all that you do!

Finally, for those of you who are not federal employees and would like to assist WISH for OUR HEROES in our mission of granting one wish for every deserving military member, there is no better time than now.  With the holidays approaching, the fourth quarter is always our busiest time of the year for granting wishes.  As we focus on helping deserving military families during the holidays, we spend more money granting wishes than any other time of the year.  We really need your help to grant as many wishes as possible this holiday season.  Please consider going to www.wish4ourheroes.org and clicking the ‘Donate’ button to make a small donation.  Anything helps! 

We tip our hat to all Veteran’s, Active-Duty service members, and family members.  Thank you for dedication and selfless service!  Until next month...

Jeff Wells

President & Founder, Wish for Our Heroes
Wish for Our Heroes
jwells@wish4ourheroes.org
 

News & Events

INDIANA PACERS’ GEORGE HILL PARTNERS WITH W4OH
Recent Spurs trade continues leadership off the court, despite lockout

We are honored to announce that Indiana Pacers standout, George Hill, has recently partnered with WISH for OUR HEROES to raise support for our troops. Hill, an Indiana native, who was recently acquired from the San Antonio Spurs, and is known for his community service, took time out of his schedule on September 23rd, to meet the troops at Camp Atterbury, and assisted W4OH in granting a wish to a female soldier. Hill participated in various training exercises in full battle gear, toured the base, and signed autographs for soldiers and their families. He even shot some hoops with soldiers in attendance.



Hill spent the last three years with the San Antonio Spurs, and was recently acquired by the Pacers, in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. The city hopes that Hill’s leadership, both on and off the court, will be a positive influence on the Pacers’ squad. Prior to his stint with the Spurs, Hill was a standout at IUPUI, finishing fourth in IUPUI history in scoring with 1,619 career points. As a senior at Broad Ripple High School, Hill led the state of Indiana in scoring with 36.2 points per game, the fifth highest single-season average in Indiana High School history.

WISH for OUR HEROES sent 10 service members to attend the event, providing hotel accommodations and entry into the tournament, as well as various meals. Kyle Chandler personally donated a golf foursome and 4 hotel rooms for the event – thank you, Kyle!


Hill is known for his community outreach in both Indianapolis and San Antonio, participating in a multitude of community projects and forming the George Hill Rising Stars foundation http://ghill3.com . Most recently, he has partnered with WISH for OUR HEROES, in support of our active-duty military. “It takes a special type of person to relate to the sacrifices military members make each day, and George is no stranger to sacrifice and discipline. We are honored to be able to work with George as we assist our active-duty military, and we know the city of Indianapolis is thrilled to have George back home,” explained Jeff Wells, President of WISH for OUR HEROES. Hill enjoyed his experience so much at Camp Atterbury, that he has requested a 3-day stay at Camp Atterbury to experience life as a soldier. In return, he will host a soldier to a day in the life of an NBA player. George is a class act, and we are thrilled to have him on board!

Atlanta Earth Festival

WISH for OUR HEROES participated in the Atlanta Earth Festival this year. This was our first time having a booth at the festival and we had no idea what to expect. Our booth ended up being in front of the Wilson home and what a perfect place to be! The Wilson’s were exceptional hosts and a big help to us for the two days we were there. Thank you Greg and Charlotte! We also want to thank Marcy Barlow, her husband Jason, and her daughter Alivia for all of their help on Saturday and Diana White for all of her help on Sunday. The Atlanta Earth Festival turned out to be a nice fundraiser for W4OH in spite of the rain. Thanks to all who stopped by and donated towards granting a wish for a hero! We plan on being back next year and hopefully the rain will stay away.


Charlotte and Greg Wilson


Volunteer Marcy Barlow

Welcome Home Sgt Mayer!

Ann and son, Sgt Eric Mayer

WISH for OUR HEROES would like to shout out a big “Welcome Home” to Sgt. Eric Mayer. Sgt. Mayer is in the Marine Corps and just finished an eight month tour at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan. While deployed, he served on the General’s private security detail, and received the Navy Achievement Medal.

Sgt. Mayer has special ties to WISH for OUR HEROES. His mother, Ann, is the Wish Coordinator and Kristen, our Director, is his former neighbor and babysitter. We are so glad he made it home safe and sound! He is a fine Marine and we are all proud of him!

Upcoming Events

Join us at the Texas Motor Speedway November 4-5, 2011 to raise funds for WISH for OUR HEROES! We are hosting a fish fry, and all proceeds go directly to wishes. We will be giving away catfish and beer with any donation made to W4OH. SURPRISE GUESTS and LOCAL CELEBRITIES will be on hand serving fish and signing autographs. Come join us for good racing, a good cause, and good times!

America Remembers –“A Musical Tribute”

WISHES GRANTED

W4OH recently paid for a new hot water heater for PO2 Nathaniel Gibbs and his family. The Gibbs’ water heater exploded and flooded their garage leaving them without any hot water to bath, wash dishes, do laundry, etc.

After receiving the new water heater, Mrs. Gibbs commented, “Words cannot explain how Thankful I am for you and your organization. When our water heater went out (flooded our garage) I did not know what to do, until a friend told me about you. I thank you for caring about military families like ours. You answered our prayers and you got back to us so quickly. I could not believe when I filled out the application and heard back from you moments later and then the very next day our new water heater was being installed (such a blessing b/c it leaked again over night after our first clean up). We are so excited to have hot water again- something we took for granted before. The kids are looking forward to bath time tonight!”

Wishes to Grant

This month’s featured wish:

SPC Anthony Walton is stationed at Fort Wainwright, AK and is currently deployed to Afghanistan. He has previously deployed to Iraq twice. SPC Walton is married to Amanda and is step-father to her 3 children. SPC Walton purchased a 2007 Dodge Charger in Nov. of 2010. Unfortunately, during the transition from one insurance company to another, someone slid on the ice and hit the passenger side of the car. There was no insurance to cover repairs. Amanda is currently in Tennessee during deployment to be closer to family and try and save some money to get back on their feet. Before she left Alaska she received an estimate of $6000 for the body repairs. Now that Amanda is in TN she has received an estimate of $3000. The back door does not latch properly and has an open gap when the door is completely closed.

Amanda says “All my husband has asked for during this deployment was to get the car fixed so it’s safe for all of us to be in. I’m trying my best to get that done. He is an amazing man and soldier and I just want to be able to show him I appreciate everything he does for me and our children and give back to him.”

WISH for OUR HEROES would like to help Amanda get the car repaired so that the children are safe while traveling. We need a minimum of $1500 to grant this wish. Donations will be accepted through Dec. 31st.

Make a donation today!  http://wish4ourheroes.org/wishes/grant-a-wish

VOLUNTEER of the YEAR!

Normally, we recognize a “Volunteer of the Month” in each newsletter, but this month is a little different. We have had the honor of working with an incredible woman, who has either spear-headed or assisted with some of our largest fundraisers to date.  She is always the first to roll up her sleeves and ask how she can help.  So we would like to take this opportunity to honor  Sharon Teich, of Rhode Island, as our “VOLUNTEER of the YEAR”!

Sharon with her grandchildren

Sharon has been an avid supporter of W4OH since it began.  A military mother, Sharon knows first-hand how the life of a soldier can be difficult. When her son, Bernie, was injured and lost his leg during a deployment, Sharon spent endless hours assisting with his care and rehabilitation, and witnessed how the military transformed her son. Although Bernie tragically lost a limb, and fought personal battles of his own, she saw her boy become a man as a result of his time with both the Marines and the Army. Her son is her “hero”, as she fondly calls him. 

Here is a brief excerpt from a recent discussion with Sharon as to why she became involved with WISH for OUR HEROES…

“I first met Jeff Wells when he was stationed with my son Bernie at Fort Hood.  I really got to know Jeff when he became my “go to” person after my son was injured in Iraq.  Jeff was out of the military and working in San Antonio, and whenever my son or I needed anything, he was always there for us.

Jeff founded W4OH while my son was in recovery. Being a parent of an injured soldier, I soon learned that there were so many charities that were helping the severely injured and survivors, and they were doing a great job - they helped my son and our family through so many hard times. But, there was no one doing anything for your average soldier having a hard time with multiple deployments and the stress of family separation, and that’s what I really liked about Jeff’s concept for W4OH.

When Jeff spoke to me about W4OH, the first thing I said was, “What can I do to help?”-It is my way of saying thanks to our military and their families for all they are sacrificing.
I have really had a great time working with everyone.  My childhood friend, Janet Wood, joined me as a volunteer two years ago, and we got the Burnt Store Memorial Golf event going. That event now has a life of its own! This year we raised over $17,000 for the troops. Memorial Day you will find me back at Burnt Store in Punta Gorda, Florida, having a great weekend honoring our veterans and active-duty military members.

This year, I worked with a great committee here in Rhode Island and we paired with Ledgemont Country Club, where we held the “Day of Thanks” golf tournament, and raised over $25,000 for W4OH. 

On Veterans Day, I will be giving out plaques to the Jewish War Veterans in Rhode Island. These are just small things I enjoy doing, because I love my soldiers and other military members. They have all done so much to insure our freedom.
Since my son was injured my life has changed. We have lived through many trying years, but all and all, we have come out a stronger family and with better values, and a deep commitment to helping our military. This fall I will be moving from Rhode Island to San Antonio Texas to be closer to my hero and 3 wonderful grandchildren, and I’m sure it won’t be long before I get more events going in San Antonio to benefit W4OH.”

-Sharon Teich

Would you like to get involved with WISH for OUR HEROES?  There are lots of things you can do to help military families. Spread the word about what we do, join us on Facebook, donate to a wish or volunteer!