Uniformly Grateful - by Christian Toto, Washington Times 12/16/07

Gridleak's Auction, Pro Bass Anglers News Ugly Boat Contest, 6/27/07

Belvoir Eagle Ft. Belvoir, VA. 4/19/07

Organization provides scholarships to families of fallen Soldiers

By Quentin Melson
Staff writer

Pageant Held To Support Troops

Reported by Christina Salvo

csalvo@fox21news.com

(Aired 4-14-07)

When you think of supporting our troops, a beauty pageants is not exactly what comes to mind, unless you are part of the "Miss Patriotic Colorado Pageant" benefiting the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.

There are few reasons to smile about war, but when it comes to the honoring those who fight in war, these girls are nothing but smiles. The relief fund provides college grants and financial assistance to surviving children and spouses of soldiers who have lost their lives in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. So to benefit those families, girls of all ages walked the stage with bows, ribbons, stripes and stars displaying their most patriotic outfits in the Miss Patriotic Colorado Pageant.

Many of the participants had a very personal connection with the cause, like Iris whose father is deployed in Iraq. There are so many families out there lost a loved one and we are here to support their children and those left behind to make sure their futures are as bright as they wanted them to be.

Entry fees and sponsors helped raise $2,000 for the fund, but the pageants planner Tiffany Sawyer said though the point was to raise money, it was not the only thing she hoped to accomplish. She said, "Pageants for me are fun. Find a way for kids to express themselves in a patriotic way to give back to other kids who have lost someone in war."

Planners of the pageant hope this becomes an annual event here in Colorado and say they would also like to see other states throughout the nation adopt the event.

This Army Wife Salutes Military Parents, by Rebecca Logan The Fayetteville Observer 3/1/07

BIKING IN TRIBUTE NEWS ~

Cyclist continues trek toward Pacific coast

San Diego trip expected to take about 2 months (BY JENNIFER TORRES
FOR FLORIDA TODAY) 2/28/07

My Hometown News, by By G.W. Pomichter

Staff writer (2/23/07)

MELBOURNE BEACH - Second-graders at Gemini Elementary School have been tracking John Cook since he departed their school on his bicycle ride across the nation.

Mr. Cook is riding across the United States to raise money for Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.

He calls the ride "Biking in Tribute."

Bicycle trek follows meaningful purpose

Trip across U.S. to help children of fallen soldiers

BY JENNIFER TORRES
FOR FLORIDA TODAY ADVERTISEMENT

As an avid bicyclist, John Cook is always on the lookout for his next great adventure.

During the past few years, the Minneapolis man has taken bicycling vacations to Oregon, Hawaii and the San Juan Islands in Washington.

But on Monday, Feb. 5, Cook will begin a cross-country bike trip from Melbourne Beach with a greater purpose.

He wants to raise awareness for an organization in which he strongly believes -- The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund, which provides scholarships to children who have lost a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Article in The Providence Journal 2/26/07

Falmouth Road Race fund-raising and donations surpass $860,000

Falmouth, Mass., Nov. 8, 2006 – The 34th annual Falmouth Road Race, presented by CIGNA, raised a record-breaking $861,318 last summer for 35 nonprofit organizations with its "numbers-for-nonprofits" program. The figure exceeds last year's tally of more than $750,000 and puts the race above $3 million raised over the past several years.

America Supports You: Group Offers Support to Survivors
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2006 – How to pay for a child’s college education shouldn’t be a consideration for those who lose a loved one in battle, and one troop-support group is working to ensure it isn’t.
“We provide financial assistance and college grants to the children and spouses of the fallen … and severely injured servicemembers,” Rebecca Campbell, founder of The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund, said. “It’s all for different needs, but (applicants) have to have a financial need.”

The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation’s servicemembers.

Formed in 2003, The Gaithersburg, Md.-based nonprofit group started out with an attainable goal. “We wanted to help one child (attend college),” Campbell said. “But we haven’t stopped.” Read full article

Local News

Posted: Sunday, 08 October 2006 9:11AM

Fleet Week Features Blue Angels Flying Team

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KCBS) -- Crowds are packing the San Francisco waterfront again today as Fleet Week activities continue.

KCBS’ Tim Ryan was near Fisherman’s Wharf and said most spectators came out to watch the aircraft. That’s not all people are up to, though. Military recruiters have flocked by the dozen.

Chief Petty Officer Amanda Myers said that for the Coast Guard, Fleet Week is a major recruiting operation.

Mike Dillon of Sacramento is with the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. He also uses Fleet Week to offer information and ask for donations.

"We're a small, grassroots type of group. We don't have some huge financial backing. It's mostly events like this right here that we try to raise funds at," said Dillon.

Aircraft will take to the skies from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon. War ships will also be open for tours.

Copyright 2006, KCBS. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

By Rodger L. Hardy
Deseret Morning News
LEHI — Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson may have Cindy Sheehan, but Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff has Jaden Bliss.
Who's Jaden Bliss?
She's a 13-year-old singer-songwriter from Lehi who has captured the hearts and attention of Utahns with her collection of songs honoring America's soldiers.
Anderson invited Sheehan, who lost her son in the war in Iraq in 2004, to come and protest Bush's visit. Meanwhile, Shurtleff arranged for the Lehi schoolgirl to sing her songs at the Freedom Rally in Liberty Park and Washington Square.
Shurtleff wanted Bliss to sing for President Bush.
Bliss wanted to sing for the family of Adam Galvez, a Marine from Salt Lake City who recently died in Iraq.
Bliss has been writing songs about patriotism and love of country since the fifth grade.
"I just wanted our soldiers to know how much I love and appreciate all the sacrifices they make in defending this country, and I also want their families to know that I'm thinking of them and that they are in my prayers tonight. I'm so proud to be an American," Bliss said.
Bliss began selling her CD door-to-door for $10 and gave the money to the National Freedom Alliance and the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. She's sold 90 copies.
Her collection includes: "So Proud (To Be an American)," "God Bless Our Soldiers Tonight," and "Dear Friend," available at: www.blessoursoldiers.com.

Dan Lakatos, Montana Mountain Biker races 100 miles for children of the fallen. Read the story from the Big Sky here

Clark Pinnacle Raises $125,000 for the Fort Belvoir Chapter of USO, Chaplain Family Life Center and Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund with Third Annual Charity Golf Classic

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Clark Pinnacle Family Communities held its Third Annual Charity Golf Classic at Fort Belvoir Golf Club today. At the awards ceremony, Clark Pinnacle presented a $125,000 check to the Fort Belvoir Chapter of USO, Fort Belvoir Chaplain Family Life Center and Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. More than 200 golfers participated in the four-person scramble, including representatives from Clark Pinnacle, the Army Residential Communities Initiative office and the many consulting and subcontracting firms working on the housing revitalization efforts at Fort Belvoir. In the last three years, the tournament has raised a total of more than $280,000 for organizations that support Fort Belvoir families including Army Emergency Relief, Fort Belvoir Youth Sports and Boy and Girl Scouts. Read more

Fort Belvoir News

War Orphan Tuition Waivers

Why aren't all 50 states, or, better yet, the federal government, doing this for the children of those men and women in uniform who've made the ultimate sacrifice?

Just 5 years old, Brisa Dorff won't start kindergarten until this fall. But if she stays in Minnesota through college, her tuition should be covered.

Dorff's father, Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Dorff of Elk River, died two years ago when his helicopter crashed during a rescue mission in Iraq. A World War II-era law on Minnesota's books entitles children of fallen soldiers to free tuition at public universities.

"To me that's a godsend, just knowing that even part of my daughter's education is paid for," said Brisa's mother, Jamie. "It's already stressful enough having to worry about my 5-year-old now and having to worry 13 years down the road on top of that."

From New England to the mountain West, state leaders and university officials are reviewing decades-old "war orphan" policies and, in some cases, freshening them to ensure children who lose a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan aren't shut out.

A revised law covering the dependents of soldiers killed since the Sept. 11 attacks won approval in Iowa last week. The same debate is under way in Missouri. Wyoming, New Hampshire and South Dakota all recently updated their laws in different ways. Full story here

Leitner-Wise Rifle Co. Inc. donates a portion of the sales proceeds from their limited edition

Special Forces O.D.A.

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (Dec. 8, 2005) — Becky Campbell's son, David, is in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division.

After her son returned home safe after a tour of duty in Iraq in 2003, Campbell said she decided to help military families who'd suffered the loss of a loved one.

"I wanted to do something," Campbell said.

So Campbell founded the nonprofit Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund in October 2003. She said the all-volunteer, nationwide group provides scholarship money to surviving spouses and children of military families from all branches of the armed forces.

"We're a grassroots organization not affiliated with anybody in the government. [We're] just a lot of people wanting to help the families," said Campbell, a resident of Gaithersburg, Md.

Thus far, the group has helped six families of deceased servicemembers, distributing more than $26,000 in scholarship funds, Campbell said.

She said her group receives donations from public and private sources from across the United States. She said her group also co-sponsors fundraisers for servicemembers' families, such as 5-kilometer runs.
Campbell said her organization plans to provide more college grants in January, bringing the total of distributed funds to more than $36,000. Read more here

GI Jobs, 11/2005

Real Hoboken, CFSRF is named Charity of the Month

Real Hoboken, CFSRF is named Charity of the Month

 

Monday, October 3, 2005 By JOHN PETRICK STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - Saturday night is often date night for a single young woman in Hoboken. Not for Christina Attardo. At least, not for now.

"This is Brian's second tour in Iraq. I met him last November, before he went back the second time. It's been a very intense, very tough year," said Attardo, 26, who stood at the door of a trendy Hoboken bar and restaurant selling raffle tickets as young singles drank, mingled and watched the football game during happy hour.

Read more

America Supports You: 'Nashville Star' Winner Gives to Military Families

America Supports You: 'Nashville Star' Winner Gives to Military Families By Steven Donald Smith American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2005 - Brad Cotter, the 2004 winner of USA Network's singing contest "Nashville Star," will donate a portion of the proceeds from his new single, "An American Dream," to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. Twenty-five percent of the song's profits, both from CD sales and Web site downloads, will go to the nonprofit organization. The fund provides a wide range of assistance to the children and spouses of servicemembers who have been killed or injured. It assists families with housing, utilities, medical expenses, groceries, clothing, school tuition and supplies, and any other expenses to help alleviate their need, said Rebecca Campbell, the organization's founder. The song and financial contribution to the fund are Cotter's way to give back to servicemembers and their families. "This project is just our little way of giving back. I am truly blessed to have the privilege to grow up in such a wonderful country," Cotter said. "They deserve nothing less than our whole-hearted and undivided support." Complete story   Help for Troops with College-age Kids Aug. 22, 2005 Troops with college-age kids should know there are people ready to help with college tuition. The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund was founded in 2003 to raise college tuition for the children of servicemembers killed in the war on terrorism. But now it aims to do even more through financial assistance to the children and spouses of troops who have been killed or injured. The organization began collecting donations in May 2004 and has raised a little more than $85,000, according to its founder, Rebecca Campbell. To keep costs down, Campbell said she does a lot of the work from her home, like designing the Web site, printing, advertising and mailing. The organization is made up of all volunteers and it is open to families in all 50 states. It started taking applications from military families for financial assistance in June and has given out several grants. From Federal News Radio Fund Helps Children and Spouses of Troops By Steven Donald Smith American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2005 – Rebecca Campbell started the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund in 2003 to raise college tuition for the children of servicemembers killed in the war on terrorism. The fund has since expanded to encompass other financial needs. It now aims to provide a wide range of assistance to the children and spouses of troops who have been killed or injured. "These funds may be awarded to applicants of U.S. military families who are in need of assistance with housing, utilities, medical expenses, groceries, clothing, school supplies and other expenses deemed necessary in order to provide them with some support and alleviate their need," Campbell said. She said she feels a real need for this type of allocation because of the financial void often experienced by a death in a military family. "Often, when a loss occurs in these families, what was a two person income becomes one. The financial hardships placed on these families are very difficult to deal with," she said. CFSRF raises money through direct donations and fundraisers. The organization began collecting donations in May 2004, Campbell said. Full story here   Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund Gives Awards By Special to America Supports You WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2005 - The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund recently announced the recipients of the following awards: Read more Team Member of the Week The Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund was named Team Member of the Week in America Supports You Newsletter, 5/10/05 edition. As of today there has been less than 300 messages to our military from the State of Maryland, please post your message to service members serving overseas and tell them how you support them at America Supports You! May is National Military Appreciation Month, Memorial Day, Armed Forces Week and this is a good time to honor our veterans!  Links to other stories: Brad Cotter, American Music Channel Go to the Archives to read about more of CFSRF in the News!

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