by Development and Communications intern, Ineye Komonibo
Living overseas can prove to be a fairly difficult and taxing experience, even more so if you’re among the one million individuals actively serving in the United States Armed Forces. Extensive time away from home can take a toll on any person; loneliness, emotional trauma, and depression are just some of the potential effects of military service.
The mother of a solider deployed in Iraq, Patti-Patton Bader recognized these issues. During his deployment, Patti’s son made a casual remark about some of his peers receiving care packages from their families back home. Inspired, Patti founded Soldiers’ Angels to ensure that every soldier knew that they were loved.
The 501(c)(3) organization provides aid and comfort to the men and women in the military, their families, and the growing veteran population. With 12 special teams dedicated to supporting these groups, Soldiers’ Angels is largest volunteer network of any military charity in the country. Providing over $100 million in aid to military and veteran families, the group’s mission of “May No Soldier Go Unloved” is well on its way to becoming a reality. Some of the crucial services that Soldiers’ Angels provides include luncheons/dinners, wish list fulfillment, and patient visits to veterans in the hospital.
President & CEO Amy Palmer was referred to PeopleFund by a friend. When she joined the team, Soldiers’ Angels was facing a substantial amount of debt. She reached out to PeopleFund, and the organization received a Line of Credit which allowed it to continue to support its programs without fear of not satisfying other financial commitments. “I love what PeopleFund does and who it supports,” Amy expressed happily. “I feel like it is a good fit.”
With the assistance of its generous supporters and the recent financial backing of PeopleFund, Soldiers’ Angels has been able to accomplish so much on behalf of the grateful citizens of the United States of America. But it doesn’t want to stop there; the organization hopes to bolster its support of the VA Medical Centers and veteran patients. Because many of the other organizations working in the VA’s are older membership organizations, the volunteer force for the VA’s is dwindling. Soldiers’ Angels is the future of the VA volunteer pool.