A portion of any proceeds from this project will be donated to Defenders of Freedom. With all the work that this group does to support our soldiers, knowing this project can give back to them motivates me to work even harder. I specifically wanted to give back to a group that works with wounded warriors. Thank you to my very good friend who has put me in touch with Donna. And thank you to Donna and rest of the Defenders, for all they do in support of our Soldiers.
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Defenders of Freedom is a nonprofit (501c3) organization that supports active duty and wounded men and women serving our nation. Defenders of Freedom continually receives requests through our website from both active and wounded service members in critical situations. Due to the steady growth of the organization, Defenders of Freedom has the potential to grow into a nonprofit organization that not only supports deployed Troops, but becomes the first nonprofit that is contacted when emergency financial assistance is needed.
To date, over 2,100 Troops have received personalized care packages over the past 6 years. Over 100 wounded Troops have been assisted with emergency financial aid in the past year, increasing dramatically from the previous years. Today, many of these Troops have been given additional opportunities in life due to the donations provided to them by Defenders of Freedom.
Thank you for your interest in not only Defenders of Freedom, but the lives of the service members and families that have served our nation so greatly. I hope that you will consider becoming a donor for our organization and support the ongoing need for America’s deployed and wounded service members.
Respectfully,
Donna Cranston
Founder
Founder
Defenders of Freedom (DOF) is a nonprofit (501c3) organization that was formed in 2004 in Coppell, Texas to bring opportunities to service members in need. DOF was also established to provide an avenue for the community to help the Troops. DOF strives to offer support that satisfies the needs of service members who are currently deployed or wounded. DOF has met many of those needs by sending individualized care packages for the last 6 years to Troops deployed around the world, most specifically Iraq and Afghanistan. Individual requests from over 2,100 Troops have been carefully packed and shipped, many of the Troops sharing what they have received with their units.
Most recently, there has been an increase in the need for emergency financial aid to wounded service members. The most common needs are for rent, gift cards, bills, car payments, miscellaneous repairs, or GPS systems for those with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
From the beginning, Defenders of Freedom’s goal was to be an avenue for Americans to support Troops who were both deployed or wounded by contributing both monetary and in-kind donations. This allowed us to accomplish the following:
- Sending "support boxes" to men and women in uniform;
- Support wounded Soldiers with emergency financial assistance, encouragement, and needed items, especially those with no support from family or friends;
- Support the families of wounded Soldiers both physically and emotionally;
- Support the USO at DFW Airport
Today, that mission is still being met, and has now expanded in ways that were unforeseeable. Because of the increase in the injuries and wounds incurred by our Troops, the request for help by the wounded Troops has increased dramatically. Therefore, we have identified a new goal of being the first nonprofit organization that an advocate for each branch of the military contacts when there is need for emergency financial aid that the military cannot meet.
The unique strategy this organization has taken to reach as many needs as possible for our Troops, has allowed the organization to increase the number of Troops helped, funds raised, donations given, and increase the number of lives changed by a simple act of kindness. There is a hope for an expansion in the capabilities of DOF, to affect a multitude of wounded Troops that have fallen through the cracks along the way.
DOF will continue to support Troops who are deployed until each service member returns home. As the locations vary in each deployment, the needs vary as well. We have been privileged to receive feedback from our Troops, all saying that they are appreciative of the efforts made on their behalf.
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