A message from Robert Irvine Foundation’s President:
Reflecting on an incredible year and an exciting 2023.
Dear Friends,
May is Military Appreciation Month, and at the Robert Irvine Foundation, we are committed to honoring and appreciating our nation’s heroes all year long.
In 2022, we established new programs that support the physical and mental well-being of our service members, veterans, first responders, and their families. We also had our best fundraising year yet. This was only possible with your dedication and belief in our mission. I’d like to share with you some impact highlights as well as update you on what is currently scheduled for the future.
We started this year by hosting our inaugural Robert Irvine Foundation Enlisted Aide of the Year Award at the Heroes Hall in the Pentagon. While this award has been around for 20 years, we are honored to continue the tradition officially under our organization.
We had 3 military base visits on March 9th at Edwards AFB, March 17th & 19th at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, and in April in Poland with trips to 8 Military Installations. Watch Robert discuss his visit to Poland on a featured news segment here: ABC NEWS
There are 3 more base visits planned in June at Lackland AFB and Tyndall AFB, and in July at USAG Ansbach Army Base in Germany. We’ve hosted 7 Breaking Bread With Heroes this year and have 3 more scheduled. The Foundation has identified and matched 1 service dog recipient with their dog in training. We have also identified and approved 3 injured veteran IBOT beneficiaries and 1 IBOT first responder beneficiary. In addition, I’m excited to announce we’ve launched two new programs.
Many don’t realize the social isolation veterans feel when separated from the military. In fact, since 9/11 and the Global War on Terrorism, there has been a focus on the military-to-civilian transition with the connection to invisible wounds. Since 2002, 3 in 5 of the 2 million service members that have separated from the military participate in VA Health Care. Reuniting the Brave brings military units together so their bonds may be reignited. The program is led by combat veteran Charles Williams. We hosted our first Reuniting the Brave April 7th – 9th at Camp Pendleton with 750 veterans, and Gold Star Family members.
Military veterans, Christian Meyers and David Reid, (David is also RIF’s VIP of Military & First Responder Outreach) host the Medevac Podcast which is now powered by the Robert Irvine Foundation. We encourage you to check it out, you can listen to episodes here. They host interviews that explore stories of service and recovery. Christian and David said that podcast participants felt an improvement in their mental health and found the process of sharing their stories to be healing. Our plan is to utilize the Medevac Podcast to interview past RIF beneficiaries. We brought the podcast team to Reuniting the Brave at Camp Pendelton in April to interview attendees of the 1st Battalion 5th Marines “Reunite” for future podcasts.
Planning is well underway of our 3 Signature Robert Irvine Foundation events which we hope you can attend and support:
June 16, 2023, in San Antonio, TX – Military Charity Golf Tournament
Our featured guest speaker is The Honorable Mark T. Esper, former United States Secretary of Defense.
September 19, 2023, in Washington, DC – Red Wine & Blue
November 6, 2023, in Philadelphia, PA – Beats ‘N Eats
It is incredible to see the impact we’ve made in the first few months of the year. As our team grows, so do our efforts. I can’t wait to share what else we have in store.
On behalf of Robert and our Foundation, thank you for everything you do. We are truly grateful.
Sincerely,
Judith Otter
President, Robert Irvine Foundation
