Robert Irvine Foundation 2015 Grant Awards
For the 2015 Fiscal Year, the Robert Irvine Foundation received contributions from corporations and individuals, as well as proceeds from Robert Irvine Foods and Robert Irvine Products. 100% of Fiscal Year 2015 contributions were distributed via the foundation’s grants program. The following organizations and programs were the recipients of the grants.
A Veterans Community
A Veterans Community has one program: providing transitional housing for homeless veterans and their families while they get back on their feet. An emphasis is placed on mothers and children. A Veterans Community founder, Kyle Evans, was wounded in combat and retired to Orlando, FL where he became a case manager at the Orlando VA. In his time there, he came to realize that the post 9/11 wars created a new type of veteran needing services: women. He started A Veterans Community to provide transitional housing to homeless veterans while they work through whatever issue they might be having, whether it’s lack of job training, PTSD, substance abuse, an injury or any other number of problems.
TGen Foundation-Casey’s Cup
“Casey’s Cup”, 3v3 Ice Hockey Charity Tournament proceeds help to find new treatments and cures for pediatric and adult Adrenocortical Carcinoma (ACC) in the hopes to someday find a cure. ACC is a rare cancer of the adrenal cortex that affects only 1 to 2 people in a million. TGen scientists and physicians are dedicated to better understanding the molecular basis of this cancer, and using that knowledge to identify new therapies to treat and eventually defeat, this rare and deadly disease.
Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors
Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors’ mission is to provide financial assistance and support to our injured United States military veterans by building and remodeling handicap accessible homes to suit their individual needs one wounded warrior at a time. Funding provided serves to benefit Purple Heart recipients & veterans who are deemed 100% disabled by the DOD or VA Hospital.
www.homesforwoundedwarriors.com
Northern Virginia Veterans Association
Supporting Service Members and their families as they transition off active duty and reintegrate into the civilian population. Northern Virginia Veterans Association provides hands-on care that connects veterans & military families, at no cost, to a vast system of community resources addressing needs to support & improve their quality of life. NVVA follows veterans and their family members during this very uncertain time for 24 months post retirement/separation and receive feedback/data to determine greatest needs in this population (e.g., employment, counseling, housing, community engagement, healthcare, etc.) and to ensure any potential health challenges are aligned with the right resources immediately.
Family Readiness Group with Army National Guard 328th MP Company
Army National Guard 328th MP Company is currently deployed to Guantanamo Bay Cuba. This fund is dedicated to their homecoming, which has not yet been scheduled.
1SG P Andrew McKenna Fund
1SG P. Andrew McKenna was a Green Beret from Bristol, RI, killed in action on August 7th in Kabul, Afghanistan while defending Camp Integrity, a Special Forces Base. Andrew enlisted in the military in 1998 as soon as he graduated high school. Andrew served active duty for 17yrs, and was a member of the 7th Special Forces Group since 2003, before making the ultimate sacrifice for his country. This Memorial Scholarship Fund will keep his name alive and honor him as he is now fallen, but never forgotten.
Challenged Athletes Foundation
CAF Operation Rebound strengthens the mental and physical well-being of veterans with permanent physical injuries by providing them opportunities to use sports and fitness to re-integrate into our communities and by empowering them through sports to lead productive, active and fulfilling lives. The program provides direct funding for sports equipment, training and competition expenses and also provides sports clinics at military medical centers and VA hospitals throughout the year.
Gary Sinise Foundation
The experiences of war leave an indelible impact on our servicemen and women. As they return to civilian life, the physical, emotional and psychological challenges they face are often difficult. As citizens, supporting the heroes of our nation is a responsibility each of us must carry. The Gary Sinise Foundation works to ensure the sacrifices of America’s defenders and their families are never forgotten.
In 2012, the Gary Sinise Foundation began building custom Smart Homes for America’s severely wounded veterans through its Building for America’s Bravest partner program. Each Smart Home features automated amenities to ease the daily challenges these heroes face. In 2013, the Gary Sinise Foundation expanded these efforts by establishing its R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence & Supporting Empowerment) program.
For more than a decade, Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band have toured the globe in support of our troops. As a part of the Foundation, the band is raising spirits and awareness for military and first responder causes worldwide.
Through its Invincible Spirit Festivals, the Gary Sinise Foundation is boosting the morale at military medical centers across the country. These daylong celebrations provide a respite from the rigors of rehabilitation for the hospital’s patients, staff and families. The Relief & Resiliency Outreach program is providing complete support to those recovering from trauma, injury and loss during times of urgent need. The Foundation is also providing financial support and training to America’s firefighters, police departments and EMTs through its First Responders Outreach program.
Additionally, the Gary Sinise Foundation is showing appreciation through Serving Heroes, a program providing hearty, classic American meals to our defenders across the country. The Arts & Entertainment Outreach program now includes the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Each theatre provides dinner and a performance to local veterans free of charge.
In 2015, the Gary Sinise Foundation launched Soaring Valor with The National WWII Museum. The program provides WWII veterans a chance to visit the museum and documents their first-hand accounts of the war for future generations.
USO Metropolitan Washington
The USO was founded in preparation for World War II by national leaders who understood that maintaining high morale in a fighting force is vital to a nation’s military success. Over time, the USO has become the vital bridge between Americans and their military service members. The USO is a family of volunteers, sustained by the charitable contributions of millions of generous Americans. We are united in our commitment to support America’s service members by keeping them connected to the people, places and things they love. We do this through countless acts of caring, comfort, connection and support. Our work is America’s most powerful expression of gratitude to the men and women who secure our nation’s freedoms.
USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore is the largest chapter chartered by the USO. Ten locations and a “deployable” Mobile USO provide signature USO services to the nearly 300,000 military members and their families living in the region and the 150,000 who travel through our local airports.
USO-Metro is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization chartered by Congress, and dedicated to serving those who serve, and their families in Washington D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia. It is through the generous financial support of individuals and organizations in the local community that USO-Metro is able to fulfill its mission. With the help of thousands of devoted volunteers, USO-Metro provides programs and services for active duty troops and their families at area military hospitals, six USO Centers, four USO airport lounges and a Mobile USO. Signature programs and services include holiday programs like Turkeys for Troops and Project USO Elf, emergency housing and food assistance, and caring for our wounded, ill and injured troops and their caregivers.
