August 29, 2014

In This Issue:

Volunteers Needed in Washington, DC

Gold Star Luminary Initiative

Run for the Fallen

Join Their Fight Campaign

Get to Know the Team

Greetings!

Thank you for joining us for this issue of Marine Parents News. If this is your first time receiving the newsletter, welcome aboard, we're excited for you to be here!

The 2014 Marine Corps Marathon is coming up in two short months and we need volunteers from the Washington, D.C. area to help up spread the word about our organization. Learn more in our first two articles. Also, check out the table of contents to the left for additional topics of interest covered in this issue.

Thank you for joining us and especially for your continued support of our brave men and women in uniform.

Semper Fi Marine Families!

Tracy Della Vecchia

Founder and Executive Director
MarineParents.com, Inc.

Meet Us in DC!

The "Ooh Rah" spirit of the Marine Corps is awaiting you in Washington, DC the weekend of the Marine Corps Marathon, October 23-26, 2014. If you've always wanted to visit DC, then this is the weekend to do it!

Visit the monuments and museums, embrace the Marine spirit, and meet up with volunteers and staff from MarineParents.com at the same time! We'll be in three locations and hope you can stop by to meet us, join us for dinner, and/or volunteer with us. We look forward to meeting you!

Click here to learn more...

Volunteers Needed in Washington, DC

Learn How You Can Get Involved Today

We need volunteers to assist at the expo booth Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well as staff our charity tent on Sunday. Come join the fun and help us out!

Click here to sign up today!

Honor Families of Our Fallen

Pledge Your Support Today!

In honor and recognition of the losses and sacrifices the families who have lost a loved one in the line of duty have faced, the last Sunday in September has, by Presidential Proclamation, been designated as Gold Star Mother's and Family Day.

We would like to encourage groups and individuals around the country to mark this occasion by lighting a luminary at dusk in remembrance of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

To pledge your support today, please click here!

2014 Tampa, Florida Run for the Fallen

In Honor of Those Who Sacrificed All

September 20 and 21, 2014, will mark the 7th annual "Run For the Fallen" in Tampa, Florida. Tributes to Floridians who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan will be on display in Veteran's Memorial Park (3602 US Hwy 301 Tampa, FL 33619) from September 14-21, and will culminate with a two-day event and the 20th and 21st.

Click here to learn more...

"Join Their Fight" Campaign

Learn How You Can Make a Difference

By our estimates, over half of the servicemembers who have served in combat since 9/11 now have or will have critical health needs as a direct result of being deployed to a combat zone. While the statistics are alarming, the aftermath of war and health battles being waged upon return have remained the same for generations.

With that in mind, we need YOU to help us raise $78,000 to provide 500 Warrior Reintegration Bags to wounded, ill, and injured service members in rural areas and others in need.

Click here to learn more...

Get to Know the Team

TMP Featured Participant: Allen (Todd) Johanboeke

This issue's TMP featured participant is a proud Marine family member running in his second Marine Corps Marathon--Todd Johanboeke.

Todd's father and three of his brothers were Marines and Todd is running in support of Gold Star Family Support..

Click here to learn more...

MarineParents.com, Inc. is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) public charity founded on January 21, 2003 to provide support, information, and services to Marines and their family members, and to create opportunities for individuals to support our troops. In over 11 years of service, Marine Parents has made a huge impact in support of Marines, military personnel, and their family members.

Marine family members are encouraged to support one another through activities and networking provided by the organization and guided by trained volunteers. Outreach to injured troops is volunteer-centered with in-person contact. Additional troop-support centered programs are designed to actively engage individuals and communities across the United States while maintaining the privacy of military personnel. All services are offered free to family members, Marines and military personnel.

In 11 years of service, MarineParents.com has:

Invested over $2 million delivering direct support to Marines, their families and other military personnel.
Provided information and a Place to Connect & Share� to more than 250,000 family members through a network of communities and educational websites.
Processed over 1200 support requests each week from recruit and Marine family members.
Collected materials and shipped over 38,000 care packages to Marines and military personnel in combat zones.
Involved thousands of Americans in sending over 87,000 cards and letters to injured troops.
Served over 35,000 meals to injured troops and their families at military medical facilities on the east and west coasts.
Planned and carried out recreational events for hundreds of injured troops and their families.
Delivered materials and resources to aid in the recovery process to hundreds of family members of injured troops.
Provided support and networking to hundreds of Gold Star families.

Tracy Della Vecchia, Founder and Executive Director, leads the operations from the corporate office in Columbia, Missouri with staff, volunteers, and a volunteer Board of Directors. In addition to the moderated, OPSEC-compliant Marine Family Network (MFN), chat rooms and informative websites, several outreach programs to support Marines and families before, during and after the Marine Corps are provided by the organization. Funding for the programs is through donations, grants, fundraising and store sales. In 2009, the 15-item online store began expansion, eventually becoming the EGA Shop. In 2010, the production facility was established on-site to design and develop custom product, dramatically boosting sales and providing additional funding for the outreach programs. The organization is an official Marine Corps Trademark licensee.

Statistics updated August, 2014.