January 21, 2014
In This Issue:

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!

On January 21, 2003, Marine Parents was founded. It's been a long and emotional journey, but we're still going strong 12 years later! Read more in our first article.

We need to raise $1,700 by this Friday to keep Marines in Afghanistan warm this winter. Learn more in our second piece.

To learn what else is going on with our organization, please read through the additional articles.

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.

Happy Anniversary Marine Parents!
12 Years and Still Going Strong!

Today, Wednesday, January 21, we celebrate our 12th anniversary here at MarineParents.com. We've come a long way since 2003, and whether you've been with us since the beginning or you've just recently found us, we greatly appreciate all that you, the Marine Parents family, do for our Marines. For twelve years, we've been standing with you during your Marine's career in the Corps, during every phase, from boot camp to deployment to homecoming to recovery to veteran status. Together we've learned about the Marine Corps and been given opportunities to connect and share with one another in hopes of "getting closer" to our sons and daughters.

 

Through all of the ups and downs of the last twelve years, you've been there for us and, more importantly, for our Marines. During that time, thanks to your love and support, more than 39,000 care packages have been sent to deployed service members, more than 93,000 cards and letters have been sent, and thousands of meals have been served, to Wounded Heroes, and countless families and individuals have sought and found comfort, answers, and strength in the Marine Parents community. With your ongoing support, we know that we can make 2015 our most successful year yet. God Bless and Semper Fi!    

 

Click here to learn more...
2015 "Souper Hero" Campaign
Keep Marines Warm This Winter

This Saturday, January 24, volunteers from across the country are converging on our corporate office in Columbia, Missouri, to pack 500 care packages for Marines in Afghanistan. It's bitterly cold in Afghanistan at this time of the year, so we want to include a can of soup, a balaclava, and a pair of hand-warmers for our heroes in each box. Our deployed Marines need to know that we're behind them, and we need your help to meet our goal!

To send these packages overseas, we need to reach our goal of raising $7,000. So far, we have raised over $5,300, which means we need to raise $1,700 by this Friday, January 23.

Marines are our super heroes every day. For the next two days, it's time to return the favor and to be their "Souper Heroes." With your continued support and generosity, we know we can come through for our Marines this winter!

 

Click here to donate today...
Boot Camp Graduation Keeps a Marine Father Going
Outreach in Action   

Boot camp graduation should be a time of celebration. The transition from recruit to Marine is one that both new Marines and their family members/loved ones can, and should, take great pride in. This is especially true when the new Marine is the son of a Marine as well. And that's what makes this story so heartbreaking.

At 7:30 am on Monday, January 2, 2015, we received a call about Lance, a Marine dying of renal failure whose son, Dakota, was scheduled to graduate from boot camp at Parris Island on January 9. With his days numbered, Lance made seeing Dakota graduate from boot camp his reason to live, and his doctors and nurses wanted to make sure he was able to witness this momentous occasion. 

 

Click here to learn more...  


Join Official Marine Parents Facebook Groups
Connect and Share In a Whole New Way!

As many of you probably know, we've had our own social media network, Marine Family Network, for a number of years. Now, we're happy to announce that we have a new way for you, the Marine Parents family, to connect and share with one another online -- our brand new Facebook groups!

For the parents of poolees and recruits, we now offer a poolee group where trained volunteers will guide you to your graduation group. In these groups, members can find a variety of information and connect and share with other parents in the same situation, as well as those who are "experts" and have been through it before and know what it's like to be in your shoes.

The response to these new groups has been amazing! In just over two weeks, more than 1,000 new members have joined us on Facebook, and we look forward to having more new members join us online as these groups continue to grow!

Click here to join a poolee group today!
Tracy and her bulldog, Chochie.
Marine Parents in the News
Local Group Recognizes Founder Tracy Della Vecchia      

Boone Electric Cooperative, an electric cooperative in central Missouri, recently recognized Marine Parents Founder and Executive Director Tracy Della Vecchia in an article in its monthly newsletter. The article, titled "Unintended Consequences: Marine mom celebrates 12 Years of connecting military parents online", provides a look into the founding, evolution, and mission of the organization, and is a quick, interesting, informative read for those of you interested in learning more about Marine Parents. We hope you check it out!

Click here to read the article (scroll to page 3)...
Got Questions? Our Experts Have the Answers!
Learn From Experienced Recruit and Marine Parents

Boot camp can be a difficult time. Your recruit will leave home a civilian and return 13 weeks later a Marine. We know this separation and transition can be difficult for parents so we provide free services and information to help you during this uncertain time. Some of the topics we provide information on include (among others): 
 
* Graduation and Travel Planning
 
* Marine Corps and Boot Camp Terminology
 
* Facts About the Marine Corps
 
* Links to Official Marine Corps Websites

* And more! 

Click here to learn more today!
USMC Announces New Sergeant Major
Ronald L. Green to Assume Command

On Tuesday, January 20, 2015, the United States Marine Corps announced that Sergeant Major Ronald L. Green, currently the sergeant major of I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), will replace Sgt. Maj. Micheal P. Barrett, as Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps. The change of command will take place during a ceremony that is scheduled for 10 a.m., Feb. 20, at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. Barrett has been Sergeant Major since 2011.
 
Click here to read more...
Do You Know a Federal Employee?
Help Spread the Word!

 

In the spirit of giving back to others, we invite you to support us this year as we join in the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), and help us give back to the Marines who sacrifice so much on our behalf. 

 

The CFC is comprised of almost 200 charity campaigns throughout the country and overseas. All Federal civilian, postal, and military employees have an opportunity to choose from the CFC charities and pledge donations to the cause/s that matter most to them. In 2013 Federal employees contributed over $200 million dollars to CFC charities. While not all of you are Federal employees, each and every one of you can
help this campaign succeed!

 

 Click here to learn how you can help today!
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 12 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 12 years of service, MarineParents.com has:
  • Invested over $6 million delivering direct support to Marines, their families and other military personnel.
  • Provided information and a Place to Connect & Share� to more than 311,000 family members through a network of communities and educational websites.
  • Collected materials and shipped over 39,000 care packages to Marines and military personnel in combat zones.
  • Involved thousands of Americans in sending over 93,000 cards and letters to injured troops.
  • Served over 40,000 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. 







Outreach Programs of MarineParents.com, Inc.:


Warrior Support Team

Operation Prayers
and Letters

The Care Package
Project

Gold Star
Family Support

Luminary Initiative
Gold Star Family Day
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