April 16, 2015
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!

April 12-18 is National Volunteer Week, and we'd like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing network of volunteers around the country. Learn more in our first article.

To see what else is new with the organization or to learn more about the Marine Corps, check out the rest of our articles. We hope you enjoy!

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.

April 12-18 is National Volunteer Week
Thanking Our Dedicated Supporters

National Volunteer Week is April 12-18 this year. Organizations around the country this week are committed to recognizing the hard work and dedication of those who volunteer, and I want to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers of MarineParents.com, Inc. for their hard work and dedication over the last year.  

Whether you volunteer for Marine Parents online, at our office in Columbia, Missouri, or in one of the numerous other ways people around the country show their support, you are the backbone of our organization and nothing we do would be possible without you.

 

Join the Team!
Learn More About Team Marine Parents™

Who is Team Marine Parents? Team Marine Parents is everyone who supports our Marines. It's mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, wives, husbands... the list could go on forever. As soon as your loved one signs up for boot camp, YOU become a member of Team Marine Parents. 

You become the cheerleader for your loved one as soon as they begin battling through the first 13 weeks of their Marine Corps career in boot camp , and that is the spirit that Team MarineParents encompasses-- joining together with one another to show your support is what it is all about! You don't have to be an all-star athlete to be a part of Team MarineParents, all you need is passion and enthusiasm. 

Grab your friends, make a team and sign up today! 

Last year Team MarineParents had 31 participants in the Marathon, and 3 in the Half-Marathon, and we raised over $28,000 for our outreach programs. We can't wait to see everyone again this year for the 40th MCM!



Nick Popaditch Photo 2015, used with permission.
Gunny Pop Meeting Families During Visitor Thursdays

 

Nick "Gunny Pop" Popaditch, author and retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant, will be meeting families and signing books during Visitor Thursdays at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. Gunny Pop served in the US Marine Corps as a Senior Drill Instructor at MCRD San Diego as well as a tank commander during The Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is the author of two books. 

Wounded Marine Handcrafts Marine Mom Necklace

Randy is a decorated, service-disabled USMC Combat Veteran who owns and operates United Casting Company and its Wounded Warrior Jeweler Apprenticeship program. Randy served on active duty from 1968 -1972 and leads the business on a daily basis, providing instruction and direction for the apprenticeship program. He's a master jeweler and brings over 35 years of custom fine jewelry experience to assist in all steps from design to presentation.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Mallory S. VanderSchans/Released)
"8th & I"
Learning More About the Corps

Marine Barracks Washington, known as "8th & I," is the oldest post in the Marine Corps and has been the residence of every Commandant since 1806. The site for the barracks, at the intersection of 8th St. and I St. in Washington, D.C., was chosen by President Thomas Jefferson and the second Commandant of the Marine Corps, Lt. Col. William Ward Burrows, after the two rode through the city looking for a suitable location.  

 

Click here to learn more...
Warriors Need Your Votes!
Support Marines Today!

A couple weeks ago, we shared a story about a group of stylists at United Hairlines in Chicago who recently held a fundraiser on our behalf and raised $2,700. Now, the same group has entered a contest to have the chance to win $10,000, which they will donate to our Warrior Support Team outreach program if they win. And we need you, the Marine Parents family, to help make that happen!

Vote once each day for Michelle E through April 26 for the Warrior Support Team to win a $10,000 donation!

Marine Captain Makes History
Becomes First Female Pilot in Blue Angels History

Marine Corps Captain Katie Higgins made history this week by becoming the first female pilot in the 69-year history of the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, more commonly known as the "Blue Angels." While other women have been on the Blue Angels team before, Higgins is the first to be in the cockpit.

USMC photo.
Marine Gunnery Sergeant Receives Silver Star

Gunnery Sgt. Brian Jacklin, originally from Los Angeles and a member of 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, was presented with the Navy Cross Thursday, April 16, 2015 for bravery during a 48-hour firefight in 2012. Jacklin received the Corps' second-highest award for heroism in a ceremony at his unit's headquarters at Camp Pendleton, California.



OPERATION: BARNABAS
Ohio Youth Show Their Support

We received an email recently from Pastor John from the Plainfield, Ohio United Methodist Church telling us about a card-writing campaign the church's youth group has been working on. According to Pastor John, approximately 8-12 youth in grades 2-8 meet at the church every other week to discuss various topics. Lately, the group has been discussing Barnabas and how he was known to be a "great encourager" in the Bible. This inspired the group to write letters to the troops and name their project OPERATION: BARNABAS.

Pack Day April 18 
Show Your Support Today!

This Saturday, April 18, is our second pack day of 2015. April is National Volunteer Month, and volunteers are the backbone of our organization. Nothing we do would be possible without so many dedicated volunteers across the country working on our behalf. 

To say "thank you" to our volunteers, we will be holding our annual Volunteer Appreciation Lunch immediately following pack day, during which we'll recognize out Volunteers of the Year. We'll also be holding a pack day raffle to raise money for the Leon B. Deraps Memorial Walk/Run.

To learn more about pack day, please click here...

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 January, 2015. 







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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