Text “Soldiers” to 20222

Soldiers' Angels official message:

Posted By: Shelle Michaels

To: Members in Soldiers' Angels (OFFICIAL)

Text “Soldiers” to 20222 Soldiers’ Angels proudly announces a new way to support the troops just by using a cell phone! Patriotic Americans can now text “Soldiers” to 20222 to donate $5 toward care packages, assistance for wounded warriors, and support for veterans and their families. Soldiers’ Angels has a long history of using high tech and social media platforms to motivate volunteers and donations. From raising hundreds of thousands of dollars through military and political blogs to winning a Twitter-based “Social Media Makeover” competition last summer, Soldiers’ Angels has demonstrated a continuing commitment to using all available technological resources in its mission to support the troops. “We are so excited to give Americans this great, cutting-edge way to help make sure our heroes receive the support they need in this time of war,” says founder Patti Patton-Bader. “Five dollars really is a modest amount of money, but it adds up so quickly and means so much to our efforts. With text-to-donate we are continuing to use the latest technology to draw more Americans into this important work.” Along with text-to-donate, Soldiers’ Angels is rolling out its new Mobile Support Club http://www.adz2mobile.com/acp/soldiers_angels/soldiermobileclub.html. Members of the Club will receive up to four monthly alerts and updates on events, projects, soldier stories, support needs and much more, right on their mobile phones. Supporters can sign up automatically by texting “Soldiers” to 20022 to donate $5, or by clicking on "Mobile Club" on the "Stay Connected" widget on the right sidebar of the Soldiers' Angels homepage www.soldiersangels.org. Join uswww.Facebook.com/soldiersangelsofficial. Have a great day! Wingtip-to-wingtip, Patti Patton Bader, Founder Toby Nunn, Operations Director Shelle Michaels, National Communication Officer

Marines in Need

If anyone wants to help spread the word on this, that would be great: http://bostonmaggie.blogspot.com/2010/06/listen-up-i-want-something.html

I know it's not specifically Soldiers' Angels, but the goal is to help out service men and women.

Maggie says: "So, what's the problem? Well, for one thing, the Marines have none of their own gear. Except for seeing the docs, they are sitting around bored silly. So, my BMCS has rounded up some stuff for them (cumshaw, anyone?); a TV, a DVD player and an X-Box. But he needs more stuff."

She's got a list of things they could use and you can contact her if you have any questions.

New online vendor donating to Soldiers' Angels

Here's a chance to get some cool gear and support the troops at the same time!  Online store Clynch House is having a big sale for the 4th of July Weekend with 10% of all revenue going to Soldiers' Angels!

ClynchHouse.com is a new store by Ranger Up partner Garrett Schemmel.  The site partners with MMA official brands to meet the growing interest in MMA as a mainstream sport, and carries Ranger Up items as well. 

http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=596&cntnt01returnid=15

Vets run Soldiers' Angels Warehouse

Soldiers’ Angels proudly announces the opening if its first Angel-operated warehouse, staffed by four recent veterans and Angel volunteers. The warehouse consolidates and streamlines SA’s extensive packing, shipping and screen-printing activities in support of the troops, reducing the organization’s overhead expenses and providing an employment opportunity for veterans.

“It’s a better bang for benefactors’ bucks,” explains Soldiers’ Angels Operations Manager Toby Nunn, who oversaw development of the warehouse. Located across the street from Brooke Army Medical center in San Antonio, Texas—a city with the highest concentration of wounded and other active duty soldiers in the United States—the 10,000-square-foot facility reduces shipping costs for SA by its proximity to one of the largest targets of SA’s troop support efforts.

In addition to the reduction in overhead, the cost of paying for the warehouse staff itself fits the mission of Soldiers’ Angels by supporting veterans . “Staffing it with recent veterans helps provide a soft-landing for their transition to civilian life,” Nunn explains. “It surrounds them with like-minded people as they learn the corporate world.” This is especially helpful for those who may be struggling, Nunn says with enthusiasm. “You can’t say, ‘You don’t get it.’ Because you’re looking at a bunch of people who do.”

Another benefit of the location is its easy access for families with patients at BAMC who drop by for the relaxation of being among people who understand. Family members and mobile patients often find enjoyment in pitching in. “Right now we have a couple of families and even a Ft. Hood shooting victim helping out with the Holiday care packages,” says Nunn. “We’ve been shipping out about one semi per day.”

Next door to the warehouse is 3,000 square feet of exhibit space that will be used for military-themed book signings, video/movie screenings, SA leadership meetings, and more. Part of the exhibit space will house a permanent installation of the Tribute to Heroes and Angels museum, and the facility will also support a program of music therapy and music lessons for wounded veterans.

Soldiers' Angels co-founder Jeff Bader says the entire facility is more than a base of operations. “It will be a home--a home for our volunteers and supporters, our active duty and retired military friends, and most importantly a home away from home for our returning and wounded troops and their families.”

Jump on board Project Valour-IT

Seems it is all the rage to have an armed force Soldiers' Angels Valour-IT thermometer widget on a blog or website right now! It is not too late to join in, the fundraiser does not end until November 11th.

1.There are a variety of items up for Valour-IT auction. Go bid on one of them!

2. Go register your blog or website to join one of the 4 teams and get your own thermometer widget.

3. Make a donation - no matter how small. Remember 100% of proceeds go directly to purchase & delivery of technology to our wounded heroes.

4. Tell everyone you know about Project Valour-IT! Create a viral email or put on you Facebook wall.

5. Buy a fabulous gift for yourself or for someone for the holidays from one of the businesses supporting Valour-IT. Or buy register for the opportunity to win a beautiful Christmas quilt.

Though either Army, Air Force, Navy/Coast Guard, or Marines will be declared the winner of the competition and will gain bragging rights until next year, our wounded heroes are the winners! Go Project Valour-IT!

UPDATE FOR: Help COP Keating Survivors!

I just got this notice from a fellow Blue Star Mom and thought you'd like to know:

On Saturday, Oct. 24, The American Legion and Target Corp. begin replacing personal items U.S. soldiers were forced to destroy in an Oct. 3 attack in the rugged Nuristan province of Afghanistan.

Between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., Legionnaires will go to a Target Store in Colorado Springs and purchase thousands of dollars worth of DVDs, video games, books, magazines and other comfort items for surviving Fort Carson-based Bravo Troop 3-61 Cavalry soldiers who remain in Afghanistan or are recovering from the battle. The Target Store is located at 3810 East Bloomington Street, Colorado Springs.

The items will be transported from the store to American Legion Post 209 at 3613 Jeannine Drive in Colorado Springs for a packing and shipping party. Some family members of the troops are expected to be present.

A fundraising drive on an American Legion blog site, The Burn Pit, netted more than $50,000 in cash donations to help the soldiers replace their personal belongings. Outnumbered and surrounded in a rugged mountain valley, the besieged troops were forced to call in an artillery strike on their own position, escaping Combat Outpost Keating with little more than the clothes on their backs Oct. 3. Eight American troops were killed in the battle.

Upon learning of the COP Keating Relief Fund, Target Corp. matched The American Legion Burn Pit cash contribution with $50,000 worth of merchandise and gift cards. In addition to the purchases made at the store in Colorado Springs, merchandise will be trucked from a Target regional distribution center to Post 209 for packing and preparation.

Similar shopping and packing events are scheduled in Minneapolis, home of Target’s corporate headquarters, on Oct. 27 at 10 a.m.; and Triangle, Va., on Oct. 29 at approximately 10 a.m.

The Target Store involved with the event Tuesday, Oct. 27, is located at 7000 York Ave., Edina, Minn.; merchandise purchased there will be assembled and shipped from Richfield American Legion Post 435, 6501 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis.

The Target Store involved with the event Thursday, Oct. 29, is located at 4310 Fortuna Center Plz., Dumfries, Va.; merchandise purchased there will be assembled and shipped from American Legion Post 28, 17934 Liming Lane, Triangle, Va.

708 Soldiers Waiting To Be Adopted!

Adopt a Soldier today by visiting SoldiersAngels.org

Best Phone Call Ever and A Call For Action

This is a pretty cool article I recommend reading. :)

Football Greats Franco Harris and Lydell Mitchell Host Angels and Heroes

2009 Grid Iron Golf Tournament in Tampa Spotlights Soldiers' Angels

Led by football greats Franco Harris and Lydell Mitchell, the 2009 Grid Iron Golf Tournament in support of the troops kicked off last night with the Immaculate Reception & Dinner at Timpano Italian Chophouse in Tampa. Military support non-profit Soldiers' Angels is this year's beneficiary of an event that has been conducted concurrent with each Super Bowl since 1997 and has resulted in over $180,000 raised for a variety of charitable causes. The golf tournament itself is underway today at the renowned Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Tampa, Florida.

"It's wonderful that these football heroes chose to honor America's heroes on the battlefield and the homefront. We are so appreciative of the generosity shown to Soldiers' Angels by these stars," says Soldiers' Angels volunteer Andi Hurley, a military spouse and founder of Spousebuzz.com. Other Soldiers' Angels representatives attending the event include co-founder Jeff Bader, Treasurer Mark Concialdi, Team Development Director and veteran Toby Nunn, and wounded active-duty soldier Major Charles Ziegenfuss.

As a Pennsylvania resident and proud Steelers fan, Major Ziegenfuss is thrilled to be in Tampa during Super Bowl week. "I just met Franco Harris," he exclaims. "For a Steeler fan that's like meeting the Pope. I tried to thank him for the tournament, and he thanked me!"

Fellow veteran Toby Nunn agrees that this is a special event. "Some lucky celebrities are getting the privilege of playing golf with real heroes like Major Ziegenfuss and Staff Sergeant Adam Bruha. The golf course is terrific, and the fellowship couldn't be better."

Established in 2003 by the mother of two young veterans, Soldiers' Angels is fast becoming one of America's premiere military support organizations. With an army of volunteers operating through over 30 different teams and projects, the organization supports deployed soldiers and their families, comforts families of the fallen, provides care and support in military hospitals and VA facilities, and much, much more.

ABOUT SOLDIERS' ANGELS: A volunteer-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Soldiers' Angels provides aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as veterans and military families. For more information, see www.soldiersangels.org or call 626-529-5114. Tax ID# 20-0583415

For more information about the tournament, contact Luana Scott at 619-279-5879 or onparpro@comcast.net.

Over 900 Soldiers Waiting To Be Adopted Today!

Soldiers' Angels hero adoption waiting list is over 900 today. All these heroes waiting to be adopted are currently serving overseas, away from their families and could use some additional support form you. Won't you please consider adopting a hero today? All is takes is the commitment from you to write a letter a week and send one small care package a month during the length of the deployment. To adopt a hero, click here now.

If adoption does not suit you and you would like to get involved with Soldiers' Angels, there are many opportunities for everyone to get involved. Just click here to find out more.

~May no soldier go unloved~

"America's Favorite Mom" Plays Santa for the Troops

Patti Patton-Bader, founder of Soldiers' Angels, has given her prizes from the America's Favorite Mom contest to service members and their families.

New York, NY (December 16, 2008) -- America's Favorite Mom played Santa for a Day in New York, using the prizes she won to bring an early Christmas to military personnel and their families. Patti Patton-Bader, named America's Favorite Mom last Mother's Day, received the remainder of her prizes in New York last week, which she immediately donated in support of her heroes.

Such generosity is typical of Ms. Bader, who is president of Soldiers' Angels, a military support nonprofit she founded soon after her soldier son was deployed to Iraq in 2003. Five years later, it is now a volunteer-based organization operating over 30 different teams and projects in support of America's military, veterans, and military families around the world. "Soldiers' Angels is proud to acknowledge the continued generosity of its founder, Patti Patton Bader, through her donation of the proceeds and prizes she received from the America's Favorite Mom contest," said Soldiers' Angels Treasurer Mark Concialdi.

Redbook magazine interviewed Ms. Bader in New York at a private lunch with editor Stacy Morrison before she received her final prize of a shopping spree. At Ms. Bader's direction, the shopping spree was spent buying Christmas gifts for children of wounded soldiers living in Fisher Houses while their parents recover at nearby military hospitals.

The cash grand prize was distributed as a lump sum of $150,000, which Ms. Bader donated to Soldiers' Angels this summer. She has also donated the set of household appliances she received to nonprofit Homes for Our Troops, where they will be added to a home to be constructed for a quadriplegic wounded soldier. In a recent email, the soldier described his reaction. "We are indebted to you incredibly for your donation of those fantastic appliances. Your generosity is truly humbling," he wrote.

But Ms. Bader herself is humble about the experience. "The best part of winning was being able to give the prizes to America's heroes--our soldiers and their families. There are so many wonderful mothers in this country, and I was just glad to have the opportunity to shine the light on our military and the importance of supporting them in this time of war. I am so grateful to Stuart and Linda Resnick of Teleflora for developing the America's Favorite Mom contest," she said. The individualized, diamond-encrusted necklace declaring Ms. Bader "America's Favorite Mom" was donated to the Soldiers' Angels Museum, which documents the development of Soldiers' Angels and responses from Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen it supports. Ms. Bader was named America's Favorite Mom in a primetime NBC television show on Mother's Day 2008, sponsored by Teleflora and hosted by Donny and Marie Osmond.

Established in 2003, Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-based 501(c)(3) non-profit providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as veterans and military families. For more information, see www.soldiersangels.org or call 626-529-5114. Tax ID# 20-05834