USA Cares grants almost $150,000 to Washington state military families

More than 550 families in financial need helped, 11 homes saved

RADCLIFF, KY – USA Cares Inc., a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping military families, has donated almost $150,000 over five years to service members living in Washington. The grants were used for getting treatment for wounded soldiers, saving homes from foreclosure, and assisting with basic needs during times of serious financial crisis.

Since 2003, these donations saved 11 Washington military families from losing their home to foreclosure, and overall 556 families have received grants. In 2007, 223 requests came in from Washington. USA Cares has received 138 requests for help in the first seven months of 2008.

“Today’s military families are facing a perfect storm: multiple deployments, rising gas and food prices, the sub-prime mortgage mess, and a struggling economy. Coupled with visible and invisible wounds of war, many families can’t win this battle without our assistance,” Roger Stradley, founder of USA Cares, said. Members of any branch of the military serving post 9/11 and their families can apply for help.

USA Cares has worked with military families since it was founded in 2003. Since then, the organization has responded to over 11,000 requests for help with more than $5 million in direct assistance grants. On the housing front, USA Cares is a recognized leader in mortgage loss prevention assistance for the military. In the future, USA Cares hopes to work with other partners to field a program for post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury victims who lack the financial resources to attend the treatment they need and deserve, ensuring that the service member doesn’t have to choose between groceries or treatment.

Nationally, USA Cares receives more than 100 new requests for assistance a week. Dedicated staff and volunteers work through each one with the determination and commitment to assist these families as quickly as possible. “USA Cares is out there actually providing financial assistance to solve these problems – we’re not just talking about them,” USA Cares Executive Director Bill Nelson said.

For example, in Tacoma, USA Cares paid $500 in rent for a service member. In Lacey, the organization negotiated with a mortgage company and paid $6,585 to save the family home. They have two children. And in Kingston, USA Cares helped with a $490 utility payment because the service member was dealing with deaths in the family.

There are several military installations in Washington, including Fairchild Air Force Base, location of several units such as the 92nd Air Refueling Wing and the Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape school; Fort Lewis, which supports more than 25,000 Soldiers and civilian workers as well as 150,000 more in families and retirees at Madigan Army Medical Center; and neighboring McChord Air Force Base, scheduled to host the new C-17 transport fleet and home of the 62nd Airlift Wing, which has played a major role in almost every military action in recent history, including Vietnam, Desert Storm, Bosnia, and now Iraq.

USA Cares embarked on a national fundraising campaign on July 4. Share A Minute will raise funds by asking Americans to donate $25 to represent one minute of a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine’s full 525,000-minute annual tour of duty. Those minutes quickly add up to create hardships for soldiers and their families during deployment or when they return, and it costs USA Cares $25 a minute to help these families.

This level of support will ensure that USA Cares can meet all the needs of military personnel and their families not only through the present twin crises of PTSD/TBI and housing, but also the economic challenges yet to come.

Stradley said there is no doubt that Americans will help by donating. “Our nation, including the residents of Washington, has a level of compassion that is unmatched in the world. This nation’s defenders need help, and it’s now our duty to come to their aid.”

To share a minute, go to http://www.usacares.org/ and click on the Share A Minute logo or call 1-800-773-0387 for more information.

About USA Cares and Share A Minute

USA Cares is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that helps military families bear the burdens of service with financial and advocacy support. Its mission: to assist wounded warriors and their families, to prevent home foreclosures and evictions and to help with basic needs during financial crisis. Share A Minute asks Americans to donate $25 to represent one minute of a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine’s full 525,000 minute tour of duty. In 2007 USA Cares helped 98 wounded service members; saved 192 homes from foreclosure or families from eviction in partnership with The Homeowners Preservation Foundation; and provided 4,146 requests with other forms of assistance. Families anywhere in America can apply for assistance through the USA Cares web site, http://www.usacares.org/, or by calling 1-800-773-0387. For more information on USA Cares contact jrevell@usacares.org.