Project Valour-IT Auction LIVE!

The eBay auction with items donated to Soldiers' Angels in support of Project Valour-IT is now LIVE! There are 23 items up for bid, with auctions ending anywhere between early Sunday morning and mid-day Monday.  Auction items handcrafted jewelry, a handmade camo-print purse and consumer electronics.  Go check it out!

How to Turn Your Gift into a Laptop

11/01/11

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To honor America’s veterans and support Project Valour-IT, Soldiers’ Angels is holding an eBay auction on Veterans Day Weekend and your donations are needed to make it happen!

From patriotic to practical and beyond, your gift will help a severely-wounded hero receive an adaptive laptop from Soldiers' Angels.  We need to move quickly, but Angels have an amazing way of coming through under pressure!

To submit your item for auction or ask any questions, emailbeths@soldiersangels.org with subject line “Auction.”  Be sure to include ALL of the following in your email:

1. Quality photos of the item you are donating for auction
2. Full description of the item, appropriate for posting on eBay 
3. The minimum amount for which you want your item to sell 

Items must be mailed to Soldiers’ Angels as soon as possible (in most cases, before the auction is complete—shipping details will be provided when you email).

He Helps Injured Soldiers Write On

I picked up a copy of the September 13, 2010 issue of People Magazine - the one with Michael Douglas on the cover - when I heard the inspiration for Project Valour-IT, Chuck Ziegenfuss, was profiled in their "Heroes Among Us" feature. I only just learned that piece was available online. You can see it here.

Taking Aim at Project Valour-IT

A strong supporter of Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT , the annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous continues to grow. One of this year’s sponsors, Sig Sauer, has stepped up in a big way by donating a brand new pistol to be auctioned for Valour-IT.

This is no “ordinary” Sig Sauer 1911, though. A reverse, two-tone version of the pistol, it has been engraved with the Soldiers’ Angels logo on the slide and the words “Soldiers’ Angels” on the barrel, making it a unique piece for 1911 fans and supporters of Soldiers' Angels / Project Valour-IT. A non-engraved version of this pistol could be expected to retail for up to about $1,000.

The Soldiers' Angels 1911 will be sold to the highest bidder at on online auction held by GunBroker.com* and 100% of the sale will be donated to support Valour-IT. The auction closes at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, October 23, 2011.

Thank you to gun blogger Allen, The Gun Blogger Rendezvous, Sig Sauer and GunBroker.com for this tremendous fundraising opportunity!

*Be sure to read all the information on the acution page and ensure that laws in your state would allow you to take possession of the pistol if you are the auction winner.

Originally posted here.

How do you eat an elephant?

From Major Chuck Ziegenfuss:

It's been a long six years, looking back on things. 40 surgeries. Learning to walk. Learning to open and close my hands. Learning to write. Learning to check, and recheck, the temperature of everything before I grab it. Learning how to work a door knob. Learning my physical limitations, and learning the penalties for ignoring them. Many, many painful months of rehab. Narcotics addiction. Becoming a cyborg.

It's been a long journey, to be sure. From my position, now, it seems like it wasn't that bad--just something I had do do. From my position, then, it looked like I was going to have to scale the Himalayas with nothing but a bobbin of thread, a highlighter, and a half-empty bottle of hot sauce. It seemed, at times, like the odds were insurmountable--and worse, not worth attempting. I simply didn't have the tools to try.

Read the whole thing. If you can, please donate to Project Valour-IT.

Investments in the Future

Hell in a Basket, from Team Marine, looks at Project Valour-IT not as a cost, but as an investment:

It’s not charity – It’s an investment in the future.

When a Service member is wounded in combat, in today’s conflict, the survival rate is many times higher than in previous wars, due mainly to much better and more timely medical care. However, the wounded can be left with the prospect of a long road of surgeries and rehabilitation.The cost to our military system in dollars is huge, and the cost to the individuals and their families is also gigantic.

I submit that, rather than a “cost” , a donation to Valour-IT is an investment. An investment in the future of our country and it’s people. Most of the injured are young, in the 19 – 25 year old bracket and otherwise healthy. With the technology available today, many of the injuries that would have relegated a person to a life as a dependent, shut-in, the wounded are looking at a far different future.

Read the whole thing.

You can make an investment, too.

On Fourth of July, Valour-IT Fights for Wounded Heroes’ Independence

Soldiers’ Angels Project Valour-IT announces donors gifts for online fundraising competition

(PRWEB) July 04, 2011

On this day commemorating America’s independence, Soldiers’ Angels Project Valour-IT is fighting to help wounded warriors regain some independence of their own. Three days into its online fundraising competition, the project has raised over 10% of its goal of $100,000 to supply severely-wounded troops with voice-controlled laptops and other technology that aids their recovery, reintegration and independence.

“Using a voice-controlled laptop was first time I felt whole since I’d woken up after being wounded,” said Chuck Ziegenfuss, co-founder of Valour-IT and a Wounded Warrior himself. “It allowed me to do one thing that I had been able to do before I was wounded—use a computer. It allowed me to connect to my soldiers, friends, and family. That one thing began a long road to recovery. It gave me hope… hope that I could learn to do other things like I did before.”

To help enable Valour-IT to provide that hope to other wounded warriors and to thank the donors who make it possible, Soldiers’ Angels is offering special email gift certificates to all who donate at least $100 online, throughout the fundraiser.

$100+ donation: Certificate for a Soldiers’ Angels bracelet
$500+ donation: Certificate for limited-edition Valour-IT t-shirt
$1000+ donation: Certificate for a Valour-IT military challenge coin
$25,000+ donation: Dinner with Chuck Ziegenfuss in your hometown

For more information about the fundraising competition, email campaign(at)soldiersangels(dot)org or visit http://www.soldiersangels.org to donate. All funds raised go directly to wounded troops with no overhead costs removed, and requests for support are vetted through case managers.

About Soldiers’ Angels
Established in 2003, Soldiers' Angels is a volunteer-based, award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing aid and comfort to members of the United States Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, as well as veterans and military families. For more information, see http://www.soldiersangels.org. Tax ID# 20-0583415 CFC #25131

Wounded Hero Receives Laptop from Project Valour-IT

That one thing began a long road to recovery. It gave me hope… hope that I could learn to do other things like I did before.”

Valour-IT Fundraising Competition

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As the number of American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines suffering battlefield wounds continues to grow, today’s economic challenges continue to squeeze military support nonprofits. Project Valour-IT—which has supplied over 6,000 severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines with adaptive laptops and other devices to aid their recovery and reintegration—is addressing that squeeze with a fundraising technique it pioneered: online competition.

Held July 1-14, the Valour-IT fundraising competition will draw on blogging, Facebook, Twitter and other social media to raise money and awareness for the needs of wounded troops. Divided among four “virtual teams” named in honor of U.S. military service branches, participants will also use flyers, word-of-mouth and traditional media outlets to spread the word. The goal is to raise at least $100,000, which will meet increased demand for Valour-IT services through October 2011.

“Project Valour-IT changes lives,” says Soldiers’ Angels founder Patti Patton-Bader. “Wounded heroes report that being able to use a laptop helps them feel whole again. Physical therapists are actually designing therapy sessions around Wii Sports! And something as normal as a handheld GPS reduces stress and helps a hero cope. It’s just amazing what this project does!”

Each of the devices Valour-IT supplies helps restore confidence and independence for a wounded hero. Voice-activated laptops reconnect the wounded with the world and develop self-confidence by showing soldiers they can continue to be engaged and productive despite their injuries. Servicemembers also use the laptops to research their medical care or prepare for a post-military career. Physical therapists report Wii Sports is extremely motivational and beneficial when used in physical therapy settings, and wounded personnel with short-term memory loss due to TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and severe PTSD use GPS systems to keep from getting lost or disoriented when they move on to more independent living.

For more information about the fundraising competition, email campaign@soldiersangels.org or click here. All funds raised go directly to wounded troops with no overhead costs removed, and requests for support are vetted through case managers.

To join a fundraising team as a blogger or webmaster, email one of the team leaders below or click here on July 1st:

Air Force: greyhawk@mudvillegazette.com
Army: spear_sniper at yahoo.com
Marines: howlsatmoon@gmail.com
Navy: cdrsalamander at hotmail.com

Steel Shooter Shares Soldier Support

Posted at SoldiersAngels.org:

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Competition pistol shooter Mike Gallion and his teammate James Austin show their support for Soldiers’ Angels Project Valour-IT every time they step onto the competition range. Sponsored by several gun-related companies, Gallion and James compete in Steel Challenge competitions around the world.

Gallion’s newly-redesigned competition jersey features the words “Soldiers’ Angels Project Valour-IT” on the left sleeve, under a bright American flag. “I probably could have sold that space to a new sponsor,” Gallion admits, “but I had something more important to go there.” All of the logos and writing on the jersey are dyed into the fabric rather than silk-screened, and it's made of a special rip-stop material—features which will ensure Gallion and Austin’s shirts look good for years as they continue to spread the word about Valour-IT.

In addition to designing the new jersey to support Valour-IT, Gallion has organized Gunblogger Rendezvous events, annual weekends of fellowship and shooting that have brought in many thousands of dollars for Valour-IT in the last four years. Gallion's biggest sponsor, GunUp, is also a sponsor of Gunblogger Rendezvous.

After placing high in the Man of Steel Championships in Oregon, Gallion and Austin are headed to a state competition in Washington. Weeks later, Gallion will be overseas as one of only two people representing America at the European Steel Challenge Championships… carrying the Valour-IT message with him!

Soldiers’ Angels salutes Mike and James for their continuing support of America’s wounded heroes. Good luck in all your competitions!

Wiihab

Last month, the community of milbloggers raised $95,205 for Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT. While this project started out with the goal of providing laptops with voice-activated software to severely wounded troops, it has since expanded to include other technologies. Personal GPS systems help build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD. Wii video game systems provided to medical facilities to assist with physical rehabilitation.

You might wonder how a video game would help with physical rehabilitation:

Using the game console's unique, motion-sensitive controller, Wii games require body movements similar to traditional therapy exercises. But patients become so engrossed mentally they are almost oblivious to the rigor, Osborn said.

"In the Wii system, because it's kind of a game format, it does create this kind of inner competitiveness. Even though you may be boxing or playing tennis against some figure on the screen, it's amazing how many of our patients want to beat their opponent," said Osborn of Southern Illinois Healthcare, which includes the hospital in Herrin. The hospital, about 100 miles southeast of St. Louis, bought a Wii system for rehab patients late last year.

"When people can refocus their attention from the tediousness of the physical task, oftentimes they do much better," Osborn said.

This kind of therapy seems ideal when working with wounded troops:

The Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital west of Chicago recently bought a Wii system for its spinal cord injury unit.

Pfc. Matthew Turpen, 22, paralyzed from the chest down in a car accident last year while stationed in Germany, plays Wii golf and bowling from his wheelchair at Hines. Turpen says the games help beat the monotony of rehab and seem to be doing his body good, too.

"A lot of guys don't have full finger function so it definitely helps being able to work on using your fingers more and figuring out different ways to use your hands" and arms, Turpen said.

At Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the therapy is well-suited to patients injured during combat in Iraq, who tend to be in the 19 to 25 age range — a group that's "very into" playing video games, said Lt. Col. Stephanie Daugherty, Walter Reed's chief of occupational therapy.

"They think it's for entertainment, but we know it's for therapy," she said.

While the big annual fundraiser by the milblogs may be over, the need for our wounded troops is always ongoing. If you can, please consider donating to Project Valour-IT.

2010 Fundraiser

Yes, we're alive and kicking! All the details for this year's fundraiser can be found at www.soldiersangels.org/fundraiser.html.

Go Army/Navy/Marines/Air Force!

2009 totals - MARINES WIN!

Thanks to all who participated and or contributed to this campaign. A lot of technology for our wounded heroes will be purchased because of you!

Total brought in for all teams, including donations not designated to any team: $113,124.90
By team -
Air Force: $15,662.17
Army: $32,758.80
Marines: $43,060.89
Navy: $19,108.04
General donations: $2,535.00

Another successful campaign!

2009 marks another huge success for our 5th annual Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT internet fundraiser. We broke the 100K mark and had a smooth campaign from Oct 26th through November 11th. The official tallies will be available next week as all the checks sent in are calculated into the totals.

This was a team effort and we want to thank all who participated and donated. 100% of your donation go towards Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT go directly to the purchase and delivery of technology for the wounded. This fund will need additional support throughout the year as the need for our wounded grows.

Soldiers' Angels hopes you will continue to support us by adopting a hero, joining any of our 30 teams, by donating through the CFC fund,from your generous contributions and/or by just spreading the angel word. Together, wingtip to wingtip, we can accomplish so much for our heroes who put heir lives on the line for us.

Video Contest Winners

We would like to take this time to thank all those who created and submitted videos for the first annual Valour-IT video contest. We hope that all participants will promote these on their blogs as we enter into the final days of our fundraiser. Congratulations to our winners!!!

1st place Project Valour-IT: Help for our heroes from No Sheeples Here

This winner will receive a voice-activated laptop given in their name and a $75 gift certificate to the Soldiers'Angels store.

2nd place NEVER GOING TO BE ALONE from the Watch Cat

This Winner will receive a Wii donated in their name and $50 gift certificate for the Soldiers' Angels store.

3rd place How to Donate Video from the Greyhawks at Mudville Gazette.

This winner will receive a handheld GPS donated in their name and a $25 gift certificate for the Soldiers' Angels store.