Armed Services YMCA San Diego’s Post

🌟 Honoring the Unseen Heroes: The Legacy of Military Children 🌟 These young heroes grow up in a world that's constantly changing, with challenges that many of us can only imagine. Yet, their strength, adaptability, and sense of duty are nothing short of inspiring. Research and anecdotes alike tell us that children of military personnel are significantly more likely to follow in their parents' footsteps and serve their country. This isn't merely a coincidence; it's the result of a unique upbringing that instills values such as loyalty, honor, and a profound sense of service from a very young age. Military children witness firsthand the sacrifices made for national security and are imbued with a deep understanding of what it means to commit to a cause greater than oneself. By supporting USA Cares, you can help keep these military-connected children safe remain safe and with their families. Join us in changes lives by donating today. Donate: usacares.org/donate #MilitaryChildren #Resilience #Leadership #Service #CommunitySupport

LTI Changing Focus: Moving from We to Me was the best FREE investment I ever made so I'm excited to support this non profit during Giving Tuesday and make sure many others can experience what I have during my continued seasons of transition! If you're looking for good ground to plant a monetary seed, look no further!!! #zigszagsandpivots #transitioningmilitary #nonprofitorganization #nonprofitfundraising

Thursday Thoughts: I am a couple of generations removed from the Greatest Generation who defeated Hitler and saved us all from his tyranny. But there a few ideals, common by necessity, during that era that I aim to personally and professionally hold myself accountable to. I can thank my father Reverend Frank Gray Sr (My first Pastor, Vietnam war veteran, honorably discharged from the USAF) for passing these along to me at a young age. Today, I’d like to focus on one: • Service Is Its Own Reward A culture can win or lose its humanity with the emphasis or de-empahsis of a prime cultural principle. Service Is Its Own Reward is one of those, in my humble estimation. In today’s world, dominated by a philosophy of fringe benefits and quid pro quo, this means we need to remphasize the value of self-sacrifice. We need to elevate the underfunded yet essential programs, the underpaid yet critical staff, the “routine” poverty-centric intervention strategies that are ever present in all of our planning cycles. Let’s remind ourselves why we choose to serve, and for whom our service is needed. Let’s develop opportunities to make the work more fulfilling so that service indeed, once again, becomes its own reward. Let’s celebrate our unsung and unseen heroes and heroines who live by this prime principle each day. Without them, non of our organizations would be in business. #charity #philanthropy #service #community

I want to thank Jessica Whitney, MBA, the Association of Graduates - U.S. Air Force Academy, and the Air Force Academy Foundation for their work establishing the USAFA class of 2010 endowment. Additionally, I want to thank the 19 USAFA classmates who have worked with me to establish a Board of Directors to steward the funds we raised responsibly and in concert with Our class's wishes. Lastly, I want to thank the 186 USAFA classmates for their donations that resulted in our class raising 210,000 dollars to support the cadets currently at USAFA to boost their morale in perpetuity. For full context, The USAFA Class of 2010 donates $5,000 or 5% of the fund (whichever is higher) to the Cadet Squadron, which finishes first (out of 40) each semester in the USAFA rankings. The cadets can use the funds however they see fit to increase their morale. The only catch we have on their spending is that they must send us an itemized account of what they spent the money on to keep honest people honest and to give future classes ideas. Below is the website that gives more information on the great impact everyone above has on the Cadet Wing. Additionally, the website has a link for those who want to contribute to our cause. Full disclosure: 0.93 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to the fund. If 100 people donate $20.10 a month for the next seven years (our class's 20-year reunion), our fund will have $550,000, meaning $27,000 per semester to give directly to cadets. https://lnkd.in/gAZ8uuy5

There are a lot of great charitable veterans organizations or organizations raising awareness about everyday issues affecting our servicemen and women past and present. Having been through the system ourselves, we didn't feel adequately prepared to reintegrate into "normal" society after 4 years in the Marine Corps. We still motivated people with loud shouts of "KILL!" , dropped F-bombs every other word, spoke in coded acronyms, and was frustrated at how the rest of the world conducted themselves unprofessionally. In essence, we hadn't been properly "reprogrammed" from the military mindset and in some ways we never fully will. However, this lack of transition assistance leads many of us into depression, feelings of isolation, frustration, anger, resentment and other normal feelings we have been trained to suppress. Then comes the things we weren't expecting like bills, life problems, no support networks etc. It's no wonder many of our brothers and sisters decide to take their own lives. This is even more true for those who served overseas in combat roles. Often they are stuck in a combat mindset, in the sands of Iraq or the mountains of Afghanistan. At DIA, we want to help change all of that. We want to help our servicemen and women transition from THERE to HERE. To help them find balance and their presence in the moment they live in one day at a time. That's why we donate to veteran causes that make a difference. When you purchase on of our shirts, you are doing the same. So wear your DIA gear with pride and know that you're making a difference. Read more about our mission here: https://vist.ly/bjcr #charity #veterans #veteran #veterancharity #DIA #DIAmindset #diaeveryday #USMC #marinecorps #devildogs

A simple but powerful symbol of #remembrance, here is the back story to why the #poppyappeal a relative quick but interesting read.

1st Infantry Battalion of the International Legion requires your aid: they need funds to get a radio station for their medical vehicle, so that they can actually hear and bring help to those who require it on battlefield. Quality radio communication saves lives and you can save them too. Here's what you can do: below is the card number and link to donation jar by Monobank (a secure tool that is widely used to gather such donations). 1. Open it 2. Select or type in any amount you're comfortable with 3. Submit 4. Be proud of yourself: you may have literally saved someone's life 💛 And remember, there's no such thing as a insignificant donation, every cent counts and is appreciated. 💳 number: 5375 4112 0761 8054 🍯 donation jar: https://lnkd.in/es_TAqDG As a bonus, here's a video of those superbrave dudes saying the same, but in Ukrainian 🇺🇦

Which Neon One color are you? Are you a passionate "Arts Red?" An innovative "Noble Navy?" Maybe you're a dynamic "Core Green!" Take the quiz below and let us know which you are! https://loom.ly/bNQaN1c #NonprofitFundraising #NonprofitLeadership #NonprofitOrganization