Memorial Day Giving

As we celebrate Memorial Day and honor our country’s fallen heroes, I wanted to share with you the ways in which National Philanthropic Trust donors have recently helped the men, women and families of the United States military.

Unlike past wars, recent veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan can turn to an increasing number of nonprofit organizations outside of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs for assistance. While it makes counting the number of veterans served more difficult, many new veteran-oriented nonprofits are designed to address specific challenges, such as traumatic brain injury, mental-health counseling or homelessness, instead of trying to tackle all of them.

Below is a list of recent grants to nonprofit organizations that NPT donors have recommended from their donor-advised funds to honor our veterans:

• Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America – grants totaling $8,000 to improve the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.
• Homes For Our Troops – a $1,500 grant to build specially adapted homes for severely disabled veterans.
• Honor Flight Chicago – a $5,000 grant helped World War II veterans travel from Chicago to Washington, D.C. to visit the WWII memorial, erected in honor of their service.
• Marine Toys for Tots Foundation – a $500 grant to provide holiday gifts for children of Marine Corps.