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Cartwright Lauds Nonprofit Groups for Military Support
(September 4, 2010) |
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2010 – Marine Corps Gen. James E.
Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
lauded eight nonprofit organizations for their efforts to
improve the quality of life for servicemembers and their
families during the 11th Annual Newman's Own Awards ceremony
held here today. |
Marine Gen. James E.
Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, speaks at the Newman's Own Awards
ceremony held in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes,
Sept. 1, 2010. The annual ceremony honors
nonprofit organizations for their innovative
programs to improve the quality of life of
servicemembers and their families. This year,
eight nonprofit organizations received awards
totaling $75,000. |
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The volunteer-based organizations received
awards totaling $75,000, with Inova Health
System Foundation's Military to Medicine program
taking the highest honor and corresponding
$15,000 award.
The behind-the-scenes contributions of these
organizations are every bit as valuable as the
more visible contributions of those in uniform,
Cartwright noted.
“For those who go out and sacrifice in a very
overt way, there are those that serve in very
different way, but equally as important,” the
general said. “What you have done is no less
important to the legacy of this country.”
The character of service has changed drastically
in recent decades, Cartwright noted. He recalled
the lack |
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of welcome he received upon return from service
in the 1970s, and of his family living in an age
of “If we wanted you, we would have issued you a
family.” |
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But today, all who serve – whether active, reserve, civilian
or contractor – are coming back to this country and becoming
the “legacy of our future,” Cartwright said.
“They will make each one of us proud,” he said.
Cartwright said he attributed this change, in part, to the
volunteers in attendance that are part of a much larger
population providing unwavering support to the nation's
servicemembers.
“To each of you, both here and in representation, I think it
makes all the difference in the world between when I came
home in the '70s and when I come home today,” he said. “You
are wonderful people.”
Newman's Own, Fisher House Foundation and Military Times
Media Group sponsored the competition, which attracted 138
entries this year. Judges evaluated each entry based on the
organization's impact on the community, and for creativity
and innovation.
Among the judges were Deborah Mullen, wife of Navy Adm. Mike
Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the
general's wife, Sandee Cartwright.
The Newman's Own Award was presented to the following
programs and organizations:
-- Military to Medicine, of Falls Church, Va., recruits and
trains extended military family members to become
workforce-ready health care employees. Its purpose is to
help military spouses, wounded warriors and their
caregivers, veterans, National Guard and Reserve members and
servicemembers transitioning to civilian employment find
accessible short-term training with immediate career
accessibility in health care.
-- Carolina Canines for Veterans, of Wilmington, N.C.,
provides trained dogs rescued from local shelters to assist
wounded warriors. This program, launched by the Carolina
Canines for Service organization, received $10,000 for its
efforts.
-- Military Marriage Enrichment, of Corsicana, Texas,
strengthens military marriages, enabling couples to better
cope with the stressors of combat, wounds or multiple
deployments. The program, created by Marriage Management
Consultants Inc., received $10,000.
-- Empowering Military Families through Employment, a
program of the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network of
Lake St. Louis, Mo., features virtual training seminars that
provide military-affiliated applicants job education and
training needed to increase employment success. For its
efforts, the organization received $10,000.
-- Project Sanctuary Therapeutic Retreats, of Parker, Colo.,
helps families reconnect following lengthy separations and
deployments. The program begins with a free, five night
therapeutic retreat using recreation as a form of diversion
therapy. Project Sanctuary families enjoy year-round
activities, such as hiking, skiing, horseback riding and
sledding, in the Colorado Rocky Mountain region. This
program received $10,000 to continue its efforts.
-- Operation Building Hope, of Fuquay-Varine, N.C., equips
wounded veterans with a handicap-accessible home. The
program uses an all-volunteer work force to construct and
install ramps and rails, modify bathrooms, lower countertops
and widen doorways. The program, created by the Military
Missions in Action organization, received $10,000.
-- Books on Bases, Smiles on Faces, of Alexandria, Va.,
supplies books to military families to assist them in
developing their children's reading skills. Blue Star
Families Inc. created this program, which received an $8,000
award.
-- Kids Blossom through Gardening is a program created by
the Dover Air Force Base Key Spouse Club of Dover, Del., to
enhance the health and wellness of airmen and their families
by decreasing overweight and obesity through community
gardening. This program received a $2,000 award.
“It's a humbling thing to stand in the Hall of Heroes,” said
Daniel Nichols, executive director of Military to Medicine,
upon receipt of his award. “It's also a humbling thing to
have the privilege to serve people whose ordinary lives are
transformed by extraordinary circumstance, as in the case of
our military families.”
Thomas Indoe, the president of Newman's Own Inc., and an Air
Force veteran, thanked the military for embracing this
award. Paul Newman was a Navy veteran, he said, and adorned
his office with a picture of the men with whom he served.
“He loved this country and he loved the military,” Indoe
said. Newman felt the volunteers represented the best in
America, he added.
Including this year's awards, the annual competition has
recognized 133 programs with awards totaling $650,000 since
its inception in 1999.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Indoe surprised the
audience with a $100,000 donation to the Fisher House
Foundation on behalf of Newman's Own. |
Article and photo by Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010 |
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