FOFH-IL Builds Awareness of Humanitarian Mission At 1st V-SPANN Veterans Thank-You Run Event

Hundreds of AMVRA riders rode in pouring rain to this first Veterans Special Programs American National Network (V-SPANN) event at beautiful Montefiore in Lemont , Illinois. Mick Grady of Veterans forum Cable TV program, V-SPANN founder, had prepared for inclement weather with a huge tent to house all booths and food vendors. This first-of-its-kind event provided a central venue for veterans to learn about all the non-profit organizations like Friends of Fisher House – Illinois dedicated to assisting them in a variety of areas.

Manning the FOFH-IL Booth are pictured (l-r) Barb Kemp, Board Development; Betty Stamatis, President,Harry Theodore, VP Communications;and Mary Vaughan, Board of Directors.   Photography Courtesy of Harry Theodore

All military support organizations face many obstacles to garnering free editorial and airtime to foster awareness in the community-at-large of their causes and special fundraising events. They truly need a centralized communications channel to gain support for the sorely needed assistance they can provide to veterans and their families.

FOFH-IL believes Veterans Special Programs American National Network (V-SPANN) is the miraculous, yet practical, answer to the needs of numerous veterans support organizations for awareness, centralization and funding that has not materialized to date. Of all attempts to organize such a centralized veterans sourcing and assistance network, V-SPANN presents the most workable strategies to achieve its objectives.

The V-SPANN plan demonstrates positively viable programming to service the two target communities with the best quantifiable results: Veterans and their families who are frustrated and financially strained and seeking help; The general community desiring to assist, but not knowing where to best begin, where and how.

In an age when Americans can organize and gather almost overnight to sponsor and support a national effort to assist Haiti victims, it is sad that the dire needs of our military service men and men and their families do not inspire an equally powerful and united response. These families have endured hardships and sacrificed for our freedom and safety, often paying ultimate prices in the forms of devastating injuries with life-long impacts.