MPF’s Monthly Nonprofit Spotlight - December 13, 2015

DAV Disabled American Veterans – Fulfilling Our Promises to the Men and Women who Served at http://www.dav.org/

Serving Veterans Since 1920

We are dedicated to a single purpose: Empowering Veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity.

A Legacy of Service, Hope for the Future

DAV (Disabled American Veterans) is the most long-lasting Veterans advocacy and assistance group in this country. We’ve watched this country change and grow, and we’ve grown along with it. However, DAV has never wavered in its core mission to fulfill our country’s promises to the men and women who served. We invite everyone, Veterans and civilian, men and women, young and old, to join us as we stand up for those Veterans who risked it all when they stood up for us, our country, and our ideals.

We are dedicated to a single purpose: empowering Veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. We accomplish this by ensuring that Veterans and their Families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill; and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of Veterans transitioning back to civilian life. 

• Providing free, professional assistance to Veterans and their Families in obtaining benefits and services earned through military service and provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and other agencies of government.
• Providing outreach concerning its program services to the American people generally, and to disabled Veterans and their Families specifically.
• Representing the interests of disabled Veterans, their Families, their widowed spouses and their orphans before Congress, the White House and the Judicial Branch, as well as state and local government.
• Extending DAV’s mission of hope into the communities where these Veterans and their Families live through a network of state-level Departments and local Chapters.
• Providing a structure through which disabled Veterans can express their compassion for their fellow Veterans through a variety of volunteer programs.

DAV requires membership. Join DAV: Former service-members who join DAV can receive special benefits, programs products and services, as part of our tradition of honor and pride. Membership in DAV includes access to a wide range of money-saving and life-enhancing benefits for you and your family. These generous partners stand by our Veterans through a variety of programs, products and services. You can find a PDF membership form to download at http://www.dav.org/membership/join-dav/

See http://www.dav.org/membership/membership-benefits/ for an extensive list of benefits available from DAV’s generous partners.

Getting involved in your local DAV Chapter is one of the many ways you can reach out to fellow Veterans in your community. DAV Chapter members usually meet monthly to network and discuss issues of importance to Veterans and the organization. Legislation, volunteer efforts and community projects are among the topics discussed, as well as upcoming events and activities. Chapters often hold formal ritual ceremonies in which new members are inducted into the organization. See http://www.dav.org/membership/local-chapters/   See http://www.dav.org/events/ for upcoming DAV events.

DAV is a tax-exempt organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible according to IRS regulation.

Home Base. Veteran and Family care at http://www.homebase.org/

Home Base is a philanthropically driven organization, operating on nearly 100% of support from donors like you: our program was launched with financial support from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Red Sox Foundation; and our ability to deliver on the promise of world-class care for Veterans, Service Members and their Families depends on thousands of individual donors and supporting organizations across the country.

Every dollar of your tax-deductible gift to Home Base will help fund programs that provide clinical care and support services to help Post-9/11 Veterans, Service Members and their Families recover from the Invisible Wounds of War.

It’s time to step up to the plate for Home Base and America’s Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families. Because while their mission is complete, ours has just begun.

Who We Are

Since our founding in 2009, Home Base, a partnership of the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, has been breaking new ground, leading regional and national efforts with a multi-disciplinary team of experts working together to help Post-9/11 Service Members, Veterans and their Families heal from the Invisible Wounds of War: traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress (PTS), and related conditions.  Today, Home Base is the only private sector clinic in New England, and the largest private sector clinic in America with the sole focus of helping at-risk Veterans and Military Families regain the lives they once had.

Home Base services are specifically designed to overcome common barriers to care for returning Veterans. We provide care to all Veterans and Families, regardless of ability to pay or discharge status, and utilize a “three generation” model of care that extends to parents, children, and extended family members who are effectively integrated into care. Our integrated team of child and adult psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists, nurses and nurse practitioners, physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists, licensed clinical social workers, addictions specialists, and peer-to-peer outreach coordinators – all of whom are Veterans and/or Family Members of the Post-9/11 wars – work together to ensure that Veterans and their Families receive or are connected to appropriate and uniquely-tailored care.

In our first five years, Home Base’s treatment and support programs have directly served more than 4,100 Veterans and Service Members and more than 3,300 Family members – all of whom never saw a bill for the services we provided.  Our clinical and community education programs have reached more than 15,000 clinicians and more than 1,800 school and community leaders. And, home to a wide array of research initiatives, our multi-disciplinary team of faculty experts in TBI, PTS and family care are well poised to make great advances in our understanding and treatment of these conditions with the potential to advance the standard of care for the hundreds of thousands of  Service Members, Veterans and Families who are wrestling with the far-reaching effects of Invisible Wounds of War.

Through a partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project’s new Warrior Care Network, Home Base is now building on our standard outpatient program’s success to deliver multi-disciplinary assessment and treatment services to Post- 9/11 Veterans from anywhere in the United States in a coordinated and consolidated setting that includes Families.  The cornerstone of this is a two-week Intensive Clinical Program that integrates TBI care with fitness, nutrition, resiliency training, family support and mental health care into an intensive multi-disciplinary outpatient environment. Working together with Wounded Warrior Project and three top academic medical centers: Rush University, Emory University, and University of California – Los Angeles, Home Base will build a national network of “gold standard” clinical programs that will provide the very best in care to Veterans and the Military.

Our mission - Home base is dedicated to healing the Invisible Wounds of War for post-9/11 Service members, Veterans, and Families through clinical care, fitness and wellness-based programs, community outreach, education and research.

What We Do

Home Base, a partnership of The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, is the largest private-sector program dedicated to healing the Invisible Wounds of War for Post-9/11 Service Members, Veterans and their Families. We offer world-class clinical care, fitness and wellness-based programs, community outreach, education and research, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.

What is different about Home Base?

Home Base is the first program of its kind in the country. Founded by the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital in 2009, we are striving to be a model partnership of academic medicine and Major League Baseball in service to our Military Veterans—and their Families.

Our clinicians are part of Massachusetts General Hospital. They are civilian caregivers, but they are experienced in caring for Veterans and Families. They understand the Military culture and the unique needs of Veterans and Military Families.

No long wait times. Our goal is to offer you an appointment within two weeks or if needed within a few days. Our outpatient clinic is located a few blocks away from Massachusetts General Hospital at 101 Merrimac Street, 2nd floor. It is near the Boston Garden and Government Center, and easily accessible by the Green, Orange, Blue and Red Line.

Discharge status does not affect access to care. Home Base serves all Post- 9/11 Veterans regardless of their time of service or discharge status, and from all branches of service including the National Guard and Reserve.

Payment is not a barrier. By law we are required to bill your health insurance for your care, but if you have no insurance or a gap in insurance coverage, you will never receive a bill from Home Base.

At Home Base, we recognize that Military Families are very resilient. But during the past ten years, even the strongest families have been challenged by having loved ones deployed multiple times and in harm’s way for long periods of time.

Boston's Wounded Veterans Ride at https://theyfoughtweride.com/about/

Boston’s Annual Wounded Vet Bike Run Inspired by Cpl. Vincent Mannion Brodeur began in 2011. One of the most severely wounded veterans in the nation, Vinnie is the recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. While serving in Iraq in 2007 with the 82nd Airborne, Vinnie was critically injured by an insurgents improvised explosive device. After surviving 40 operations and a year long coma Vincent has become an inspiration for people throughout the nation. All proceeds from Vinnie’s Run went to creating a handicapped accessible living space for Vinnie.

Every year Boston’s Wounded Vet Run is dedicated to different disabled Veterans. Proceeds raised go towards housing modifications, recreational objects, cars, basic living items, and other things that help improve the quality of life for a wounded war hero. The event is sponsored by the Italian-American War Veterans. Boston’s Wounded Vet Run is a 501c3 Non-Profit charity  (47-1461072).  Money raised in the name of this organization benefit selected wounded veterans and charities of their choosing. All volunteers work free and there are no paid staff. They fought, and we ride, a bike run honoring the wounded Veteran’s of New England.

Each year Boston’s Wounded Vet Run chooses different veterans to be honorees of the bike run. Unfortunately due to the amount of injured service members coming home we can only support a select number. If you know a Veteran who was wounded please contact us. 100% of donations go to our wounded Veterans or charities of their choosing.

Boston's 6th Annual Wounded Vet Run Motocyle Ride and Concert is May 14, 2016: They Fought, We Ride.

Ride Start: 12:00 PM/registration at 10:00 AM "NEW" Boston Harley Davidson 649 Squire Rd., Revere, MA

Ride End: 2:00 PM - Suffolk Downs Race Track: 525 McClellan Hwy East Boston, MA 02128

Concert / Ceremony: 2:30 PM - Suffolk Downs Race Track: 525 McClellan Hwy East Boston, MA 02128 Drinks and food are on location.

Non - Riders: Please join us at Suffolk Downs to welcome the bikers and wounded veterans at the end of the bike run at 2:00 PM.

This year's 6th Annual Wounded Vet Run Honorees - 2016

Army SSG James Clark of Hinsdale, NH

Wounded in Afghanistan

James lost his leg and part of a foot in an 2009 Afghanistan deployment by an IED. He is the first NH resident honored by hour New England mission. He currently works at a small diner in western Mass. He is married with two children.

Sgt Peter Damon of Middleborough, MA

Wounded in Iraq

Sgt Peter Damon lost both his arms in Iraq in 2003. While fixing a Blackhawk helicopter tire, it malfunctioned and exploded. The explosion killed a fellow mechanic and wounded Peter gravely. Pete know owns and operates his own art store now and paints. In 2016 we ride for him!

Army Specialist Sean Pesce of West Haven, CT

Wounded in Afghanistan

Sean was shot thirteen times in a fire fight in Afghanistan. One of the rounds pierced his spine causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down. Money raised for Sean will be put towards his foundation to better his quality of life. Rangers lead the way, and in 2016 he will too.

Marine Sgt Eric Rodriguez

Wounded in Afghanistan

Eric was wounded in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device. Eric lost a leg and took severe damage to another. He was serving with 1st Battalion 8th Marines in Helmand Province . He plays Paralympic basket ball for the US Marines and is good spirits.

Contact Us

ATTN: Vet Ride
ITAM Post 6
60 Paris Street
E. Boston, Ma 02128

Andrew Biggio, Founder: 903-340-9402

Email: Itamvets@gmail.com

Donate by Mail

Please make checks payable to: "Boston's Wounded Veterans"

Mail checks to:

ATTN: Vet Ride
ITAM Post 6
60 Paris Street
E. Boston, Ma 02128

Or online at https://theyfoughtweride.com/donate/

Wounded Veterans National rides: see https://theyfoughtweride.com/start-a-ride/ for rides that take place around the country and to submit an application to start a ride in your area.