Operation Appreciation is celebrating a milestone in 2022:
10 years of support
for the service members in the Georgia Guard/Reserves, (disabled) veterans, military spouses, caregivers, & their family members.
Founded in 2012 as a 501(c)3 organization by an Army spouse & a group of three additional volunteers who all share a common goal: love of country, community, & gratitude for those who serve. Over the course of these 10 years, our support reach has included citizen-soldiers from pre-deployment, through deployment, & ultimate reintegration as our service members go from boots to loafers. By outlining a few of our initiatives; we have identified community partners (like-minded non-profits, community events or groups, individuals, businesses, faith-based support teams, etc.), worked alongside Soldier & Family Readiness Groups (SFRG) across Georgia, partnered with military chaplains, mentored young adults participating at the Youth Challenge Academy, & built a cabin retreat resource in the N. Georgia Mountains – Red, White, & Bear (RWB).
RWB
RWB has become a focal point for our support initiatives. At RWB we are able to address areas of concern on a more intimate & personal level which truly allows the participants to “lay their burdens down”. Our team is proud of the resources we have put in place to addresses the mental & physical well-being of our American heroes.
Our assistance is based solely on vetted needs
Like so many other organizations over the past couple of years, OpA has felt the trials & tribulations due to the global pandemic: Covid-19. With companies going out of business causing people to lose their jobs and/or healthcare at an unprecedented level, OpA began receiving humanitarian requests exceeding our preparedness & ability to source/fund. We have had to step back to redefine the way in which we are able to successfully allocate our limited resources. While the “need” changes with each & every call that comes in; we remain vigilant in uncovering ways to support active service members in the GA National Guard/Reserves, (disabled) veterans, military spouses, caregivers, and immediate family members. Each assist (across all outreach categories) is unique, unplanned & individually cared for with utmost respect and dignity.
Our assistance is not based on rank or qualifying application; assistance is based solely on vetted needs. OpA is a unique resource in that we do not require applications, civilian employment criteria, rank consideration, or the ability to repay loan obligations from our assistance. Our track record has proven we are able to say “yes” to a crisis and swiftly initiate an action plan. We must (as a society/community) recognize the need our service members & (disabled) veterans have to help them ascertain the quality of life they deserve after serving our great nation. Our team takes great pride in the visionary resource we have become and strives to continue to be.
We are proudly in our tenth year of volunteer service providing physical, mental, financial, and emotional support for our American heroes.
Our objective is to bridge the gap within the “need, awareness, service, and support” for our active service members in the Georgia National Guard/Reserves, and (disabled) veterans, military spouses, caregivers, and immediate family members. Recognizing when the soldier serves, the family unit also serves, makes our efforts expand into those family units to address the overall need for each.
Next Steps
As OpA’s volunteer team glances toward our philanthropic initiatives of 2022 our top priority is to provide tangible wellness resources (examples include but are not limited to: retreats, care packages, emergency humanitarian support, civilian employment transition, caregiver) at no cost to those we serve/support. With the recent withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan we have an urgent influx of veterans in need of immediate assistance.
As Covid-19 (and its variants) continues to charge as a global pandemic wreaking havoc for all in its path, we lean on community partners and concerned citizens as we search for new and effective ways to heighten our support efforts. There are currently 16,000 +/- active service members in the Georgia Guard & Reserves. By working with the family programs personnel & military chaplains we are able to identify per county where each service member is located; furthering our ability to guarantee funding allocation. Within our communities, our team members forge viable relationships with VFW chapters, VA clinics, other non-profits that work parallel to our mission, and local events supporting our veterans. In doing so, our reach is stronger & wider and our circle becomes whole. We are all “only as strong as our circle”.
Please keep in mind that OpA melds each request to the unique need of an individual and/or family and as such, any financial platform secured in advance will enable our ability to swiftly bring much-needed alleviation to the burden being carried. Our team makes every effort to be good stewards of all funding received and allocate monies and resources according to all grant guidelines across the state of Georgia.