The Home Sweet Home Campaign kicked off their first "Schools That Care" T-shirt design contest in Gilbert, Arizona this month. This grassroots approach is the first in a series of community outreach campaigns focusing on building awareness and raising funds for war veterans. The Home Sweet Home Campaign has pledged to raise $ 1 million dollars for USA Cares, a 501(c)3 organization who helps post 9/11 military families bear the burdens of service with financial and advocacy support. Ask campaign founder Beth Ann VanHoose how she will do it, "One city and one T-shirt at a time", is her reply.
Beth Ann was motivated to take action after hearing, piece by piece, one local veteran's post Iraq and Afghanistan experience. Tim Little, an Army reservist who has served two tours of duty, Tim found himself unable to return to his pre-deployment job, causing extra financial stress on himself and his family. His story is not unlike the thousands of National Guard, Reserve and Active Duty soldiers who have fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
"It shouldn't be so difficult for our soldiers to find help and resources while they are being evaluated by the VA," says Beth Ann. "This is why I started the Home Sweet Home Campaign, to hopefully make it a little bit easier for the next soldier in need." So working closely with Superstition Springs Elementary and Highland High School, over 250 students have entered the contest. Judges representing many walks of life, all with one thing in common, their commitment to our country and to support our soldiers will be picking the top 3 designs. The jury included Ryan Fitzpatrick, NFL Quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and a 2005 Highland High Graduate; Ruth Knowles, president of the Arizona Artist Guild; Tim Little, War Veteran and Purple Heart recipient; and Maria Martens, member of the American Gold Star Mothers.
Three winners will be announced on April 28th and their "one of a kind" T-shirt designs will be featured on the Home Sweet Home website at http://www.OurSoldiers.org. For every T-shirt sold, $ 5.00 will be donated to USA Cares. According to Kim Moorman, Director of Business Development at non-profit USA Cares, who said, "One of the things I like about what they are doing is that they provide a tangible product to everyone who helps them raise money to assist military families."
The "Schools That Care" contest will travel across the country this fall working with schools in the states of Washington, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia. By the end of 2009, the Home Sweet Home website will have over 20 "one of kind" T-shirts featured on their site.
About the Home Sweet Home Campaign
The Home Sweet Home Campaign is a grassroots approach to raising awareness and funds for our post 9/11 war veterans. Partnering with local schools, businesses and organizations in key cities across the country the Home Sweet Home campaign has pledged to raise $ 1 million dollars for USA Cares, a 501(c)3 organization. For any purchase made from the website $ 5.00 will be donated to USA Cares. To learn more about campaign and USA Cares, go to http://www.OurSoldiers.org or contact Beth Ann VanHoose at 618-567-1384.
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