People often ask me why I raise money for the Navy Seal Foundation. And, frankly, why I've done so for the past 6 years - more about that later. There are several personal reasons I support the NSF. I grew up in a family with a long history of military service running from the 1890s thru today...

My maternal grandfather was a Rough Rider with Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War. He was disabled in that war. A paternal uncle, who served in the Navy in the Philippines, was a Japanese POW during WW II. Two other paternal uncles also served in the Navy crossing little islands across the Pacific during WW II. My Dad was in the Army and served in Korea during the Korean War. He was disabled in Korea. Likewise, my Mom was in the Navy as a morse code intercept operator during the Korean war stationed stateside. She was also disabled as a result of a Navy Corsair that crashed into the intercept operations building engulfing the building in a rather spectacular fireball. And to continue the trend, my sister was career Army and died a 100% disabled veteran. Her son, my nephew, was injured by an IED in his tour of duty in Baghdad. He retired a 100% disabled veteran... (I served a very uneventful, but life-changing tour as an instructor in communication security & electronics in scenic Fort Monmouth, NJ.)

Given all that direct experience with disabled veterans I grew up well aware of the difficulties in dealing with the administrivia associated with military service.

The Navy Seal Foundation, whose motto is "For their families, for their sacrifice, for their bravery, for their dedication.". The NSF is a 501-3C corporation is founded and funded to support injured Navy Seals, their families, and the families of those Seals who were either killed in action (KIA) or killed in training (KIT).

According to Charity Navigator, the Navy Seal Foundation rates 4 stars out of 4 stars for organizational efficiency. The Foundation spend 91.4% of every dollar it receives on the programs and services it delivers, with a fundraising efficiency of spending 2 cents for every dollar it raises. (You can learn more at the link: https://tinyurl.com/ChrtyNav-NSF)

Take look at the Navy Seal Foundation  Situation Reports (https://tinyurl.com/NSF-SitRep)  for a nice recap of the services the NSF provides families & survivors, along with a great deal of insight.

I'm confident after careful review, you'll be glad to support the NSF in their mission.

In my next update, I'll outline our training plans that will help my kayaker, Lynn Hupp, and me make our fifth crossing of Tampa Bay in January 2021.

Warmest regards,

Mike (& Lynn)

Donate: https://tinyurl.com/2021TBFS
2020 & more recap: https://tbfs2021.blogspot.com/