Powerball Lottery Winners Announce $1 Million Donation To Military Veterans Service Orgranizations

All I can say is....."Thank You!" What a fantastic precedent set by the group of men that won the nation's Powerball lottery when they announced that five military veterans service organizations will get $200,000 each in the first donation by the group of men. AWESOME!

The groups earmarked for the funds are:

The Bob Woodruff Foundation, based in Bristow, Va.; Building Homes for Heroes, based in Valley Stream, N.Y.; Services for the Under Served (S.U.S.) and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, both based in New York City; and Operation First Response, based in Culpeper, Va.


The report is from ABC.

3 Conn. Powerball winners give veterans $1M


HARTFORD, Conn. -- A trio of money managers who shared a $254 million Powerball jackpot said Sunday they were kicking off the first of many charitable donations by splitting a $1 million gift among five veterans' service organizations.

The Putnam Avenue Family Trust announced through a spokesman that donations of $200,000 each were being given to the five groups for their work helping veterans and military members who have recently returned from deployments.

The trust was created by Greenwich wealth fund managers Greg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff and Tim Davidson after they learned they had won the jackpot, which they claimed Nov. 28 at Connecticut Lottery headquarters. The jackpot was the largest won in Connecticut and the 12th biggest in Powerball history.

Thomas Gladstone, who identified himself as the landlord for the men's company, said afterward that Lacoff told him they were representing a fourth person who didn't want his identity disclosed, but the men's lawyer and a spokesman for their Putnam Avenue Family Trust have said the speculation is false and there is no fourth winner.

They promised at the time they claimed the jackpot that they would kick off their charitable donations with $1 million within 10 days and said in a statement Sunday that they "cannot think of a more urgent priority than addressing the needs of those men and women who have defended our nation."

"Many of these veterans are faced with a myriad of real and immediate personal issues that range from trauma to foreclosures.

These grant awards reflect the beginning of a process that allows us to leverage lottery winnings into materially helping our society," Lacoff, Skidmore and Davidson said in a statement Sunday.

Their trust took in a $103.5 million lump sum after taxes. The men have said they hope the trust's charitable donations will become an example for other lottery winners nationwide.

The groups receiving $200,000 each are The Bob Woodruff Foundation, based in Bristow, Va.; Building Homes for Heroes, based in Valley Stream, N.Y.; Services for the Under Served (S.U.S.) and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, both based in New York City; and Operation First Response, based in Culpeper, Va.

Officials from the five organizations said they were surprised and thrilled by the donations, which will help with programs for veterans' housing, mental health care, treatment and diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries, education and employment training and other services.

Peggy Baker, president of Operation First Response, called the $200,000 donation "a Christmas miracle," and Andy Pujol, president and founder of Building Homes for Heroes, said they were ecstatic over what they considered "this incredible act of patriotism and generosity."

Skidmore, Davidson and Lacoff work at the Greenwich wealth management firm Belpointe, which provides investment advice, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company manages $82 million, according to the SEC.

They said after claiming their Powerball winnings, and again in their statement Sunday, that they plan to use their investment expertise to build the jackpot into even more money for charitable gifts.

"If we are successful, we believe the creation of this Trust, and its legacy, will serve as a national model for others who have been equally fortunate in winning sweepstakes and now seek to use those dollars to touch the lives of others," they wrote.

The Miracle Wedding

This past weekend, I traveled to attend a wedding. Yeah, I can hear you now...."big deal, Holger!" Well, you see, this wasn't just an ordinary wedding, folks ... this was a "Miracle" wedding.

I sat in the overflow loft of a little country church in rural Oregon on Saturday and saw Christopher Frost and Catherine Neary exchange their vows, to promise to love each other forever and ever until death do them part. What most of you don't know, is that this member of the Airforce and this medically discharged member of the Army had to pass Death on their way to the altar.

Let me share this regarding the service of Tech. Sgt. Christopher Frost of the U.S. Air Force (from OurMilitaryHeroes):

On May 18, 2008, while conducting a counter-improvised explosive device mission in Iraq, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher J. Frost was seriously wounded when the vehicle in which he was riding struck a large, buried IED.

The explosion severely injured three personnel and killed one, Frost said. I lost my right leg below the knee, sustained severe injuries to my left foot and ankle and broke the orbit of my right eye. Other than losing my right leg, the physical therapy I need for my left foot, and learning to use a prosthetic, I do not feel that my injury has changed me. I did not suffer a brain injury, nor do I suffer from any [post-traumatic stress disorder].

As Weapons Intelligence Flight team leader for Weapons Intelligence Team 1, Multi-National Division North Weapons Intelligence Section, in Joint Task Force Troy at Forward at Operating Base Brassfield-Mora, Iraq, from Dec. 9, 2007, to May 20, 2008, Frost is described as providing flawless support to the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, and associated units.

When he first arrived in Iraq, Frost was directly responsible for the acquisition, distribution and maintenance of more than $2 million worth of technical exploitation and force protection equipment. His efforts resulted in the overwhelming success of more than 400 combat missions conducted in the most lethal area of Iraq's Salahuddin province.

Despite his injuries, Frost plans to remain in the Air Force for seven more years until retirement. He also plans on keeping his Air Force specialty code of 3E871, explosive ordnance disposal.

Now, let me share something regarding the bride, Army Spec. Catherine Neary (from af.mil):

"This afternoon, being at Ground Zero, that's very emotional," said Army Spc. Catherine Neary. "It's something that I won't forget."

Specialist Neary was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the spring while serving at Camp Victory, Iraq.

And this is from Cat's blog regarding the moment she was diagnosed with the tumor while in medical unit in Baghdad:

That morning I finally see the surgeon and the first thing he tells me, "hun I'm not going to sugar coat this for you" and went on to tell me they had found a 4cm tumor on the head of my pancreas. I was going to be medivaced to Walter Reed in Washington DC and have a very hard surgery to remove it. IF I was lucky and they had found this in time, hopefully chemo would save me and I could recover from this.
I took this in, listening carefully...I was so glad to finally have a reason for being sick, that I wasn't just making it up or looking for attention. So when he asked if I had any questions, I asked just one. "Sir, will I get to come back to Iraq and be with my unit?"

Now, I have had the honor and pleasure of knowing Catherine Neary for a couple of years through a blogging network - I first met her when she was serving in Iraq and along with many of her other friends, we lived through the crisis of her diagnosis of a pancreatic tumor and her transport out of Camp Victory in Baghdad to Germany and then on to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland where G_d answered our prayers and surgeons successfully removed her tumor.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting her now husband, Christopher, and saw just what Catherine had seen in him when they met at Walter Reed - an honorable man, a good man and yes, a warrior.

So, as I stood in that little loft in that country church this weekend and I saw these two people who had been willing to dedicate their lives to America's service, well it was emotional - as I saw Chris, this Bronze Star recipient, walk to the back of the altar to light the unity candle with his prosthetic and Cat join him, knowing of her scar under the gorgeous wedding grown...well, I couldn't quell the emotion. How G_d has blessed this young couple - knowing each of them has so narrowly escaped death while in the service of their country, only to meet while healing at Walter Reed...well, man, it's what movies are made of!

This is my chance to tell the whole world how proud of you, I am Cat! And also my chance to tell Christopher again - thank you sir, for your service and sacrifice to this country.

May G_d bless them, and hold them and make their days together forever bright.

(Photo courtesy of: Birkenstock Cowboy)

British Soldier A Hero BEFORE He Leaves For Afghanistan, Saves Accident Victim

This is truly an amazing story, folks! And one has to ask themselves, how many people in this world could have and would have reacted the way this young British soldier did? And his training in the military simply saved lives here. I don't care if this young man is British or if he was French, Italian, Danish, Canadian or American - the young men and women of armed forces around the Western world are made of this...it is an honor to walk the Earth with these heroes...they never cease to amaze me.

The whole story from UK Press:

'Hero' soldier saves car crash girl


An Army officer about to deploy to Afghanistan has been hailed "a hero" and "an angel" for saving the life of a girl involved in a serious car crash.
Captain Dominic Masters had only just completed a military first aid course when he witnessed a Renault Clio swerve and overturn into a ditch near the Solstice Services on the A303, outside Amesbury, Wiltshire.
Capt Masters, 32, a staff officer, who was driving to his base in Netheravon, Wiltshire, rushed to the scene and pulled out a shaken Emma White, 34, and her 12-year-old daughter Bethany through an open window of the wreckage.
But then, on learning that her 13-year-old daughter Megan was still inside, he crawled through the window to find her hanging limp upside down in a seatbelt with what turned out to be serious head and spinal injures.
Capt Masters immediately put his recently-learned battlefield casualty procedures into practice and stabilised her before the paramedics arrived.
The soldier then stayed inside the car, giving Megan oxygen, while the fire brigade cut her free. Megan was then flown by helicopter to Salisbury District Hospital and then on to Southampton.
Capt Masters visited Megan, who fell into a coma, in hospital and is now following her recovery at her home in Winchester.
Capt Masters, who has previously served in Iraq and Northern Ireland, said: "The moment I saw the crash I thought 'That's going to be bad' and my first thought was for the people in the car. The vehicle's wheels were spinning and the engine was running and the windows were smashed and I didn't know what I'd find but realised it wasn't likely to be easy to deal with.
"I also knew I had to get whoever was inside out as quickly as possible because of the risk of a fire. It's good to be able to use my first aid training but I'm not a hero. The real heroes are the paramedics, fire and rescue and police who face these sorts of scenes day in, day out - they should be the ones to be praised."
Megan's grandmother, Pauline, said Capt Masters was "a hero" and "an angel" after medics said the teenager would have died or have been at the least paralysed if it were not for his actions.