Top 16 Moments in 2016
As 2016 comes to a close, Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation (Fallen Patriots) reminisces on the top sixteen moments experienced throughout the year. These attributes are what enables us to send military children who’ve lost a parent in the line of duty to college. With the support of partners along with every individual contribution, we can continue to increase funds for the families we support and make a deep-rooted difference that lasts a lifetime. However, there’s approximately 25,000 more kids that could use our help. Fallen Patriots continues to actively strive to ensure a future education for surviving military children in 2017 and beyond.
· Johnny Mac
With immense gratitude, Fallen Patriots is proud to honor the Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund which donated $1,000,000 to help ensure a future for surviving children. This incredibly generous donation is just one more wonderful example of how foundations across the United States support our mission to secure an education for the children of the fallen.
The Johnny Mac Soldiers Fund is dedicated to assisting veterans and their family members with education expenses. With a mission to honor those who have served and continue to preserve our nation’s freedom, the foundation strives to ensure the future of military families, using education as its core focus.
· TK Classic Golf Tournament
Fallen Patriots greatly appreciates golf tournaments held in surviving military children’s honor that are not only fun, but also beneficial to our mission. Proceeds from the 4th Annual TK Golf Classic significantly benefitted surviving military children’s college dreams.
· IHOP
Leading up to Veterans Day, participating IHOP restaurants asked patrons to help scholars pursue their dreams of a college education by offering a bounce back coupon and donating the difference to military families who’ve paid the ultimate price. All proceeds from on-check and wall tag sales went directly to children of the fallen.
· Interstate 10 - Donation and Memorial Song
1st Lt. Justin Wright and 1st Lt. Andrew Yacovone, who co-founded the band, Interstate 10, paid tribute to Memorial Day with an original song, “I’m Gonna Miss You.” They recorded the music video in Afghanistan, although they were separated by more than 300 miles of hostile terrain. Wright was in Bagram Airforce Base near Kabul and Yacovone was in Kandahar.
In honor of children of the fallen, the noble soldiers donated 100% of the iTunes sales for the single to Fallen Patriots. A special thank you goes to RTIC Coolers for their amazing $25,000 donation inspired by the music video.
· The Greenwich Gala
Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation’s 8th Annual Greenwich Gala, held on November 12th, 2016, brought together active duty heroes, surviving military family members and people from all walks of life who were compelled to support children of the fallen. The patriotic evening was a remarkable success, raising over $2.5 million, thanks to the generosity of loyal supporters who believe in Fallen Patriots mission to provide college scholarships to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty. The Fallen Patriots team is filled with gratitude for partners, corporations and individuals who continually give so much.
· Vineyard Vines
Fallen Patriots is moved to by the generous support of our partner Vineyard Vines. On February 15th, Vineyard Vines donated 10% of every purchase to Fallen Patriots, to ensure a future college education for surviving military children. Participation from loyal supporters made this fundraiser an exceptional success. Customers also received 10% off their purchase, making the day beneficial to all parties involved. Shep and Ian Murray of Vineyard Vines also joined Fallen Patriots' Board of Advisors.
· The Junior Board
The strength of Fallen Patriots is in our leadership team. Fallen Patriots is proud to have a Jr. Board represented by New York City’s socially conscious millennials. During March, Fallen Patriots Jr. Board hosted the second annual Red, White & Blue Gala, raising over $250,000 for Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation.
· Southpoint Golf Tournament
Fallen Patriots is moved by the generous support from Southpoint Capital, host of the 2016 Charitable Golf Outing benefiting Fallen Patriots. The golf tournament presented another wonderful opportunity for raising money, reaching more children of the fallen, while also creating awareness for our mission.
· 500 For The Fallen
Held during Memorial Day Weekend, 500 For The Fallen is a patriotic run to raise awareness for children who have lost a parent while serving in the military. The 500-mile continuous relay left from Concord, MA and arrived at Arlington Cemetery.
Each year, 500 For the Fallen honors a fallen patriot by carrying a dog tag with their name engraved on it, from Concord, MA to Arlington, VA. This year, Sgt. Garett Mongrella was honored. In 1991, Sgt. Mongrella and 10 fellow Marines were killed in the Battle of Khafji, attempting to reclaim the Saudi Arabian town from Iraqi troops. He left behind his young wife, Kim, and an 18-month-old son, Anthony. Thank you to our partners, RunAnyway, who make this event more successful each year.
· Putt For The Fallen
Across the nation, 48 family entertainment centers (FECs) joined forces and notably raised $16,884 to support surviving scholars’ college education.
During the month of September, patrons that visited partnering FECs were given the opportunity to donate $1, $3 or $5. In exchange for the donation, donors signed their name on a paper golf ball and also received a bounce-back coupon for a free round of mini-golf with the purchase of a round on their next visit.
· Citi e for Education
Fallen Patriots is so thankful for the success of the Citi e for Education campaign, which ultimately raised $571,428 for surviving military children. With the help of financial partners like Citi, Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation is changing the lives of those left behind in the most positive way, allowing children to achieve a career path that they desire through a college education.
· Wings Club Grant
The Wings Club Scholarship Fund was established to encourage education in aviation and aerospace. The fund helps today's students become tomorrow's leaders. Fallen Patriots is filled with gratitude thanks to the tremendous grant The Wings Club rewarded the foundation with.
· Rolling Remembrance
In remembrance of military members who’ve lost their lives while serving the United States and in honor of the surviving families, PepsiCo launched a 5000-mile Rolling Remembrance relay across the country that began in Seattle and ended in New York.
PepsiCo’s Rolling Remembrance was a remarkable success, raising over $100,000 for Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation. Their dedication and corporate social responsibility is so inspiring. The 5000-mile relay of the American flag displayed PepsiCo’s immense appreciation for all military members, past and present, and their families.
· Credit Suisse - Holiday Giving Campaign
With 2,446 employee donations totaling $410K, the initiative raised over $1.02 million thanks to Credit Suisse’s foundation matching the donated funds. Forty-three charities participated and were ranked by most donations and most donors. Fallen Patriots ranked an exceptional second place in both categories. The money raised will send military children who’ve lost a parent in the line duty to college.
· TruGreen - Lawn Stars
At TruGreen, charitable contributions is an important part of who they are. For the past several years, they have sponsored a contest in which their branches compete against each other, and the winning branches get to select a charity to receive $2000.
Since this charitable giving component launched in 2014, their branches have supported Fallen Patriots with contributions totaling $48,000, including 2016 donations totaling $30,000.
As companies and their employees increasingly seek to give back, Fallen Patriots is overjoyed with gratitude. Corporate giving presents a unique opportunity for Fallen Patriots to reach more children of the fallen, while also creating awareness for our mission.
· Social Media Growth
Fallen Patriots is thrilled to announce that the foundation gained 24,889 new followers on Facebook in 2016, with the total amount of followers totaling a remarkable 153,560!! Many surviving families have expressed their gratitude for the “family” they have developed through Fallen Patriots’ social media outlets. We strive to create a community connection for scholars and their family to find comfort in knowing they are not alone.