Thursday, November 13, 2008
Valour-IT: It's time to help those who sacrificed for us
Please please please give a dollar if you can. More if possible, but one is a start. Tell your friends about this too. The fundraiser runs until Thanksgiving.
If you're not familiar with Valour-IT, here's some background information from Chuck Ziegenfuss, the wounded Vet who started this awesome program for wounded Vets.
"The money we raise will go toward purchasing laptops with dragon Naturallyspeaking software, which allows servicemembers to control their laptop
completely by voice. For the wounded with eye or extremity injuries, this technology is critical to getting back a sense of normality. The DOD now provides the software and the training to use it, but they won't provide the laptops. that's where we come in.""Since I started this project in 2005, we've raised enough money for over 2700 laptops to be donated. Initially, we also provided the software, too, but Uncle Sam picks up the tab for that now. We also want to purchase gps units for Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, because they often get lost, especially when trying to navigate between WRAMC and Bethesda for different clinic visits (yay BRAC!) Finally, we are also looking to donate Nintendo Wii Fit systems to the various military medical centers--WRAMC, Bethesda, Tripler, BAMC, etc. for use in physical and occupational therapy."
"I didn't start this project for purely altruistic reasons, I was injured in 2005 and was unable to use my hands, my vision was blurred, and I couldn't walk down the hall to use the one "patient" computer on the ward. I wanted to continue blogging through my treatment at WRAMC, and Soldiersangels provided me with a laptop. I added the software, thanks to a loyal reader, and then realized that there were many others who could benefit from this exact same technology."
"There are other bloggers out there who are willing to help, for instance I am teaming up with Blackfive.net for the Army team, and I think Greyhawk from Mudvillegazette.com wants to team up with the USAF team. I figured that USMC bloggers would know others in their circle, as would the USCG, and USN. All the money we raise goes into one pot, the only reason we divide into teams is for bragging rights. The big boat boys in bell bottoms won the first two years, and the
Big Green Machine won in 2007, and I bet team Army will win again, because the
other, lesser branches lack the esprit de corps to man up and take the
challenge. (How's that for taunting?)"
posted by El Capitan at 10:58 PM
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