Salute Our Services

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Kids. All colors, all ages, all across our nation. Kids with one thing in common. They all have a parent serving our country. Help us honor them for the sacrifice they make. We have touched the lives of military children in all 50 states. Help us reach the children in your neighborhood. Your contribution will go directly to a child in your community.

Send a check to cover a sports activity, a camp, music lesson, or tutoring session

Send a check to cover stamps and mailing costs for A Thousand Thanks to Military Children, letters signed by Scooby Doo, Tweety Bird, Bugs Bunny, Tony Schumacher, Jon Woods, Kelly Bires or Shaquille O'Neal.

Children going through the deployment of a parent need a break from the constant worry and financial hardship. Your contribution allows us to continue our efforts to support the children of deployed. Because when a parent is deployed, their Kids Serve Too^tm.

They give 100% so we give 100%.

Armed Forces & Veterans Appreciation Day

10th Annual Armed Forces & Veterans Appreciation Day match was held on Thursday, June 4th at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C..

D.C. United once again proudly hosted Salute Our Services kids at this match.

Thanks D.C. United for a fun family night!

Recognized by Fairfax County, VA

Claire and Kat Lanigan
The Board of Supervisors recognized Claire and Kat Lanigan for their outreach to children of deployed members of the military. The Lanigans founded the program A Thousand Thanks, which delivers letters from popular cartoon characters and athletes to children of women and men deployed in military service.

December 8, 2008

Presidential Volunteer Service Award

The Thousand Thanks program earned Kat and Clare Lanigan a President's Volunteer Service Award from President Bush at the White House on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. It was an in-person thank-you for the 30,000 mailed thank-yous the girls have processed at all hours of the day and night for the past two years in their Herndon home.

They started sending the special letters to provide a morale boost to kids on the home front, just as other organizations mail letters to deployed members of the military to let them know their service is appreciated.

"Your friends will sympathize with you, but they can't empathize with you the same way the other children of deployed people could," said Kat, who was in fourth grade when her father was sent to Bosnia. "I think the letters help kids realize if they're in that situation that someone does recognize what they're going through."

The program works like this: A child's mother or father contacts A Thousand Thanks and provides the child's name and other information for personalization. The parent also chooses one of the athletes or cartoon characters whose likenesses have been lent to the program. The child is then mailed a letter, adorned with a picture of the chosen athlete or character.

The response from program participants is amazing. A wife told the Lanigans that her son sleeps with the letter under his pillow. An officer e-mailed to say that the letter was the first thing his daughter wanted to show him when he returned from Iraq. Some kids just write to say that getting a letter from Bugs Bunny made them feel better.

"It's so completely beyond what I ever thought it would turn into," Clare said. "The attention we've gotten for this is incredible, not because we've gotten the attention, but because of the message that we have been able to put out.

"There are people everywhere who have this problem. It's so much bigger than we ever thought it would be."

Above photo: President George W. Bush poses for a photo with Presidential Volunteer Service Award recipients Kat and Clare Lanigan Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008, on the South Lawn at the White House.

White House photo by Chris Greenberg

A Thousand Thanks to Military Kids

Shaquille O'Neal, racecar driver Tony Schumacher, Air Force Racing Team members Jon Wood and Kelly Bires, Warner Bros. Looney Tunes® characters and Scooby-Doo and the Gang joined us in helping recognize the sacrifices made by the children of deployed Service Members.

>>Click here to find out more>>

U.S. Congress

From the floor of the United States Congress, Cong. Jim Moran of Virginia introduced a resolution in honor of April, the Month of the Military Child, reminding all of us to remember the sacrifice that children make when they have a parent deployed. Cong. Moran, a loyal supporter of military families, gave a special thanks to the Kids Serve Too co-chairs, Kat and Clare Lanigan, for all they have done to honor children of deployed.

Would you like to thank a military child?

We are Proud to Show Your Comments of Gratitude

Click here to view messages.

You Can Help!

100% of your donation goes to our projects to meet the needs of our deployed Service men, women and their children. Our overhead is covered by a generous sponsor, which means all of your money goes directly to people like Summer to continue her dance class and Eric to continue riding Motocross.

Your contributions also fund programs like the Thousand Thanks to Military Children, where a letter of thanks is sent to children who have a loved one serving our country. Celebrities such as NBA great Shaquille O’Neal, racecar drivers Tony Schumacher, Jon Wood and Kelly Bires or popular characters Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo, sign these letters.

The more you send, the more we can do. We make your contribution count!

Donate now!

Another Way You Can Help!

Salute Our Services has just been registered on GoodSearch, as seen in Oprah Magazine, ABC News, and The New York Times. Starting tomorrow SOS will receive a direct donation every time our supporters use GoodSearch to search the Internet!

Please go to www.goodsearch.com or click to download the GoodSearch toolbar to get started now-http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbars.aspx

GoodSearch is the search engine with a unique social mission. It’s powered by Yahoo!, so you get the same great search results. They donate 50% of advertising revenue to the nonprofits and schools selected by their users. Now SOS can make a difference in the lives of many people, simply by using GoodSearch to search the Internet!

2006 Newman's Own Award Winner!

Kids Serve Too received a $7,500 Grant for 2006. Kids Serve Too fosters awareness of the challenges that military children face, including programs to help children of deployed soldiers to remain active in extracurricular activities by providing grants to keep them involved. >>Read more

Salute Our Services™ is a not-for-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.
Donations are tax deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law.

Salute Our Services, Inc. · 2100 Reston Parkway Suite 300 · Reston, VA 20191
office (703) 234-1773 · fax (703) 234-1701 · Toll free 1-866-863-6867
sos@saluteourservices.org

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