 |
Mothers Of Military Support is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization
founded by Mrs. Elizabeth Johnston in 2003. Our mission is to provide positive support of
our service members, family and community, by providing services that are consistently
available, accessible, and responsive to the needs of individual service members,
families, and groups seeking assistance. To work with the community to contribute,
facilitate, and promote awareness of the needs of our men and women in the armed service
to the enrichment of all.
|
| Mission
Statement |
Goals
To provide high-quality, compassionate and comprehensive services to as many military
personnel and their family’s as possible by offering a wide range of services such as
sending soldiers needed item (Comfort kits ) in order to boost moral. We also are hosts to
a talk show called “Military Soup” that provides helpful information for
soldiers and their families as well as other topics concerning our military, past and
present.
We are expanding our online internet presence that will provide service members and their
families with access to our on line community in order to corresponds with each other as
well as purchase products that help support Mothers Of Military Support. |
How it began.
Mothers Of Military Support (MOMS) was founded by Elizabeth Johnston, after learning her
son was being deployed to war. Struggling to stay strong, Elizabeth listened intently to
what her son had to say. As he sat next to her, he explained that he and his fellow
Marines were not afraid to fight for this country nor were they afraid to die for this
country. Their true concerns were that when they returned, an angry nation of people would
be waiting for them, repeating history of the Vietnam War era. Elizabeth then vowed to
support our service members unconditionally.
Program Profiles.
Program: Comfort Kits; Our first program, sending large shipments of Comfort kits to the
troops that did’t have items readily available to them. In our research, we found
that some items might be needed by special request so we will be putting on line a simple
request form for families and friends to access to submit requested items.
Program: “Stateside”; is a multi-service mission that reaches out to deployed
families, nationally, with assistance and is also pro-active and instrumental in providing
guidance to those returning stateside and also those adjusting to a new civilian role.
Wives of military; In most communities of base, there is little support for military wives
for lack of identifiable resources. Our vision is to provide support information and
resources to those wives in need. In addition, provide on line access between service
member and spouse. We also encourage them to come together with ourprogram Truffle Tuesdays.
This program promotes the networking of family to share experiences concerning deployments
in a comfortable surrounding.
MOMS purchases Coffee Gift cards to be given to these individual groups.
Program: Cool Troops; This is a program where we take in the donations for neck coolers (
a piece of cloth you soak for 15 minutes, it swells with water retention and is used to
cool the bodies core temperature. We pack them HD Zip loc. bags so the soldier can just
poor a small amount of water in for the reaction. We then place the name and address of
the donator in with it.
Program: Comfort Kits; 1 Gal size zip lock bags filled with comfort items with the donors
name and address packed with it.
Program: Glory Boots; we purchase Danner Desert Acadia boots (top of the line) for our
Military. Command notifies us of who in the unit should receive them. We are currently a
distributor for Danner, Inc.
Program: Pay It Forward; We purchase gift cards from various variety stores and give to
the wives and families of the deployed. This is NOT a hand out...this is an opportunity
for American Citizens to say thank you for the great support of Military family while
their soldier is at war.
In addition, we will be implementing a membership program that will allow the community,
organizations, and businesses to help support our organization. For those that would just
like to contribute please visit our web site.
If you would like to apply for information regarding Comfort kits for our service members
please contact Mrs. Elizabeth Johnston, President at E-Mail: President M.O.M.S.
|
| Achievements and
Accomplishments 2006-2007 |
We are members of the American Legion, Coalition of Troop Support, Cowlitz County Veterans
Association, Cascade War birds, Elks, Rotary, and Veterans of Foreign Wars and several
other not for profit organizations that support our troops, Veterans, and their families.
M.O.M.S. also hosts a talk show called Military Soup where helpful information for troops
and vets can be shared as well as other topics concerning our military, past and present.
We are Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends, Nieces,
Nephews, Grandfathers and Grandmothers.
In the past 3 years, we have shipped hundreds of thousands of dollars in comfort items
in country to our men and women. Not just boxes, but truck loads. Just
recently we shipped 10 ½ tri-walls in country for our troops.
We have purchased computer systems for a Veterans Service organization to assist in
processing Vet benefits for our Vets in Need. They have processed $537,000 in benefits
from July to December 2004, for those vets that may have never attempted to go through the
VA for help.
Christmas gifts upon request from Camp Murray and Ft. Lewis for several deployed families
@ $100 per person, per family.
Continually raise funds for Quality Danner Boots for Soldiers and ship in country before
and during the Soldiers deployment.
Paid Electrical Bills for family of the deployed that hit a hardship.
Purchased groceries for the deployed families`.
Purchased $250 worth of items for a child of a Soldier whose wife abandoned their baby,
plus medication for the sick child.
Gift Cards to various stores for wives and mothers of the deployed. (Happy wives make
happy deployed soldiers)
Connected the communities with military and Veterans to better show support.
Purchased set of tires for a deployed wife that hit a hardship.
Purchased approximately $3500 in Holiday Thank you meals for the mothers and wives of the
deployed for the 2004 holiday season. This included 12 lb. turkey, 5 lb. ham, 5 lbs.
potatoes, gravy, Potato rolls, butter, vegetables.
Donated milk and pumpkin pies to the VFW to assist low income Vets and community members.
Hosted a welcome home-fundraising event for Ty Shaw, one of the first injured Marines that
came back in country.
Sent $500 to a mother of a Soldier shot in the head with an AK47 in Iraq, and survived.
Sent $1000 to America’s heroes of Freedom in WA DC to assist families of the military
to travel to their injured soldier.
Raised thousands of dollars for the VFW Post 3017, in addition to computer systems.
$2000 in clothing, shoes, socks, sleeping bags, mats, tarps, boots, coats, underwear etc.,
etc., etc. for homeless Veterans.
Advocates for financial assistance and medical for Veterans and returning Soldiers.
Assist Boy Scouts with badges and Eagle Scout Awards.
Assisted the Civil Air Patrol learn Fundamentals of Fundraising for their organization.
Purchase and Deliver Goodies and meals to the Rear Detachments.
Sent Check of $100 to VA volunteers for Coffee to be enjoyed while on their shifts.
Donated funds to the American Legion Auxiliary and Post to help pay heating bills.
Created message-Blog board for families of the deployed and Veterans to help assist in
positive survival of pre and post deployment.
Assist other Not for Profit organizations in shipping items in country.
Donate to the F.R.G. for family holiday parties.
Visited with wounded Soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital, letting them know there is a whole
nation that supports, honors, and adores them.
Sent $400 to a Soldier that lost his leg in Iraq so that his brother could fly out to
visit he and his wife at the Malone House at Walter Reed.
Started and sponsor a program called Truffle Tuesdays where Wives, Mothers and family
members of the deployed, meet for coffee at Starbucks and eat Lindohl Truffles.
Display booths at every event we can get into to share our mission of supporting the
troops, Vets, and their families.
Fork and Funnel drive for our Troops, in addition to the donations for Comfort kits.
(Soldiers do not like sp’orks that are given in the mess hall because they
break and the funnels are used so that they can pour their drink mix into a water
container).
We baby-sit military children during deployment ceremonies and other military activities.
Delivered 103 hand made quilts to the Charlie Battery of the 2/146 out of the 81(sup)St
Armored Brigade to take on deployment.
M.O.M.S. has a radio talk show every Friday called Military Soup where we only share
positive information coming out of Iraq, also information that will benefit Soldiers and
Veterans alike.
New Years we were able to get a homeless Vet off the streets and into Rehab via OPERATION:
S.A.V.E. (Support American Veterans Everywhere) A volunteer effort of elementary aged boys
headed by Jakub Johnston.
Hosted the welcome home event for the Charlie Batter, 2/146, 81st Armor Brigade.
Prepared complete breakfast of Sausage, Bacon, eggs, pancakes, biscuits and gravy for 130
returning Soldiers then released 2500 balloons when the Captain yelled DISMISSED.
Assist and support Family Readiness Group (F.R.G.) and various Blue Star Mothers groups
through-out the country with fundraising events to provide for Soldiers and their
families.
Purchased 144 flip flop shoes, toys, crayons, paper, and pens for the Iraqi Children to
help protect their feet, not only from the elements but from sewage overflow where they
live. This request came from Soldiers that work closely with these children.
Purchased a washer/dryer set for a wife and her 4 children, at Ft Stewart, Georgia, whose
home burnt down as her husband served in Iraq. We also will purchase bedroom furniture for
two of the four children.
Purchased a washer/dryer for the family of an Injured Soldier in Texas. This request came
from Vickie Fields, employee of the Pentagon.
Donated $500 for a Soldier whose house caught fire, ruining the contents and also opened a
public account for donations.
Supplements financial aid to returning O.I.F Soldiers, at $500 each.
Purchased a computer system for a Soldier from Biloxie, Mississippi, deploying to Iraq, so
he could complete his officers training before leaving the states.
Purchased 3500 Neck Coolers for a Base in Iraq.
Purchased 18 more pairs of Danners for a Marine Unit deploying in Oct. 2005
Birthday Gift Cards for the Wives-Mothers of the deployed.
Combined efforts with the Coalition of Troop Support we shipped in 16 tons of Diapers, Wet
Wipes, Clothing, shoes, Peanut Butter & phone cards for the Mississippi national Guard
to Pass out to Katrina Victims.
$250 to Radio Specialist from 3rd Infantry Division for communications in the South during
recovery efforts for Katrina Victims.
Purchased Stove for Veterans of Foreign War so they could hold Fundraising breakfasts.
Purchased transportation for an Injured Soldier from Ft. Benning, Georgia to Louisville,
Kentucky so that he could be with his family after the murder of his niece.
Donated $1000 to the Coalition of Troop Support out of Oregon to help assist in support of
our Troops.
Currently distributing $500,000 worth of Support Our Troop items to other Non-profit
organizations to help them attain funding for their goals in helping Soldiers and
families.
Donated $250 through 3rd Infantry Division Support site to assist in setting up
communication lines for Katrina Victims.
In 2004, we brought in over $300,000 in donations and almost doubled that in 2005.
Packed and distributed 4000 gift.bags with candy, candy canes, Christmas Cards with the
4,700 lbs. of Toys and novelty items donated anonymously for the children of the deployed
and those more in need, for Christmas.
700,000 Veterans in WA State, approx. 100,000 registered with the Veterans administration.
Our goal is to get them all registered by the end of 2007.
Secured the Vietnam Traveling Wall for our August event, honoring all Veterans and
Military.
Purchased additional holiday meals for low income Veterans in 2005
Over $500 in groceries to a MASH unit in Pakistan.
|
TOP
|
Navigation
|
