YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne’s Post

Military children are often the ones who make sacrifices alongside their parents. They adapt to frequent moves, change schools, and sometimes face long separations from loved ones. Their resilience, strength, and unwavering support for their families inspire us all. Homes for Heroes acknowledges their unique experiences and contributions. Here are ways we can all work to uplift their spirits and let them know they are valued and appreciated: Personalized Gifts: Consider giving military children personalized gifts such as books, art supplies, or custom-made items that celebrate their bravery and strength. Recognition Events: Organize or attend local events where military children can be publicly recognized and appreciated for their sacrifices and achievements. Volunteer Support: Offer your time and resources to support military families in your community. Whether it’s tutoring, mentorship, or simply lending a listening ear, your efforts can make a difference. Storytelling: Share the stories of military children and their experiences. Amplifying their voices helps us understand their journeys and the challenges they face. Let’s come together to celebrate these remarkable young people and show them our gratitude for their courage and resilience. Thank you to all military children and their families for your service and sacrifices! 🇺🇸 #HomesforHeroes #MilitaryChildren #ThankYou

Do you live in a nation that does not exist? If so, please have a listen to this conversation with Pedro Senhorinha Silva II. We explore Pedro's uniquely American journey through his career across sectors (private, religion, military, non-profit), his struggles with faith and faith communities, and his quest to live in a nation that does not yet exist. https://lnkd.in/gKHvyT5Z

Five ways to honor and remember this Memorial Day weekend. #memorialday2024 Memorial Day is a time to honor and remember the men and women who have died in military service to the United States. Here are five meaningful ways to remember and honor them during Memorial Day weekend: 🇺🇸 Visit a Cemetery or Memorial: Pay your respects by visiting a local cemetery or a national memorial site. Lay flowers or flags on the graves of fallen soldiers. National cemeteries often have ceremonies or volunteer opportunities to place flags on graves. 🇺🇸 Attend a Memorial Day Ceremony or Parade: Participate in local ceremonies or parades dedicated to honoring fallen soldiers. Many communities host events that include speeches, moments of silence, and tributes to veterans. 🇺🇸 Support Veterans and Military Families: Reach out to local veteran organizations to see how you can support veterans and their families. This could include volunteering, making donations, or participating in fundraising events. 🇺🇸 Educate Yourself and Others: Take time to learn about the history and significance of Memorial Day. Share this knowledge with family and friends. Reading books, watching documentaries, or visiting museums dedicated to military history can be enlightening and respectful ways to remember. 🇺🇸 Hold a Moment of Silence: At 3 PM local time on Memorial Day, observe the National Moment of Remembrance. Pause for one minute to reflect on the sacrifices made by military personnel. This small but significant gesture helps to honor those who have served and lost their lives. #weekendwisdom #thankyou #motivation

Calling all veterans, serving members of the armed forces and their partners. Take a minute and consider your partner, and your family. Maybe you have children. Do you know what will happen to them if anything happens to you? Where will they live? What will happen to the schooling and education for your kids? What community will wrap around them and support them when they need it most? Will it be the community they are part of now? Sadly there is little information on the outcomes for the bereaved partners and children of Service families. Even less than the information on the Armed Forces. If you don't track it; you don't know if there's an issue; you don't have to do anything about it. Or am I being too cynical? In this week's podcast, we are talking with Jilly Carrell, "The Accidental Activist for Bereaved Military Community". Thank you for trusting us to share your experience and for all you're doing to change this. The support when there is a death in military service should reflect the service, commitment and oath of allegiance. You would think that ✅ Your family would be assigned someone to help with welfare and emotional support. ✅ There would be a joined-up after-service support ✅ Easy access to things such as dentists, doctors and schooling. For veterans, there is Op Courage, Fortitude, Nova and Prosper. Where do bereaved partners and children sit in terms of how they are supported and their needs tracked and met? Are they part of the Veteran Community? Seems not. They fall into no man's land. Not quite civilian, not quite Armed Services or Veteran. Isn't it about time the Office of Veterans Affairs looked at having an Op Families for the joined-up wrap-around service support? This country has been at war, peacekeeping on major exercises for the past 80 years. Things have to improve. The families serve just as much as the service person. Who can you share your views on this with? Grant Shapps  Johnny Mercer Leo Docherty Your local Veterans Champion If you are an organisation, company, or charity please get in contact with Jilly here: www.beyondthewire.org.uk Links to the podcast in the comments. #whatmakesthedifference #militaryspouses #militarychildren #dandelions #armedforcescovenant #dobetter British Army Royal Air Force (RAF) Royal Navy Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Royal British Legion SSAFA the Armed Forces charity Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity Cobseo, the Confederation of Service Charities UK Ministry of Defence RMA - The Royal Marines Charity   Royal Star & Garter Hire a Hero UKWho Dares Cares Walking With The Wounded Scotty's Little Soldiers Forces Children Scotland Forces Children's Education Forces Children's Trust (Denny Wise)  Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust Armed Forces Community HQ CIC Armed Forces Veterans Association - Met Branch ARMY PARACHUTE ASSOCIATION Royal Marines The Poppy Factory RBLI (Royal British Legion Industries) GenDitNetwork The V Word

🇺🇸 Honoring Our Heroes on Memorial Day 🇺🇸 "Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices." – Harry S. Truman Today, we pause to honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Their courage, dedication, and selflessness have secured the freedoms we cherish every day. As we reflect on the significance of this day, let's also recognize the families who have lost loved ones. Their strength and resilience are a testament to the profound impact of these heroes. Ways to Honor and Remember: Participate in Memorial Day Events: Attend ceremonies and parades to show your support. Visit Memorials and Cemeteries: Pay your respects at local memorials and veterans' gravesites. Support Veterans: Donate to organizations that assist veterans and their families. Share Stories: If you have a story of a loved one who served, share it to keep their memory alive. Let’s commit to remembering their sacrifices, not just today, but every day. Their legacy is our enduring duty. How are you honoring Memorial Day? Share your thoughts and stories below. #MemorialDay #HonorOurHeroes #RememberAndRespect #ServiceAndSacrifice #Veterans #Honor #Service

On this Remembrance Day, a significant date etched deeply in our consciousness, we pause to reflect and honor the brave souls who served - and continue to serve - around the world. This day carries a weight of gratitude and respect that extends beyond borders and generations. Let us unite in silence, not just to mark the cessation of the First World War, but to acknowledge the sacrifices and valour of our servicemen and women in all conflicts since. The poppy on our lapels symbolizes our collective memory, a poignant reminder of the blood that continues to be shed for our freedoms. In this spirit of unity and remembrance, I encourage all of you to take a moment to honour our heroes. We remember, not to glorify war, but to acknowledge its cost and to ensure that such sacrifices are never forgotten. Show your support by attending local ceremonies or perhaps consider a donation to veteran support organizations. A list of organizations working to support Canadian Veterans and their families: @twsfoundationca - Wounded Warriors Canada - Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research - Veterans Transition Network - VETS Canada – Veterans Emergency Transition Services - Canadian Forces Morale & Welfare Services - Disabled Veterans Support Canada - Canada Veterans Affairs - Royal Canadian Legions #Lestweforget

Friends, Colleagues, Connections, my fellow Americans: Forgoing political sides or views........and acknowledging that I personally have not served this country, please take a moment with an open heart, to consider what I feel compelled to share. Today is Veteran's Day. It is meant to recognize the MILLIONS (yes, MILLIONS!!) of brave Men and Women who have served in our Armed Forces, the backbone of the USA, and why we all are able to wake up every morning in a free country. We are able to freely practice our respective religions, speak our minds openly, and go about our lives with a sense of protection and shelter that not many, even in some of the most powerful nations on Earth, can claim. Current events, and the threat against these freedoms from INSIDE our own country aside, today is a day to recognize the incredible sacrifice our Veterans have made, and continue to make long after their service is over...if they were blessed to even return from their missions. Many do not, many return with great physical loss and pain, and TOO many are not receiving the care they so greatly deserve. Even those who return fully intact and seemingly unaffected are plagued by countless afflictions; PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, Hearing Loss, Toxic Exposure Syndrome, Depression....the list goes on and on. These serious problems may not manifest right away, they may not be obvious at first, but more and more our Veterans are facing struggles you and I cannot comprehend. This has led to an epidemic of tragic proportions.....approximately 22 Veterans commit suicide daily. Our Nation's heroes, from front line battle operators to those who serve in essential support positions, are being forgotten and lost in the shadows and crevices of society. Today, yes, you can offer the standard "Thank You For Your Service", but is that really impactful? Perhaps, action over words are in order. Use today to consider something different to honor these heroes. They took action for us, and suffer untold consequences. Find an organization, a service, a group, or any volunteer vessel of energy focused on serving our Veteran's needs like they served this country, and throw in your support with selfless gratitude. There are so many amazing groups and non-profits that have dedicated their missions to ensuring that no Veteran suffers in solitude or in silence. I have chosen to highlight one such organization. Please meet SHIELD OF FAITH MISSIONS. (www.sofmissions.org). Founded by the highly decorated Dr. Damon Friedman (ret. Lt Colonel, USMC, USAF, Special Operations), this elite non profit group is providing state of the art care for those Veterans in need. Whether you visit their website and share with a Veteran you may know, or you choose to donate, your time and awareness may very well save the life of somebody struggling with greater pain than you and I will ever know. Thank you for your time. God Bless our Veterans. #veteransday

This Veterans Day, TASMAN Signs would like to say Thank You to all who have served and sacrificed, as well as their families. Here is a list of the top 10 things you can do to Honor a veteran on Veterans Day: 1. RAISE - Display the American flag in your yard to demonstrate your support of veterans everywhere. 2. LISTEN - Strike up a conversation with a disabled or homeless veteran and be an active listener as you hear about their experience. 3. SPEAK - Simply say, “Thank you” to veterans you see. 4. REACH OUT - Contact a disabled or homeless veteran whom you know and spend some quality time together. 5. SUPPORT - Send a donation to organizations that support the special needs of veterans. 6. FIND - Trace your ancestry and identify how many veterans are in your family. 7. WRITE - Send a letter to someone who’s currently serving in the military. 8. VISIT - Visit a disabled veteran in his or her home or a homeless veteran on the street. 9. LEARN -Educate yourself on the challenges veterans face when retiring from service to rejoin civilian life. 10. SHARE -Use your social media to help celebrate Veteran’s Day and acknowledge the service of all veterans. #TASMANSigns #VeteransDay2023 #thankaveteran #thankyou #thankyouforyourservice

Honoring Our Heroes 🎖️ On this Memorial Day, we are deeply honored to remember and celebrate all those who have served and continue to serve our country. Your bravery and dedication inspire us every day. At Madi's Movement, we are committed to supporting foster teens that often lack the support system many take for granted. Here are some important stats about foster teens and military service: 🦅 Around 10% of former foster youth join the military. Many foster teens see the military as a pathway to stability and opportunity. 🗽Foster youth who join the armed forces often excel due to their resilience and adaptability. 💬 Comment 'Heroes' below to learn more and see how even the smallest action can make a big difference. Follow us for a glimpse into the world of foster teens and how every act of kindness adds up to a huge difference. ✨ 🙏 Thank you to all who serve and to those who support our foster teens. Together, we can create lasting change and build a brighter future for all. #MemorialDay #HonoringOurHeroes #FosterTeens #MadisMovement #SupportFosterYouth #Empowerment #EducationForAll #Military #Army #USA #Love #America #Honor#SupportFosterTeens #MakingADifference #FosterCareAwareness #FosterYouthAwareness #FosterCareSystem #FosterParents #FosterParent #FosterParenting #FosterCare #FosterAwarenessMonth #NonProfit #MakeADifference #FYP #NonProfitOrganization #Sibblings #Moving #Struggles

Pls share Pls listen An amazingly articulated podcast that will reshape you understanding of the complexities of bereavement in the Armed Forces and impact on every facet of life impacting the whole family including kids, education, housing, community, finance. Support by the PM, CO Mins, APPG, and OGDs for a review. Time for change. Welfare is NOT charity.