The fund will provide aid to Combined Arms to
assist over 21,000 known veterans in areas affected by the
flooding
NEW
YORK, May 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bob
Woodruff Foundation (BWF) has activated its Natural Disaster Fund,
established with support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, to
provide critical aid to military veterans and military families in
response to the widespread property damage, injuries, and loss of
life occurred due to recent severe flooding in 88 counties across
Southeast Texas. This assistance
is being provided directly by Combined Arms, a member of the Bob
Woodruff Foundation Got Your 6 Network.
Combined Arms, a valued partner of BWF since 2017, connects
veterans and military families to resources they need on the
ground, and has identified over 21,000 veterans and military
families residing in the disaster affected regions and mandatory
evacuation zones. The activated funding will enable the Combined
Arms network to provide essential resources including food, water,
cleaning supplies, temporary housing, rental of mucking out
equipment and other critical needs.
"After hearing about the devastation facing military and veteran
families in Texas, we knew we had
to quickly mobilize our support," said Anne
Marie Dougherty, Chief Executive Officer of the Bob Woodruff
Foundation. "Combined Arms is a long-standing and respected
organization in the Texas military
community. We'd like to thank them for working tirelessly during
these difficult times and year-round to ensure that Texas veterans are taken care of - and
thriving - no matter the circumstance."
Specifically, the funding will support Combined Arms in the
following key areas:
- Connecting impacted veterans to emergency resources within the
Combined Arms network.
- Mobilizing over 500 Veteran Neighborhood Leaders to support
volunteer efforts for flood response and cleanup in affected
communities.
- Coordinating the distribution of emergency items such as food
and hygiene products to affected individuals and families.
- Disseminating crucial information from county and city
authorities to the community to ensure everyone remains informed
and safe.
"Our goal has always been to seamlessly connect veterans with a
range of services they need right at their fingertips," said
Mike Hutchings, CEO of Combined
Arms. "Given the toll that the floods have taken on the military
community in Southeast Texas, it
is incredibly important to us to provide the vital resources they
need to recover in the aftermath of the floods, and we're honored
to partner with the Bob Woodruff Foundation to distribute relief
funding from its Natural Disaster Fund."
The Natural Disaster Fund, established in November with support
from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, allows BWF to respond quickly
and effectively when a natural disaster strikes – providing support
to veteran families who are suddenly without the essentials to
live. Since 2020, BWF and Craig Newmark Philanthropies have
partnered to support 199 veteran and military family organizations
and directly impacted more than 1.6 million veterans, service
members, spouses, and military children.
"Our veterans have done so much; It's only right that we support
them and their families long after they take off the uniform," said
Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist
and Craig Newmark Philanthropies. "With the leadership of the Bob
Woodruff Foundation and their partners on the ground, I'm confident
we can bring real relief to families in Southeast Texas through the Natural Disaster
Fund."
BWF previously supported Combined Arms during Hurricane Harvey
in the Texas Gulf Coast region. The ongoing partnership underscores
the BWF's commitment to assisting veterans during times of
crisis.
About the Bob Woodruff Foundation
The Bob Woodruff
Foundation was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was wounded by a roadside bomb
while covering the war in Iraq.
Since then, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has raised awareness about
the tough challenges veterans and military families are facing, and
invested in solutions to help support them in the next chapter of
their lives. To date, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested over
$159 million to ensure that our
nation's veterans, service members and their families — those who
stood for us — have stable and successful futures. Visit.
www.BobWoodruffFoundation.org for more information.
About Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Craig
Newmark is a Web pioneer and philanthropist, best known for
creating the online classified ads service craigslist. Craig's
full-time philanthropic work focuses on organizations on the
frontlines of protecting America's security and democracy. He has
given more than $300 million in support of veterans and
military families, trustworthy journalism and civic engagement
campaigns, cyber security education programs, hunger relief, and
pigeon rescue. Craig was influenced by his Sunday School teachers who escaped the
Holocaust, set his moral compass, and taught him to treat people
like you want to be treated – and how to know when enough is
enough. He stepped away from the day-to-running of craigslist
almost two decades ago, but he still occasionally volunteers as a
customer service representative.
About Combined Arms
Founded in 2017 in Houston, TX, Combined Arms (CA) delivers
innovative technology solutions that improve the quality of life
for veterans and military families. CA streamlines the connection
between service members, veterans, their families, and the
organizations serving them by uniting top-tier partners into a
living, breathing network to provide veterans with the support and
resources to thrive. Our access extends from online to physical
locations and special events. Since 2020, Combined Arms has
facilitated over 90,000 resource connections, resulting in an
impressive economic impact of $367
million. Our commitment to connecting veterans and their
families with resources continues to strengthen our community. To
learn more, visit www.combinedarms.us.
Media Contact:
Hillary Ovalle
1954-825-3065
hillary.ovalle@finnpartners.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-bob-woodruff-foundation-activates-natural-disaster-fund-to-aid-military-families-displaced-by-texas-floods-302141558.html
SOURCE Bob Woodruff Foundation