Providing emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded heroes. Operation Homefront.

Providing emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded heroes.

Operation Homefront

www.operationhomefront.net

Who we are, where we are, and where we can go … together

Presentation Overview

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Operation Homefront Overview

2012 Highlights

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3 How we Help – Program Review

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Operation HomefrontOperation Homefront is a leading national charity supporting families of service members and wounded heroes. Since its inception in 2002, it has grown from a small local charity to a strong national organization with Field Offices across the country, providing more than $215 million dollars of funding to programs that benefit military families. Mission: Provide emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded heroes.

Key Strengths:

• 501(c)(3), tax exempt nonprofit

• Rated amongst the top charities nationally:• Rated 4-Stars by Charity Navigator for 6 years in a row - an accomplishment achieved by

only 4% of all charities nationwide • “A” Rating by the American Institute of Philanthropy’s Charity Watch• “A” Rating by the Better Business Bureau

• Over $69M in public donations in 2012; 94% efficiency rating (unaudited numbers)

• Met 151,150 needs in 2012 alone; 741,721 needs met since inception:• 100% of clients include active duty, National Guard, Reserve, and wounded, ill and

injured service members and veterans • Over 99% were made to E1-E6 (the lowest ranking, lowest paid enlisted)• Over 90% live at an income level 80% below the median income for the communities in

which they reside• 64% were made to minorities

Value #1 Honor Patriotism And Service To Country: We believe those who wear our country's uniform do so with a sense of duty, knowing they support the causes of freedom. We serve by serving them and their families.

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2012 Highlights• Our 151,150 needs met included:

• Providing over 34,000 backpacks to military children

• Distributing over 9.1 million holiday toys in a six-week time period

• Expanded emergency services eligibility, with a substantial increase in

cases (300% in first month)

• Began the Homes on the Homefront Program in March 2012

• Provide mortgage-free homes to all military veterans meeting eligibility

criteria

• 79 homes occupied since creation

• 149 homes currently in rehab and pending family occupancy

• Charity Navigator 4-Star rating for 6th year in a row

• Maintained a 94% efficiency rating (unaudited)

Value #3

Respect Others: We recognize that our success as an enterprise depends on the talent, skills and expertise of our people and our ability to function as a tightly integrated team. We appreciate our diversity and believe that respect - for our colleagues, clients, partners, and all those with whom we interact - is an essential element of all positive and productive relationships.

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Programs

Value #4

Perform With Excellence: We understand the importance of our mission and the trust our clients and donors place in us. With this in mind, we strive to excel in every aspect of our activities and approach every challenge with a determination to succeed.

EMERGENCY SERVICES

The cornerstone of Operation Homefront’s programs is the emergency financial assistance it provides to families of service members.

Oftentimes, these families do not have community support systems in times of crisis. We fill that need by helping them bridge the financial gap in emergency situations, offering help with:

food rent or mortgage payments utilities infant supplies furniture, household items, and moving assistance automobile repairs, payments, or donations household repairs or medically necessitated modifications counseling or support groups urgent or critical healthcare needs

Moreover, when we can’t fill a need, we help families access other organizations that can help. Through active collaboration with other nonprofits, we can better serve the military families while reducing redundancy and duplication.

All applicants for assistance are thoroughly screened to validate financial need and eligibility, and typically receive a response within 24-72 hours. When assistance is granted, payments are made directly to creditors. And, because fulfilling the immediate need is only half the solution, staff members work with applicants to help them set budgets and put plans in place for future emergencies.

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Impacts in 2012

Value #2

Do What's Right: We are

committed to the highest

standards of ethical conduct in

all that we do. We believe that

honesty and integrity engender

trust, which is the cornerstone

of providing our services. We

are careful stewards of the

resources provided by our

donors. We strive to be good

citizens and we take

responsibility for our actions.

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Operation Homefront VillagesTransitional Housing for Wounded Heroes & Their Families

One of the hallmarks of our programs is our Operation Homefront Villages. Our Villages are a special place where Warriors, wounded in their efforts to preserve our freedom and their families, can find respite together while the service member is rehabilitating at a military hospital and transitioning into civilian life. Families live free of charge in two or three bedroom, fully furnished apartment homes, and receive a full complement of support:

Community center filled with computer work stations with specialized software to accommodate a variety of disabilities and Internet access.

Counselors to assist with financial education; filing VA claims, state disability claims and social security claims; educational assistance including help with college enrollment, scholarship applications, and applying for VA educational benefits; and job integration programs, including resume writing assistance and workshops, assistance with interviewing and finding employment.

Morale-building activities, including monthly dinners, Wounded Warrior Wives support group meetings, food pantry, access to a library of entertainment media, and events that furnish Easter baskets, back-to-school backpacks and supplies, Thanksgiving food baskets, holiday toys and other programs.

All too often, families of injured service members are discharged, and left to fend for themselves while their disability paperwork is processed. We bridge this unique gap for service members and their families who have nowhere else to turn. We work to prevent the next generation of homeless veterans!

Patterson Family

Jack Zimmerman and Megan

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Hearts of Valor

As more and more wounded warriors return from Iraq and Afghanistan, there is an increasing need to care for their caregivers. Family support is paramount to a warrior’s physical and mental recuperation, yet the spouses who lead the family effort are without resources or emotional support themselves.

Hearts of Valor is a peer-to-peer support community that assists primary caregivers through an online social network, local support groups, and retreats. The initiative is moderated by a dedicated, professional team that coordinates activities nationwide, provides participants with a safe space to talk, listen, and heal. Most importantly, it helps participants develop long-term coping skills and discover resources as they prepare for the emotional stages of their warrior’s healing process.

Williams Family

Hearts of Valor:

Supports women caregivers in

their own journey of healing

by facilitating an online

community that provides

social connections to other

women in similar situations,

fostering support groups by

geographic area to encourage

resource sharing and

friendships, and sponsoring

annual retreats to provide

education on relevant issues.

www.heartsofvalor.org

www.operationhomefront.net

Morale Programs

Lastly, our morale programs support service members and their families in a variety of ways. Our programs provide them with events focused on celebrating their service to our country, and in supporting them during times we know are tough; whether it’s a dinner out with other families, a barbeque, or taking part in our Back-To-School Brigade, or holiday toy give away. It’s the little things we do to show appreciation that makes life that much easier for those who give so much.

• Homefront Celebrations – bringing military spouses together to learn and support one another.

• Back-To-School Brigade – distributing 34,000 backpacks to military children in 2012• Community Events:

• Tickets to concerts, sports events, shows• Dinner out with other families, a barbeque, or other catered event • Care packages for deployed service members, Wounded Warriors, and caregivers

• Holiday Programs:• Easter Baskets – 504 distributed in 2012• Thanksgiving Meals – 1,919 distributed in 2012• Holiday Food Baskets – 5,947 distributed in 2012• Holiday Toys – 9.1M toys distributed in 2012

• Holiday Meals for Military – 5,200 meals distributed in 2012

Military families are used to

moving every 18-36 months, and

often have to rebuild their social

support structures after every

move. Often far from family

and friends, these families have

few resources to turn to in times

of need. To many of the enlisted

families we serve, money is

often very tight. Oftentimes, as

the service member deploys, so

does the family’s mechanic,

handyman, heavy lifter, primary

breadwinner and emotional

support system – adding extra

strain to the family while the

service member is away.

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Special Events

Military Child of the Year Award – Established in 2009 to recognize the service and sacrifice of our nation’s youngest heroes, this event has grown in both prestige and attendance over the last couple of years. The event honors one child from each service branch whose resilience, strength of character, and service to our nation best exemplifies being a part of the military community.

The five honorees are flown to Washington, D.C., for a tour of the Capitol area and the award ceremony. Each award recipient also receives a check for $5,000 and a laptop computer. In 2011, First Lady Michelle Obama was our keynote speaker. In 2012, the Chairman and other Joint Chiefs of Staff helped present the awards.

Freedom Walks – Each year, on/about September 11th, walkers gather to participate in Operation Homefront Freedom Walks organized in locations across the country. Participants walk to show solidarity in their support of our service men and women, to remember the fallen, and to remember the sacrifices our military members make each and every day.

Team Operation Homefront – This special initiative recruits runners to participate in both the Air Force Marathon/Half Marathon, the Army Ten-Miler, and the Marine Corps Marathon to raise funds for the Operation Homefront Villages. Team members proudly wear Team Operation Homefront shirts with sponsor logos.

THANK YOU!