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Soldier Family Comfort Fund

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WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?

I recently spent two days at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma and had the opportunity to gain a first hand look at the lives of the soldiers and their families. Perhaps the most eye-opening experience of my life. These soldiers don’t make big money. They give their sacrifice for reasons altogether different than money. However, they come across the same financial hardships as everyone else.

The money we raise through the Soldier Family Comfort Fund will be processed through two resources:

1. The first is the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) located at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, which provides services specifically for families on base. First, they provide daycare services for military families for $1 per hour. This allows working spouses to fulfill obligations without the expense of traditional daycare. The second service that the ASYMCA provides is their Outreach Program. Basically, the program allows soldiers families to come to the ASYMCA and seek funds for unexpected expenses. For instance, if the car needs new tires, the heating or the A/C goes out, or they need to fly out to a loved one's funeral – the funds are made available to the families, no questions asked. The people that run the ASYMCA are incredibly dedicated and genuinely thankful for the opportunity to serve the families of our military.

2. The second resource for contributions is via El Dorado Hills Community Vision, better known as the Vision Coalition. This is a locally based organization that is dedicated to the betterment of the El Dorado Hills community; specifically teens in EDH. The EDH Vision Community is acting as a fiscal agent for EDH Gives Back. By this I mean that they are collecting the funds and will distribute them as directed, to either the Ft. Sill ASYMCA and/or local soldier’s families that have fallen on hard times – or have made the ultimate sacrifice and left a widow and children.

Over the past 6 months I have had the support of an unbelievable network of resources and volunteers that have helped bring this program to life. On May 30^th there will be a concert held at Rolling Hills Multipurpose Auditorium in El Dorado Hills featuring two local bands. In the months prior to the concert, Oak Ridge High School students will be collecting donations for the fundraiser in front of the EDH Raley’s. Financial commitments from local businesses are also being sought.

My name is Coleman Smith. I am a junior at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills, CA. I’m a full time student, work part time, and I’m a musician of 7 years. I spend most of my spare time writing music, spending time with friends or exercising.

About a year ago I was introduced to a soldier who had just come back from Afghanistan and was working full time to pay his way through college and make rent. It opened my eyes to the fact that this man just spent the better part of a year risking his life for my freedom and he took bullets for me. He risked his life morning, day and night for over a year so that I could enjoy a comfortable lifestyle here at home.

I slowly began to realize that heroes aren’t the winners of American Idol, the stars of our favorite T.V. shows, superstar athletes or music superstars. Instead, the true heroes are the men and women of our United States Armed Forces. The ones that are trading bullets all through the night in subzero temperatures and sandstorms. These heroes spend Christmas huddled beneath a bunker hoping to survive just one more day with a picture of their family taped to their arm…While we sit at home with our families around the Christmas tree next to the fire, hoping for just one more present. They are the ones that hope to make it home alive to meet their newborn child, while we hope to make it home to watch an episode of our favorite show. They are the ones that lose an arm, a leg, their vision, hearing, emotional stability, or all…and can say nothing except how proud they were to serve their country.