VALOUR-IT Fundraiser, 2010 Edition Underway!

And we’re off…!

The 2010 edition of the Project Valour-IT fundraiser is underway and once again, Team Navy is one of the participating teams.

But what, you may ask, is Valour-IT?  What is it all about?

The short story is Valour-IT, an IRS-certified non-profit, non-political, volunteer organization provides technology aids  to wounded Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen in military and (thanks to coordination with the Military Order of the Purple Heart) VA hospitals. These aids enable severely injured servicemen and women to remain in contact with family and friends in spite of those injuries. Originally, the program focused on laptops with voice activated software, but that has expanded to include:

Voice-controlled Laptops – Operated by speaking into a microphone or using other adaptive technologies, they allow the wounded to maintain connections with the rest of the world during recovery.

Wii Video Game Systems – Whole-body game systems increase motivation and speed recovery when used under the guidance of physical therapists in therapy sessions (donated only to medical facilities).

Personal GPS – Handheld GPS devices build self-confidence and independence by compensating for short-term memory loss and organizational challenges related to severe TBI and severe PTSD.

Each year, in support of this good work, milbloggers come together to engage in a friendly competition — heated, but friendly. Teams are purely for the sake of friendly competition, building on the natural inter-service rivalries of the U.S. Military.  Competition winners get “bragging rights,” but the true winners are the wounded warriors who benefit from the results of the friendly competition.  All funds raised go into the same Valour-IT account and are used to assist any wounded service member in need of Valour-IT’s support, regardless of his or her service branch.

All kidding aside, let’s be clear about something – the need is great: tens of thousands of service members have returned wounded from combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Imagine what a boost it would be to that young Marine, an Army officer who is a husband and father, or a Sailor in a burn unit with third degree burns on her hands to be able to reach out from their hospital beds and contact distant friends and families, and how much that can help in the recovery process.

So please, contribute during the 2010 fund drive via your preferred team – every single penny donated goes directly to the purchase and delivery of technology; all overhead is funded or provided from other sources.  The contribution button over there to starboard will get you started…and thanks, from me, from Team Navy and especially, from those who have given so much.

Oh, and did I mention the contribution button?  You know, the one over there to the right. . .