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Eldonna Amy |
DIAMOND POSSE RIDE FOR THE FALLEN HEROES FUND MEET THE LADIES OF THE DIAMOND POSSE 2010 AND THEIR MISSION
THE RIDE STARTED IN SAN ANTONIO TEXAS TO MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN WITH STOPS ALONG THE WAY TO INSPIRE VETERANS AND THE PUBLIC TO EMBRACE OUR VETERANS AND THE STRUGGLES THEY FACE AS A RESULT OF THEIR MILITARY SERVICE. 5 LADIES RODE THEIR HARLEY'S WITH SUPPORT CREW IN A CHASE VEHICLE. SEE PHOTOS AND BIOS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADIES OF THE DIAMOND POSSE.
DIAMOND POSSE MISSION for this ride:To give hope and encouragement to veterans who are facing challenges from having served. To increase awareness of the obstacles our veterans have and sacrifices they have made to defend our Nations freedom. Our goal is to provide encouragement and empowerment with additional avenues to assist them on their path to recovery.
Diamond Posse presented the Fallen Heroes Fund with a check for $5,000 from the funds raised on this ride.
Pink Biker Chic was honored to be the only veteran rider on this ride.
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Cat Vicki Bobbie |
http://www.fallenheroesfund.org/
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund was established in 2000 to provide financial support for the dependents of United States military personnel lost in performance of their duty. This continued an effort begun in 1982 by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher, founders of the Intrepid Museum Foundation and the Fisher House Foundation. Following the bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut in 1982, the Fishers sent contributions of $10,000 to every child who lost a parent in the attack. Until Zachary’s passing in 1999, the Fishers made hundreds of similar contributions following military losses. These gifts, usually of $25,000, were intended to assist military families through any financial hardships they might face following the loss of their loved ones. This tradition was carried on by Zachary’s nephews, Arnold, Richard and Tony Fisher, who quietly supported these efforts through the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the United States’ involvement in the war on terrorism, the need for this support greatly increased and this effort was expanded to the public to help generate the growing need for funds. The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund was established officially as an independent not-for-profit organization in 2003, and top supporter Richard T. Santulli stepped forward to chair the new organization. Other top supporters came together to form the Board of Trustees and they continue to lead and support the Fund today. Through 2005, the Fund provided close to $20 million to families of United States military personnel lost in performance of their duty, mostly in service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Fund provided unrestricted grants of $11,000 to each spouse and $5,000 to each dependent child. In addition, Board member E. Roe Stamps personally funded an additional $1,000 to parents of unmarried servicemembers as an extension of that program. All payments were coordinated with the casualty offices of the Armed Forces, to ensure that all families received these benefits. In 2005 federal legislation substantially increased the benefits granted to these families. With the needs of these families now being supported much more substantially, the Fund turned to the next area of the military community needing help: our wounded warriors. In January 2007 after only 16 months of fundraising and the generous support of over 600,000 Americans, the Fund completed construction of the Center for the Intrepid, a $55 million world-class state-of-the-art physical rehabilitation center at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. This Center serves military personnel who have been catastrophically disabled in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and veterans severely injured in other operations and in the normal performance of their duty. The 60,000 square foot Center provides ample space and facilities for the rehabilitation needs of the patients and their caregivers. It includes state-of-the-art physical equipment and extensive indoor and outdoor facilities. The Center is co-located with two 21-room Fisher Houses that house the families of patients. Following completion of the Center for the Intrepid, the Fund turned toward another critical issue faced by our wounded troops: the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Ground was broken on the Fund’s current project, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) in June of 2008. NICoE will be a 72,000 square foot, two-story facility located on the Navy campus at Bethesda, Maryland, adjacent to the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, with close access to the Uniformed Services University, the National Institutes of Health, and the Veterans Health Administration. NICoE will provide the most advanced services for advanced diagnostics, initial treatment plan and family education, introduction to therapeutic modalities, referral and reintegration support for military personnel and veterans with TBI and post traumatic stress disorder. Further, NICoE will conduct research, test new protocols and provide comprehensive training and education to patients, providers and families while maintaining ongoing telehealth follow-up care across the country and throughout the world. The Center is on track to open in mid 2010 but we need your support to reach our goal. We are currently only $3 million short of the total $60 million needed for this critically important new Center. It is our duty as Americans to make this resource available as soon as possible to the brave men and women who sacrifice for our nation.
