Year-end Message from the Director of Soldiers' Angels

Dear Friends:

It has been an exciting year at Soldiers’ Angels. All of the efforts of our friends, family and supporters have resulted in the word about our mission being spread all over the world. We have met some wonderful people and have had the privilege of working with them to further our vital mission.

Every day we are making sure that the brave men and women who are currently deployed in support of the war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan or wherever we raise the flag of the United States of America know that we support them and honor them for their service and sacrifice.

I wanted to take this moment to give you an update of what we have been able to accomplish this year, none of which would have been possible without you.

We are proud to report that:

 Over 100,000 care packages were sent to our heroes so far in 2005

 Project Valour-IT will be able to provide laptops with voice recognition software to 1,000 brave heroes who have lost the use of their hand, arm or who have had an amputation

 Almost 800 transitional backpacks with essential personal items were provided to Landstuhl hospital for our wounded and ill heroes transitioned through Germany

 Blankets of Hope have provided thousands of blankets to our wounded, offering comfort to those who have given so much

 Family assistance has been provided to over 50 families including assistance with rent, food and other necessities

 Flights have been provided for over 100 families to be with their wounded hero upon return to the states from Germany

 Letter Writing Teams have sent out over 10,000 letters per month this year

 Operation Katrina helped match our brave soldiers returning from the Gulf with families who had been displaced by the storm. Assistance was also provided in helping families relocate, find housing and replace personal items

 Soldiers for Kids has shipped hundreds of boxes to help our heroes help the children who have been affected in Iraq and Afghanistan

 Angels Coast to Coast has grown and blossomed into a huge network of support

 Living Legends has reached out to the families of those heroes who paid the ultimate price to offer our condolences, words of support and a Living Tree donated to the families to be planted in memory of their lost loved one

 And so much more…

We have been able to provide boots to soldiers who were in great need. We have supplied Kevlar blankets when they were needed to line the floorboards and walls of unarmored Humvees. We have sent supplies to K-9 units who are often overlooked. We have sent supplies to medics and snake bite kits to soldiers responding to the disaster in New Orleans.

And most importantly, our members have reached out and touched the lives of the men and women of our Armed Forces. They have given of their time, money, hearts and souls to make sure that these heroes know we care and support them. We thank them for all that they do. Since 2003, Soldiers’ Angels has grown to over 60,000 members worldwide having adopted over 19,000 individual soldiers and lots of groups.

We could not have done any of this without the generous men, women and children who make up our organization or the incredibly generous people and companies that support Soldiers’ Angels and our mission. It is both a privilege and an honor to be able to provide this service and support to the brave men and women who fight for our freedom and democracy.

On behalf of Patti Bader and Ana-Marie Smith, I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a joyful and prosperous New Year.

With eternal gratitude,

Don MacKay

Donald William MacKay
Executive Director
Soldiers’ Angels