10 February 2009

New Valour-IT grant awarded to Soldiers' Angels

Great news!

Valour-IT grant awarded to Soldiers' Angels

For the second time in three years, Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT has received a grant from the San Antonio Area Foundation (SAAF) through SAAF's Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment (TRIAD).

The grant of $210,000 is expected to purchase at least 300 laptops, which will be distributed to wounded veterans at San Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) or living in the surrounding area. The computers will be used for communication, post-military employment preparation and physical and occupational therapy, and will be fitted with adaptive technology from the Department of Defense for severely injured users, including voice-control. As one of the largest treatment facilities for wounded veterans in America, BAMC is a major hub for Project Valour-IT and Soldiers' Angels works closely with caseworkers there to identify recovering service members in need of a laptop.

Wounded veteran and Valour-IT co-creator Chuck Ziegenfuss knows firsthand the power of Valour-IT. He reported that using a voice-controlled laptop while he recovered was "the first time I felt whole since I'd woken up wounded."

This is the third SAAF/TRIAD grant for Soldiers' Angels, forming a growing bond and furthering the reach of Project Valour-IT, which has already distributed 3,000 laptops nationwide. "With the money from this grant we will be able to touch many more heroes who need Valour-IT Laptops," said Veterans Support team leader, Twyla Choate. "Soldiers' Angels is thrilled to once again be given the opportunity to help those who have done so much for us."

In 2007, Valour-IT received a $150,000 grant from TRIAD. Soldiers' Angels proudly salutes the work of official volunteer grant writer Cheryl Walker, who wrote both of the TRIAD grant applications for Valour-IT.

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