Support the Men and Women Who Fight for Our Freedoms!

Disclosure / Disclaimer:  I received this info, free of charge,  from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations,for blog posting purposes. No compensation,  monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post/review. Nor was I told what to say, all opinions are my own, and yours may be different.

With Memorial Day in a couple of days away, I wanted to share a bit about someone who REALLY makes a difference for our men and women, who have served their country, and now need help, and 2 very wonderful organizations that are helping them return to their lives.

But first a few stats:

- More than 1.6 million military personnel have served in Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11 and hold veteran status.
- 253,330 service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.
- An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide each day. Those are sobering facts, but they are the REALITY that our veterans face.

Now let me tell you abotu someone who is helping these veterans:

Cym Lowell, is a former Vietnam Vet, a successful international tax attorney, and a thriller writer, who donates all the proceeds of his book sales to nonprofit organizations to help wounded warriors.

Cym Lowell has much to be thankful for: a devoted wife, wonderful children, beautiful and  healthy grandchildren, and great, personal success, beyond whatever he dreamed possible early in life. For Lowell, it truly is a wonderful life. His blessings came because he was free to fulfill them, thanks to the men and women who have helped to keep our country a place of dreams.

Cym gives back to the men and women who have served America, with every sale of his books via an nitiative he created called OPERATION: NEXT CHAPTER- a nonprofit organization who helps injured warriors returning from war, thru it's own activities, and support of other veterans organizations. Cym donates ALL PROFITS – 100 percent including printing costs -- from the sale of his books, to the program, His goal is to offer hope to the hopeless, light to those who cannot see, and ability back to our wounded warriors in helping to rebuild their lives.

Cym has raised more than $16,000 from the sale of Jaspar's War, and has provided more than 100 voice-activated laptops to the Soldiers’ Angels Project Valour-IT program. These laptops are for the severely wounded or injured who are not able to use their hands. "We are honored to be working with Cym, a true 'hero' who knows the meaning of giving and continues to give from his heart," said Jennifer Cernoch, Ph.D., vice president of Operations at Soldiers Angels'. You might be surprised which coporations support this great organization- I was! I urge you to check out their list of supporters and support those businesses!

Courtesy of Soldier's Angels

"We all have dreams," says Cym, "which need to be real and achievable. When dreams end, so does life. My goal is to make sure every soldier, Marine, airman and sailor, on the waiting list receives a laptop. We all know how essential it is to have a computer in the world of today.

Cym’s newest novel,  currently titled “Harvest of Gold” will come out later this be out early this year, and he will be continuing his philanthropic efforts of supporting our injured heroes with proceeds from it. On one of his many trips he heard about wounded military men and women who are on the waiting list for service dogs. So, with this book's proceeds, he has chosen to work with Patriot Paws, and organization that supplies service dogs to veterans. taught behaviors to assist someone who is mobility-impaired. 

Courtesy of Patriot Paws

These service dogs can pick up dropped items, provide bracing to get up and down, bring the phone, open doors, help with household chores such as laundry, go get help in an emergency, ease the effects of PTS and so much more, not the least of which is be a best friend and full-time companion. Funded entirely by private donations, the charity places service dogs with veterans free of charge (the application is available on their website, if you know of someone, who would like to apply). Each dog cost $27,000 to train, from puppyhood to placement. And right now the average waiting time from application for a dog, to getting a Patriot Paws service dog, is roughly two years, and usually there are about a 100 veterans on the waiting list. Fund and puppy trainers are needed! 


So if you are looking for a Father's Day gift idea, think about Cym, and pick up his books for Dad, knowing that you'll be giving back to one of these wonderful organizations. I also urge you to support both of them if you can!