Project Valour-IT ~ Support OUR Injured Troops in their Recovery!!! Go TEAM ARMY!

Soldiers' Angels has been designated a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity by the IRS.  Donations are tax-deductible and may be eligible for matching funds from donors' employers (ask your employer).Please include your name, address, phone number and email address with donations by mail.  Send your donation by mail to: Soldiers' Angels
Project Valour-IT Fund, 1792 E. Washington Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91104. Donors may choose to sponsor a wounded soldier currently on the laptop waiting list. All funds received go directly to our wounded troops; 100% of your donation to Project Valour-IT will be used to purchase laptops and other technology that will support recovery and provide independence and freedom to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.  

• 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.

The experience of Major Chuck Ziegenfuss, a partner in the project who suffered serious hand wounds while serving in Iraq, illustrates how important these laptops and other technologies can be to a wounded service member's recovery.

Blackfive is once again leading the ARMY team in a friendly competition among the military branches/milbloggers to raise funds for Project Valour IT -http://www.blackfive.net/main/2009/10/valourit-fundraiser-on-the-way.html#comments

 I have joined the Army team...

Team Leaders

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I work at the Men's and Women's Trauma Recovery Program at The Menlo Park VA. Our program's mission is to serve military men and women who are suffering from the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. On behalf of our entire program, I want to personally thank you for donating the WII Fit. The Wii gaming system offers opportunities for our patients to actively interact with one another, which is different from other gaming systems. For example four people can actually play tennis or baseball, which helps them engage with one another, and reduce isolation. The Wii fit will allow our patients to actively exercise with others and gives them another avenue to engage in healthy habits. With your donation, you are working with us to help support each person's recovery and building the foundation for a better quality of life for our veterans and active duty service members. - Melissa Puckett, Recreation Therapist/Supervisor, January 2009

Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog (an online personal diary, opinion forum, or news analysis site-called a milblog or military weblog when written by a servicemember or about military subjects). Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss' fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.

A fellow blogger (blog author) who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of providing laptops with voice-controlled software to wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.

In sharing their thoughts, CPT Ziegenfuss (now a Major) and FbL found that memories of their respective fathers were a motivating factor in their work with the project. Both continue their association with this project in memory of the great men in their lives whose fine examples taught them lasting lessons of courage and generosity.

In the years since its founding in 2005, the project has acted to meet emerging needs and its mission of supporting the the severely wounded has expanded.  In addition to voice-controlled laptops, Valour-IT now helps provide active and whole-body video games such as Wii Sports, which is used to great effect in physical therapy,  and personal GPS systems that help compensate for short-term memory loss and organizational/spacial challenges common in those with brain injuries.

Major Ziegenfuss