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Rescue Task Force’s Happy Hearts for Hurting Heroes supports our
Armed Services Members with ongoing projects:
BUILDING BACK PACKS FOR THE WOUNDED
(Click here for printable Back Pack flyer and contents list)
- Severely wounded Marines, Soldiers, Airman and Sailors are often med-evaced within three days of being injured. In the process they are separated from their personal belongings and arriving stateside in a hospital gown, sometimes in the field uniform (BDU) that they were wearing when injured. They receive great medical care from hospital staff and great apprecition from Rescue Task Force's Back Packs.
- Rescue Task Force delivers unique Back Packs full of necessities including warm sweats, t-shirts, flip flops, full shaving bag and much more. Many go directly into isolation/quarantine and are alone, seperated from family, fellow team members and face an unknown future. Each Back Pack also contains “Heart Medicine” - entertainment items including cell phone & minutes, Gameboy & games, CD player & CD’s and most important, a letter of Thanks to let them know they are NOT forgotten.
To date RTF has delivered 212 Back Packs
More Back Packs are needed… many more.
Each Back Pack costs over $600.00
Balboa Hospital specializes in amputee patients, Walter Reed accents on brain and spinal cord trauma and Brooke specializes in burn patient care. Our short term goal is to deliver ten to fifteen Back Packs per month to Balboa Naval Hospital and Walter Reed Hospital is requesting fifty a month. The long term goal is to provide Back Packs to Brooke Army Hospital and to all hospitals receiving war wounded and those wounded and/or disabled who support the mission.
“When the troops are med-evaced from overseas to our facility due to injuries, they often arrive alone, scared, and without any of their personal belongings. The backpacks from the Rescue Task Force provide many of these essential items they have left behind as well as boosting their morale and showing them that their sacrifice is greatly appreciated.”
Debra Banks, MD
LT / MC USN
Balboa Naval Hospital
“Thank you guys for doing this. We know it makes a HUGE difference. When my daughter and I were at Armed Services YMCA meeting at Balboa Hospital we saw one of the Back Packs. We are so proud we had a small part in something so wonderful.”
Yvonne Cates
San Diego
Locally, through our Happy Hearts for Hurting Heroes Rescue Task Force has also:
- Delivered $20,000 worth of television VHS / DVD combo sets to wounded Marines and Sailors at Camp Pendleton and Balboa hospitals. The TV project was followed-up with thousands of DVD movies and games.
- Purchased and delivered Play Station II game sets and DVD players for wounded service members hospitalized at Balboa Naval Hospital.
- In March we received a semi truck load of donated Nexxus products valued at over $183,000. The tons of salon grade hair care items were then donated to local military families and local area charities that serve seniors and operate women’s shelters.
Many of the nonprofit organizations that received these goods focus their efforts on helping underprivileged children. Clairemont Emmanuel Baptist Church Volunteer Janice McKinnon said the donation of hair care products will go a long way, because, donation funds can now be spent on other important things. “The Clairemont Church has a ministry in Mexico. They go to the orphanages in Tijuana that clean up the kids down there that are totally neglected. This shampoo and conditioner will give lots of little orphaned kids clean detangled hair,” said McKinnon.
The little things can make a big difference said Rosemary Johnston, Interfaith Shelter Network Program Director. Johnston said her agency offers shelter programs for homeless battered women with children. She said when money is tight many of her agency’s clients have to make difficult choices. “They all have extremely low incomes, and these kinds of items are a luxury. And, you know, they have to choose between buying milk and buying hair conditioner,” Johnston said.
Loading Nexxus Hair Care products for distribution to local military families
Your help with additional funding to RTF will enable us to receive many such semi-truck loads and shipping containers of high value commodities for LOCAL distribution to worthy causes.
TO ALL WHO SERVE OUR COUNTRY,
THANK YOU!