Wounded Warriors Family Support (a 501 (c) 3) Spreads Holiday Cheer With Its One Million Dollar Donation For Gary Sinise Foundation's R.I.S.E. Outreach

OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With the holiday season in full swing, Wounded Warriors Family Support (WWFS), led by its Founder and President Colonel John D. Folsom, USMCR,  announced its 2014 donation to the Gary Sinise Foundation (GSF) by earmarking one million dollars towards its R.I.S.E. Outreach (Restoring Independence and Supporting Empowerment) Smart Home building program.  Each Smart Home is customized to ease the daily challenges faced by severely wounded veterans and help restore their independence with features like retractable cook tops, cabinets and shelving, elevators and more, all accessible via an iPad.  The one million dollar donation was generated from the WWFS 2013 High Five Tour (www.highfivetour.com), during which a 2013 Mustang GT500 "Super Snake" took a five month journey traveling through more than 60 cities and making stops in 48 states raising funds and awareness for this important cause.

"We're honored to have Wounded Warriors Family Support stand side by side with the Gary Sinise Foundation," said Sinise. "Their past and present contributions continue to help better the lives for those who have sacrificed so much for our country."

The Gary Sinise Foundation serves the nation by honoring its defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities.  As the flagship program of GSF's R.I.S.E. Outreach, the Smart Home building program currently has 26 home construction projects in various stages, either completed, under construction or in the land acquisition/design phase.  Funds from the partnership between WWFS and GSF will be used to build custom Smart Homes for severely wounded veterans John Masson (US Army MSG) and his three children, Rusty Dunagan (US Army SGT) and his five children, and Jason Ross (US Marine Staff SGT) who has two children.

"It is an honor to support Gary and the Gary Sinise Foundation and the great work his team does to heal the wounds medicine cannot," said Folsom. "Gary 'gets it' and as a fellow Marine, I appreciate his selfless efforts to help those who have given so much for our country".

The WWFS supports the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. 

ABOUT THE GARY SINISE FOUNDATION:
The Foundation serves the nation by honoring its defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities.  These include its R.I.S.E. Outreach (Restoring Independence and Supporting Empowerment), whose flagship initiative is a custom Smart Home building project for severely wounded veterans.  Each home is customized to ease their daily challenges and help restore independence with features like retractable cook tops, cabinets and shelving, elevators and more, all accessible via an iPad.  Other programs include Relief & Resiliency Outreach, Invincible Spirit Festivals, Serving Heroes and Arts & Entertainment Outreach. The Foundation has also partnered with GE on their Get Skills to Work program to help veterans translate military skills into advanced manufacturing jobs while empowering employers with tools to recruit, onboard and mentor veterans. The Gary Sinise Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.  For more information, please visit www.garysinisefoundation.org.

ABOUT WOUNDED WARRIOR FAMILY SUPPORT:
Wounded Warriors Family Support is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations. Rated a three-star nonprofit by Charity Navigator, WWFS aids veterans and their families in healing the wounds that medicine cannot. The organization supports wounded veterans and their families, even after physical needs are met, to help them heal, recover and reconnect. We work to provide services and resources to combat-wounded veterans and their families that supplement those provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies. We also work with military and nonprofit partners to identify and fill gaps in services for wounded veterans and their families. For more information, please visit www.woundedwarriorsfamilysupport.org. 

SOURCE Gary Sinise Foundation