1. What if… You knew that a military family needed help?

2. What if… You could help that struggling military family keep their home, their car, their utilities?

3. What if… You could help a military spouse find job training and employment?

4. What if… You could provide the means to help a military family combat alcohol and drug abuse, divorce, suicide?

5. What if… You could make all of this possible for a military family for less than thirty cents a day?

7. You can.

8. Your support of H.E.R.O.E.S. Care can do these things and more. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care

9. Three well-established organizations have joined forces to provide comprehensive, caring support through a network of trained volunteers dedicated to the service of military families in the communities where they live. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care

10. Developed by a team of mental health care professionals in cooperation with the United States Navy, the H.E.R.O.E.S. Care program addresses physical needs, mental health concerns, and changes to the family employment dynamic. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care

11. Why H.E.R.O.E.S. Care? Subject experts agree that a dedicated local presence is the most effective method to address the problems experienced by a growing number of military families. The Veterans Administration model for support calls for a coordinated effort between existing non- government organizations. Until now, no program has been able to meet these two criteria in a meaningful and cost effective way.

12. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care How Does H.E.R.O.E.S Care Work? Each military family is assigned a specially trained Hometown Support Volunteer (HSV). The HSVs coordinate program services available through the partner agencies, coordinate community support, and provide a caring presence in the lives of the families they serve.

13. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care What Does H.E.R.O.E.S Care Do? The program supports members of the military and their families completely and proactively from pre-deployment and up to two years post-deployment, providing financial and material aid, job placement, family care, and mental health care services in the communities where they live. Never before has this level and scope of support been available in such a comprehensive and coordinated manner.

14. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care Applying the Power of Passionate Compassion in the Service of Military Families H.E.R.O.E.S. Care www.heroescare.org Give an Hour www.giveanhour.org Military Spouse Corporate Career Network www.msccn.org HEROES H omefront E nabling R elationships, O pportunities, and E mpowerment through S upport

15. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care H.E.R.O.E.S. Care, Inc. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care provides material and financial support for military families in need and acts as the administrator of the interface between the affiliated entities in the coordination of services. Since 2003, H.E.R.O.E.S. Care has served more than 100,000 military families through a network of more than 2500 volunteers.

16. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care Give an Hour Give an Hour A national network of mental health care providers who give an hour of their time each week to help members of the military and their families cope with the ‘unseen wounds’ associated with military service. With over 7,000 members and growing, these caring professionals provide millions of dollars in free mental health services to OIF/OEF veterans and others each year.

17. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care MSCCN MSCCN An award winning and nationally respected targeted service provider, Military Spouse Corporate Career Network is dedicated to finding meaningful employment for the spouses and care-givers of members of the armed services and for our wounded warriors, providing job training and placement and a host of other career building services.

18. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care Oversight and Peer Review The program was presented to senior military staff at the Pentagon on May 5 th of 2009 for advice and comment to ensure that the scope and design of H.E.R.O.E.S. Care would not interfere with any current program offered by the military or other governmental agency. The program has been presented at mental health care conferences across the nation for advice and comment, receiving enthusiastic and favorable reviews.

19. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care Emergency Care Giving Example A National Guardsman enrolled for Hometown Program Support prior to deployment. The H.E.R.O.E.S. Care Outpost Coordinator contacted Give and Hour to determine if a mental health care professional affiliate was available in the service member’s small home town. When it was determined that none were available in the immediate area, a provider was recruited and provided continuing education about military culture and the most recent research about PTSD and TBI. Shortly after his return, the Guardsman called the H.E.R.O.E.S. Care toll-free number. It was evident he was suicidal. His Give an Hour provider was called and within 18 minutes the two were in contact with one another.

20. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care Long Term Care Giving Example A retired Navy pilot lost his position with a major airline. Shortly thereafter, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. He joined the reserves in order to obtain medical benefits. He was almost immediately deployed, leaving his wife at home alone. A caregiver was assigned to the family who was a breast cancer survivor. After a few weeks of follow-up phone contacts, the caregiver was invited into the home. She came to learn that shortly before her husband lost his position with the airline, the couple had purchased a ‘fixer upper’ house in need of significant repairs. The caregiver arranged for the Nehemiah Builders to make repairs and in two weekends the house was completely refurbished. One of the tradesmen involved in the project was also a Boy Scout leader with a troop in need of a service project. The grass was cut, the leaves were raked, and snow was removed during the entire deployment. The wife was required to travel over 100 miles each way for her cancer treatments. The caregiver arranged for volunteers to drive her to and from her weekly appointments. The caregiver arranged for women to prepare nutritionally appropriate meals and every two days these volunteers would have dinner with her and leave additional prepared meals to encourage her to eat properly, an important part of the treatment and recovery process.

21. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care Program Results to Date Beta test survey data revealed that 73% of care receivers experienced no deterioration in well-being as a result of deployment. Of these, 51% reported an actual improvement in well-being. As of January 2014, seventeen suicides have been prevented and more than 100 couples have engaged in marriage counseling to successfully avoid family dissolution. It is likely these numbers are much higher. Due to the confidential nature of caregiving, only those client families who choose to share their stories publicly are included in published results.

22. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care Next Steps Since its inception, the program has trained and conducted background checks on over 2100 caregivers and leaders in 26 states. Each month, additional care providers are trained and certified to engage members of the military and their families registered in the program. Efforts are underway to establish housing and educational programs in coordination with other veteran centric organizations. The strategic plan calls for the expansion of the program into all 48 contiguous states by 2015.

23. H.E.R.O.E.S. Care To learn more about this innovative and unprecedented program, visit www.heroescare.org contact us at president@heroescare.org