1217 fathers have been killed while serving in the military since 9/11
16 mothers have been killed
350+ children were below the age of 2 when their parent was killed
An event last year, Snowball Express, brought nearly 900 children and surviving spouses of military members killed since 9/11 to Orange County for an all expense paid weekend in Dec.
Lives were changed forever because of it.
You can visit http://www.snowballexpress.org to learn more about this year's event in which 1500 attendees will come again to Disneyland, the Oakley Corporation and to be entertained by Gary Sinise and his band, Lt Dan Band. Again all expenses paid for first time attendees and for returning families all expenses are paid once they arrive in California.
Corporations are donating to include Southwest Airlines, Bill White of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, both the Southwest Airlines Pilots and Flight Attendant's unions endorse the event as well as Rotary Clubs and the Ladies Auxiliary VFW have adopted our charity as one of their 5 youth services organizations they are supporting for '07-'08.
If you wish to sponsor a child or entire family, you can donate directly on the homepage of the website. It is only $500 per person to change a life and show these children they are not alone and Americans will not forget their sacrifice.
If you wish to sponsor a specific family, contact the foundation at [email protected] and we'll send you the bio on the nearest fallen hero to where you live. Helping their family attend is a great project for children wishing to do service projects, churches and individuals who simply want to help but don't know how. We can be that conduit to do so. Just contact us and we'll make it work.
If you know of children who have lost a parent, please have the surviving parent register to attend along with the children at www.snowballexpress.org.
Lastly visit this website to hear in the spouses and children's own words what this event meant to them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rY2XiUVW9c
If there are questions please write to [email protected] and you'll get a rapid response. You can also PM me if you have questions.
As one USMA '79 grad who recently sponsored a family to attend said to me, "The excitement in her voice when I told her she was returning was as if I was paying for her to go see her husband again for the weekend, I was overwhelmed with the excitement she had for attending....whatever your organization is providing, please continue to do so."
You can visit the download section of the website and downloade a brochure of this year's event, please share that and the website link with others.
I'll finish up with a letter from one of the attendees from last year's event and what it meant to her and her childen.
Dear Snowball Express,
Both of my boys were just quiet. They wouldn't talk to anyone or want to do anything. They thought their dad would be upset if they were happy. All of their friends had both parents and here they were with just one. And all because their dad was doing his job. They are really proud of him, they just don't understand. Still, till this day, they don't. But going to California for the weekend opened my boys up more. They now know they are not alone and they want to talk about it more. My boys are now more understanding and more loving and for the longest time I thought it would be a long time before I’d see their old selves again. I am grateful to Snowball Express. I lost my husband and I didn't want to lose my children. And now I have them and we are healing everyday. We have tough days and we sit down and talk about it. Before going to California they wouldn't talk to me at all. Thank you for helping me and my children. We will always be grateful to everyone that was there that weekend. You helped my family more than you'll ever know. Thank you. Sonya
16 mothers have been killed
350+ children were below the age of 2 when their parent was killed
An event last year, Snowball Express, brought nearly 900 children and surviving spouses of military members killed since 9/11 to Orange County for an all expense paid weekend in Dec.
Lives were changed forever because of it.
You can visit http://www.snowballexpress.org to learn more about this year's event in which 1500 attendees will come again to Disneyland, the Oakley Corporation and to be entertained by Gary Sinise and his band, Lt Dan Band. Again all expenses paid for first time attendees and for returning families all expenses are paid once they arrive in California.
Corporations are donating to include Southwest Airlines, Bill White of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, both the Southwest Airlines Pilots and Flight Attendant's unions endorse the event as well as Rotary Clubs and the Ladies Auxiliary VFW have adopted our charity as one of their 5 youth services organizations they are supporting for '07-'08.
If you wish to sponsor a child or entire family, you can donate directly on the homepage of the website. It is only $500 per person to change a life and show these children they are not alone and Americans will not forget their sacrifice.
If you wish to sponsor a specific family, contact the foundation at [email protected] and we'll send you the bio on the nearest fallen hero to where you live. Helping their family attend is a great project for children wishing to do service projects, churches and individuals who simply want to help but don't know how. We can be that conduit to do so. Just contact us and we'll make it work.
If you know of children who have lost a parent, please have the surviving parent register to attend along with the children at www.snowballexpress.org.
Lastly visit this website to hear in the spouses and children's own words what this event meant to them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rY2XiUVW9c
If there are questions please write to [email protected] and you'll get a rapid response. You can also PM me if you have questions.
As one USMA '79 grad who recently sponsored a family to attend said to me, "The excitement in her voice when I told her she was returning was as if I was paying for her to go see her husband again for the weekend, I was overwhelmed with the excitement she had for attending....whatever your organization is providing, please continue to do so."
You can visit the download section of the website and downloade a brochure of this year's event, please share that and the website link with others.
I'll finish up with a letter from one of the attendees from last year's event and what it meant to her and her childen.
Dear Snowball Express,
Both of my boys were just quiet. They wouldn't talk to anyone or want to do anything. They thought their dad would be upset if they were happy. All of their friends had both parents and here they were with just one. And all because their dad was doing his job. They are really proud of him, they just don't understand. Still, till this day, they don't. But going to California for the weekend opened my boys up more. They now know they are not alone and they want to talk about it more. My boys are now more understanding and more loving and for the longest time I thought it would be a long time before I’d see their old selves again. I am grateful to Snowball Express. I lost my husband and I didn't want to lose my children. And now I have them and we are healing everyday. We have tough days and we sit down and talk about it. Before going to California they wouldn't talk to me at all. Thank you for helping me and my children. We will always be grateful to everyone that was there that weekend. You helped my family more than you'll ever know. Thank you. Sonya
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