1 person found this review helpful
Review from Guidestar MARINEPARENTS COM INC
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August 28, 2011
1 person found this review helpful
I am a client, a donor, and, I guess, a volunteer for MarinParents.com, because I will try to do whatever I can to support this community of Marine parents. I'm a Marine mom, with his son preparing for his second deployment. I donate throughout the year whenever I can, and have designated MarineParents.com as my payroll deduction in my company's annual Giving campaign.
This non-profit was started by a Marine mom more than 8 years ago, when her son started his Marine journey, and she discovered it was almost impossible to find a place where Marine parents could get honest, reliable information and support. Over the years, she and her team have built this organization into an international source for all family members, with a deep on-line library for every phase in the Marine life. In addition, when it became apparent that there was a need for a service that didn't exist they filled: care packages to thousands of deployed Marines every year, coordination of letters of support to wounded warriors by request, services for all members of a Purple Heart family -- home cooked meals for the wounded warriors, information and organizational support for the family members trying to track all the medical information, personal support for the members and their families, including simple things like moving help, babysitting, clothes adapted to fit over prosthetics. They also have a private and very rich support environment for Gold Star families -- those who have lost a Marine in war.
Besides all that, they host the richest on-site community of Marine families that I've ever seen. A place where you are not alone in the middle of the night when you can't sleep because your son is deployed.
It's a wonderful place.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I am a very active member of MarineParents.com family network, where I receive counsel and support for more experienced parents, and do my best to provide support to those just starting out on their Marine family journey. I have been the recipient of private counsel from their various experienced moderators during difficult times with my son.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
There is nothing I would change, except to allow them to grow their funding for their Purple Heart Family Support program so they could expand their services beyond the two main hospitals they serve, Balboa on the West Coast, and Bethesda/Walter Reed on the East Coast. There is no other program like it!
1 person found this review helpful
May 21, 2010
1 person found this review helpful
My name is Connie McClellan. I am the mother of Marine CPL. John McClellan. On Sept 26, 2006 John was shot through the head by a sniper while serving in Iraq. Immediately, while John was at Bethesda Nat'l Naval Medical Center, John began receiving the first of hundreds of get well cards from the volunteers of Marine Parents. Further, while we were at the hospital, Marine Parents had a wonderful meal for the families of the injured as well as some of the injured themselves who were able to attend the dinners. Marine Parents is ALL about our injured, of all brances of service. Since this time, I have been involved in the packing of 'care' packages that Marine Parents organizes no less than 4 times a year. Thousands of packages are assemble and shipped by Marine Parents and volunteers every year.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Marine Parents was there for our family every step of the way during my son, John's recovery.Also they funded John's participation in the Marine Corps Marathon, in October of 2009. This event provided an extreme boost to John's self esteem.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
I can't think of a thing to improve the performance and purpose of this organization. Marine Parents and their founder, Tracy Della Veccia have NOTHING but the best interest of our service men and women in EVERYTHING they do.
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
The benefit of meals while my Marine son was recovering from a sniper shot through the head while serving in Iraq
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
All of the staff and volunteers of Marine Parents have the same heart: Do everything possible to help our Marines in very dept imaginable.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Oh my...it could expand it's website to include a private venue for service people to correspond with each other. It could do even more to help our Marines (and other service people as well) to deal with issues such as Post Traumatic stress syndrome.
Ways to make it better...
It could have been better if Marine Parents had the funds to provide more meals for our family and other families. Meals at the hospital are very difficult to come by (except for McDonalds) on the weekends as everything in the hosptial shuts down.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
funding, of course.
One thing I'd also say is that...
Marine Parent's goal, in my opinion, is to pick up where the government leaves off in treatments and resources for our Marines and soldiers.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
1 person found this review helpful
May 20, 2010
1 person found this review helpful
MarineParents was my lifeline of support when I first learned my son enlisted in the USMC. As a person entirely unfamiliar with being the parent of a Marine meant, I found information and support on the RecruitParents Message Board. After my son graduated from bootcamp, MarineParents was still there to provide answers about post-bootcamp training, PDS assignments and deployments. I also discovered their Outreach Programs that include programs such as Purple Heart Family Support™, The Care Package Project™, Operation PAL™, Operation Freedom Ballot™, Gold Star Family Support™, Combat Recovery™, etc. All of these programs offer even more support to Marines and their families who are at all different stages in their journey with the USMC. I'm not sure how I would have handled being a Marine Mom without the help, support, advice, caring and concern of MarineParents.com and its members and programs. I am extremely honored to be a member of the Board of Directors and hope to be able to help continue and expand the services offered to Marines as well as their families and communities.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I experience the results of this organization every minute I am awake!
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
I have enjoyed the people who I have met there and the wonderful feelings that exist when volunteers and members of the organization reach out and help a Marine or Marine family member.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
filled with unmatched compassion, dedication, caring and concern for their fellow Marine family members.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Expand many Outreach Programs to help wounded troops and their families at many more hospitals around the USA. We could send more Care Packages to troops, more often. We could add more resources for our vets who suffer from PTSD, TBI and other injuries.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every week
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2005
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