My Nonprofit Reviews
Monica O.
Review for Operation Troop Appreciation, West Mifflin, PA, USA
In 2004, I decided it was time to do something for others and my preference was to help the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. I read an article about OTA founder, Kristen Holloway-Querriera, on the 4th of July and how she was starting a non-profit called Operation Troop Appreciation. I cut out the article intending to call her the next day and proceeded to an event at Soldiers and Sailors Hall in Pittsburgh. In a crowd of 1,500 people, Kristen was standing next to me. The rest is history. 6 years, 80,000 troops and $1M in monetary and in kind donations later, I am President of OTA and couldn't be more proud of the work we do, the people who give tirelessly in support of our troops and of the troops we serve.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
As President, I get to interact with the troops we help and with the donors, sponsors and volunteers who make it happen. I've seen the photos of our troops opening the boxes we send, full of "wish-list" items. I've read the letters telling our volunteers how much our gifts meant to them and how they provided a much needed morale boost as they experience extreme stress.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
I would find more time in the day to do even more for our troops and would find ways to bring more money into the organization. As a 100% volunteer non-profit, it can be challenging to balance our duties at OTA with our full time jobs.
