MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
We are patriotic citizens committed to serving our wounded, injured and ill combat veterans. We support Veterans, by building relationships and identifying and supporting immediate needs and interests. We are dedicated to promoting public awareness of the many sacrifices made by our Armed Forces.
Operation Second Chance is celebrating 19 years of service to our wounded, injured and ill Veterans, and active duty Purple Heart service members. What a blessing it is to serve those that have so selflessly served us. Our mission must continue. Many of our heroes are living at poverty levels. Many are facing eviction and utility shutoffs. They didn’t hesitate to sign up and serve our nation, now it is our turn to serve them. Let us never forget the many sacrifices made on behalf of our Armed Forces. Wounds last a lifetime’ and our heroes look to us for support.
Many of our Special Forces are involved in back-to-back deployments and need rest and respite. OSC is extremely blessed to own a wonderful property on the Maryland/Pennsylvania border, called Heroes Ridge. The 275-acre property which is situated at the top of a mountain has 4 cabins, a chow hall, recreation center, pool, horses, ATV’s and miles of trails to explore and ride horses or ATV’s. We love to spoil our heroes when they are at the ridge. Our retreats are set up to accommodate families, couples only, Veterans only, Battle Buddies, Gold Star Families and Female Veterans.
OSC continues to see an uptick in the need for emergency financial assistance. Since inception, OSC has provided more than 15.5 MM in emergency financial assistance and morale related activities to more than 15,000 individuals, with mortgage and rent payments, utility payments, vehicle payments, emergency travel and lodging, as well our our retreat programs.
We have an internship program where we have a presence in several states. Our interns do a great job of making sure our heroes have a place to go for activities and morale related activities.
We host retreats in MT, MI, NY, MD, PA, VA, TX, FL, DE, SD, ID, CO, OR, and NM
War does not discriminate. When a family member is wounded, those wounds trickle down to the youngest members of the family. At Operation Second Chance (OSC), we are doing our best to change lives, and to help our heroes move on with dignity and love.
We have maintained our ‘grassroots’ approach and never want to lose sight of where we came from or where we are going. Private fundraising efforts and grant continue to be the main source of our funding. Our Ride Allegheny (RA) partners have risen more than 6 million dollars since joining OSC in 2005! We commend their incredible efforts. We understand that service to those who have served begins at home and within each of us. The members of RA give so much of their time, energy, and funds to help OSC help our heroes move on.
My life has been so blessed over the years. Not a day passes when I don’t cry for our Veterans and wish I could do even more. I love our Veterans for all they stand for. I love our Veterans for their selflessness, their service, and their sacrifice, and we will never forget those Veterans that paid the ultimate price for our freedom, or the families that mourn them. It is with heartfelt thanks that I thank everyone that supports Operation Second Chance and our Veterans. May God continue to richly bless America and those that serve our great Nation.