July 2020 Newsletter

Summer Stress? Relax with this Great Read on Us

Let\’s face it, 2020 has been a turbulent year across America and across the globe. Sometimes a good book can be a welcome escape from life\’s troubles that why we want to share with you author DJ Colbert\’s 5-star rated The Girl with 35 Names Audiobook and E-book, both available for free download! Dive in to the story of Molly, a brave young woman who escaped the terrors of her homeland to begin a new life in America.

The newly published The Girl with 35 Names has already received a lot of positive buzz and has been nominated for the prestigious “Book of the Month”  from BookBaby publishing. Acclaimed author DJ Colbert is currently working with JJ Harrington, an award winning screen writer and director in the UK, to adapt her novel for a two-part big screen theatrical release. A streaming series is also in the works which will showcase the individual women whom Molly is named for, so look forward to a deeper dive into the lives of 35 unique and independent women after whom Molly is named.

Molly is inspired by DJ Colbert\’s own grandmother Malkah who was born in a small Russian village but The Girl with 35 Names Names incorporates a bit of magical whimsy when ten-year old Molly discovers a pair of very special spectacles peeking out from a muddy field. When Molly dons the spectacles, something quite unexpected happens, and life for Molly will never be quite the same. Join us in enjoying to story of Molly as she flees her homeland for a new life in America.

Don\’t be shy, you can share this free download of The Girl with 35 Names with your friends and loved ones and the free downloads are available to all our troops looking to fill a few rare moments of downtime as well.

Enjoy this great Summer read on us, and thanks as always to DJ Colbert and her amazing team for making this possible!

Can You Help Us Out With Your Review?

If you love our work then tell the world! Stories about us from people like you will help us make an even bigger impact in our community. If you have sponsored a package, received a MAF care package or been one of our great volunteers, we need you!

GreatNonprofits – the #1 source of nonprofit stories and feedback – is honoring highly regarded nonprofits with their 2020 Top-Rated List. Won’t you help us raise visibility for our work by posting a brief story of your experience with us? All content will be visible to potential donors and volunteers. It’s easy and only takes 3 minutes! Go here to get started! https://greatnonprofits.org/reviews/write/move-america-forward

GreatNonprofits, is the #1 place for people to share great stories of the amazing work done by nonprofits, like Move America Forward. GreatNonprofits started its Top-Rated Awards program in 2010 and it is now widely known as the most influential \”people\’s choice\” awards for outstanding nonprofits, large and small. So please help us out to maintain our great standing for 2020!

A Taste of Home Thanks to Girl Scouts Gift of Caring

The Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana have joined our five year collaboration with Girl Scouts Gift of Caring program to donate tens of thousands of delicious Girl Scout Cookies to our troops through our care package program.

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MAF is please to welcome Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana to our list of councils throughout the country who donate cookies to be shipped in our packed full of goodies and essential care packages just from our troops! Thanks to The Girl Scouts of Great Chicago and Northwest Indiana, our liaison there, Carl Canale, Assistant Vice President of Product Program and the Girl Scout Gift of Caring program we will receive over 12,000 packages of cookies to include in our amazing care packages.

The Gift of Caring Program is set up to allow Girl Scouts to sell a virtual box of cookies, so when a patron purchases a box of cookies, that buyer can elect to dedicate boxes to go to a variety of great causes, including our care package program. So for example through a cookie booth sale or a local Girl Scout, a person can buy one of a variety of yummy flavors, including the Thin Mint or iconic Trefoils that they get to take home and much to their hearts content, but they also have the option to purchase a box of cookies that will be distributed through the Girl Scout Gift of Caring Program to lucky groups like Move America Forward so we can make sure our troops get a little piece of the action,

According to Carl Canale \”We really love hearing from our troops who tell us again and again that received Girl Scout Cookies in a care package is like a taster of home and how much that matters to them.\”

We love hearing back from our troops and hearing about just how much they appreciate the support from back home and all those tasty cookies.

Wounded Warrior Project Alumni Miss Volunteering but Still Come Through with Support

For many years, groups of Wounded Warrior Alumni of California have helped us pack and ship packages. These combat Veterans know the importance of receiving support while serving far from home.

Since we currently cannot have volunteers in to help us pack boxes out of an abundance of caution, WWP alumni decided they still missed helping our their brothers and sisters in arms. So making lemonade out of lemons, WWP decided to send MAF a nice big shipment of supplies including personal care items like toothbrushes, soap, body wipes, and treats like ramen noodles and more to include in our care package (along with the Girl Scout Cookies) and lots of other items .

As we navigate our way through these very challenging times here on the home front, we keep our focus on our mission of supporting our deployed troops serving far from home. Thanks to Wounded Warrior Project alumni of California, our mission is just a little bit more achievable. Thanks heroes!

Photo of the Month