The
number ONE request at Walter Reed hospital is phone cards. The
government doesnąt pay LD phone charges and these guys, many of them amputees,
are rationing their calls home.
Many
will be there throughout the holidays.
From Eric Bagai - Chapter 72
Here's the poop on pre-paid calling cards for wounded and hospitalized US military people.
This takes a little explaining, so stay with me.
The various branches each have their own support groups that supply pre-paid
calling cards to deployed & overseas troops. However, there is one
support group, the Fisher House Foundation, that supplies cards to the wounded
and hospitalized rather than to active duty troops in general or to those in a
specific branch of the military.
There are two ways of getting pre-paid calling cards to Fisher House.
1. Buy cards locally, put them in an envelope, and send them to:
Fisher House™ Foundation, Inc.
1401 Rockville Pike, Suite 600
Rockville, MD 20852
2. Order cards on-line, making them directly available to Fisher House.
The web procedure is a little complicated, but not impossible.
Read the general description of cards available, and then scroll down to the
section that says
and click on that link.
You will now see the order form for pre-paid cards. Find the icon
for the number of minutes and number of cards that you want to purchase,
and click on its "purchase" button.
This takes you to the form where you fill out payment information. The
top of that page has all the various support groups listed, and the one for
Fisher House will already be checked, or it should be. Fill out the
required payment information and complete the purchase, and Fisher House will get
a card to give to a wounded or hospitalized member of the armed forces so
that they can call home. They also provide cards to service people in
stateside hospitals located far from their families.
Sorry, but that's the easiest way to do it on-line.
Why is this a particularly good idea? Because:
A. The VA does not cover long distance costs.
B. This is a way we can support the vets without supporting
the war.
C. It is a kind and charitable thing to do, and you'll feel
better for it.
FYI, Fisher House has some 32 hostels situated near Military and VA
hospitals around the world, where they put up visiting families for $10 per
night, or less. Fisher House also buys airline tickets for families that
otherwise can't afford the cost of visiting their hospitalized military family
members.
As a charitable foundation, they have 93% flow-though, which means that only
7% of the funds they raise go for administration and fundraising. Among
such foundations, 85% flow-through is considered good. One of their big
supporters is Paul Newman's collection of food manufacturers.
Eric
VFP Chapter 72 - Oregon