ARM Vets Charity Gives Out More Than $80K to Military Veterans

ARMing Heroes, the collection industry’s charity for military veterans, today announced that it raised more than $80,000 in 2014, with most funds received during its 2014 No Debts for Vets Charity Fundraising Drive. Generous ARM industry donors came out in force, showing their staunch support of veterans facing financial difficulties.  Nearly four dozen grants were awarded, most of which were disbursed just before the holidays through direct grants payable to the creditors of grant recipients.

For one such vet, Daniel Hof, his much-needed grant could not have come at a better time.

Daniel served in the Ohio Army National Guard for nine years, during which he was mobilized and deployed to both Kuwait and Iraq. After his separation from service, Daniel returned to his wife and children struggling with a service-connected disability and unemployment, and decided to pursue his bachelor’s degree in the hopes of securing gainful employment and improving his family’s quality of life. However, with mounting expenses and limited income, Daniel was forced to use credit cards to help make ends meet and quickly accumulated a significant amount of delinquent debt, which proved to be an obstacle in his job search.

Daniel Hof

Looking for any help through this challenging time, Daniel applied for a grant from ARMing Heroes, and, in December of last year, he learned his grant was approved. Upon hearing the good news, Daniel had this to say:

“I want to sincerely thank the supporters behind ARMing Heroes for making such a wonderful program possible.  Like many families recently, we relied on credit to bridge tough financial times and then struggled to meet those debt obligations.  This grant will break some of those chains holding me back and allow me to move forward with my next steps.  There are many ways to thank or help veterans – the ones that offer a hand up rather than just a hand out are the truly special ones.”

Throughout 2015, ARMing Heroes plans to spotlight additional grant recipients and how the charity was able to help ease their financial burdens. Hundreds of unemployed, underemployed, and disabled veterans apply each year, all hoping for a grant to help fill the gap between income and expenses, for needs that are largely unmet by government programs or even by other military charities.

Stories of past grant recipients like Rhyan Miller and Chris Cleland remind us all how rewarding this program can be.

ARMing Heroes relies on the generosity of ARM industry companies across the country to make this grant program possible. This year’s outpouring of support from donors may be in response to the organization’s first-time offering of an Employee Fund Drive Starter Kit, which made it easier than ever for companies to successfully institute a company-wide fundraiser. The charity also introduced customized Donor Dog Tags as incentives for companies to get involved and commemorate employee support, and as seen here, the response was nothing short of positive. Interested companies can learn more about the Employee Fund Drive Starter Kit and Donor Dog Tags here.

The charity’s flagship No Debts for Vets Charity Fundraising Drive runs from September 11^th through Veterans Day, November 11^th every year.  Tax-deductible donations are accepted online any time at www.armingheroes.org and via mail to PO Box 353, Collingswood, NJ 08108, payable to ARMing Heroes. Pledges may be made to info@armingheroes.org.  Any amounts pledged or donated now will be applied to the 2015 drive.

About ARMing Heroes

ARMing Heroes was founded and began operating in March, 2009.  The organization’s mission is to serve the needs of U.S. military veterans, including their spouse and children. ARMing Heroes fills a charitable niche by linking people identified with employment, credit, and financial counseling needs with the accounts receivable management industry, an industry uniquely poised to help in these areas.  Persons interested in volunteering their time and others interested in applying for benefits or pledging other forms of support are encouraged to contact the organization at www.armingheroes.org.

What Can I Do Right Now to Help?

• Visit www.armingheroes.org and donate now.
• Friend us and post this article to your page on Facebook.
• Tweet about this article on Twitter.
• Join our group on LinkedIn, the ARMing Heroes Veterans Charity Supporter / Assistance Center.
• Comment on this article online and ask us to contact you.
• Forward this article via email to your key contacts.
• Print this article and fax it to your local congressional office and ask them to post our website on theirs as a resource for vets.