Official Launch of War Kids Relief

On November 10, 2005 the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation officially launched their newest program, War Kids Relief. For those who have been following these efforts you will know that we conceived this as an orphans and street kids project for Baghdad earlier this past summer. Through the hard work and mentoring of seasoned humanitarians, I was able to develop the current program and model for War Kids Relief.
We officially launched at the VVAF Torch for Tomorrow Awards in NYC, and just last night were featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams during the "Making a Difference" segment. The response to our cause is overwhelming and I can hardly express how I appreciate everyone's kind words and contributions.
Developing this program has been an educational experience as we worked closely with UNICEF, USAID, Work Bank, Kidsave, Save the Children, and other wonderful organizations who are working closely to improve the lives of children throughout the world. From what I witnessed in combat and through this work we discovered that children in armed conflict were, in most places, left to fend for themselves. That is the void that War Kids Relief will fill, providing the children hope for a better future.
Seeing War Kids Relief on national television was extremely rewarding and a wonderful way to spread the message to millions of viewers across America. Now that War Kids Relief is an official program with a true working model for helping the children of Iraq, the real work lies ahead. We must now begin to improve the lives of Iraq's children and teach them the tools necessary for rebuilding that country before insurgents teach them to use weapons to destroy it.
For more information on War Kids Relief or to donate to our efforts, please go to the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation homepage, http://www.vvaf.org. Stay tuned for future updates.