Message Center

To honor the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, the Little Angels Children’s Folk Ballet of Korea will kick off a 16-nation tour this June to honor and thank veterans for their sacrifices.

Free tickets are being offered to veterans and their families for the performances June 9 and 10 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. While priority will be given to Korean War veterans and their families, all veterans will be offered complimentary tickets for the performances on a first-come, first-served basis. A maximum of 4 complimentary tickets will be offered for each veteran and his or her family.

The Little Angels’ tour will begin in the prestigious Kennedy Center’s Opera House in Washington, D.C., with four performances from June 9-12, all beginning at 7:30 p.m. The first two performances on June 9 and 10 will be benefits for the veterans. The third and fourth performances on June 11 and 12 will be public events for which tickets must be purchased. All public tickets will be at a reduced rate as a tribute to the Korean War veterans.

To request your complimentary tickets, fill out this form and e-mail it to KW60tickets@gmail.com.

We’re not choosing sides here, but if you’re in the market for some appliances,  hardware, tools, or building supplies, both Lowe’s and Home Depot are now offering their military discounts year-round!

In addition, both companies have long-standing programs geared toward hiring servicemembers (both active duty and retired) and their spouses, and supporting military charities.  Supporting our troops, one purchase at a time!

Check it out:

• The Home Depot offers a year-round, 10 percent discount, up to a $500 maximum, to all active duty military personnel, reservists, retired or disabled veterans and their immediate families. We offer this discount to thank them for their outstanding service to this nation and to help make their homes more comfortable and safe. Customers requesting the discount should present a valid military ID. This discount is not available for our online shoppers or in addition to existing discounts or promotions.
• Lowe’s Companies, Inc. announced today it will expand its support of the military by offering an all day, every day 10 percent discount to all military personnel who are active, reserve, retired or disabled veterans and their family members, with a valid, government-issued military ID card.

  All other military veterans will receive the discount on the Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Veterans Day weekends. The discount is available on in-stock and Special Order purchases up to $5,000. Excluded from the discount are sales via Lowes.com, previous sales, and purchases of services or gift cards.

Transitioning military veterans will have the chance to receive financial and career assistance in 2010 through the “Gradient Gives Back” Community Outreach Program. The program, launched by Gradient Financial Group, the country’s leading financial services firm, and Afterburner, the global leader in organizational execution, aims to help the 220,000 military veterans transitioning into civilian life this year.

Gradient and Afterburner are seeking up to 50 transitioning military veterans across the U.S. to earn a seat at one of three Veteran Transition Assistance Boot Camps. These fully-immersive, three-day courses will help transition military veterans into civilian life through Afterburner’s military-to-business vernacular training, coaching and career placement.

Top candidates from each boot camp will be vying for select positions with Afterburner’s network of Fortune 500 clients and will be awarded two years-worth of financial services from Gradient, which will include asset analysis, risk tolerance assessment, retirement planning, home mortgage origination, tax planning, and debt review and reduction strategies.

One deserving military veteran will be selected in late 2010 to receive the Ultimate Financial Gift – six months of mortgage/lease payments; waiver of home mortgage origination or refinancing fees; debt reduction; free tax planning and filing of 2010 and 2011 taxes; and career counseling and guidance!

To learn more about Gradient Gives Back Community Outreach Program or to nominate a deserving veteran in your community, visit: www.gradientgivesback.com. Follow us on Twitter @gradientgives.

Military Air Assets Exhibition & Conference (MAASEC) is taking place March 30-31 at the Prime F. Osborn, III Convention Center in Jacksonville, Fla.

Attendees from DoD, DHS, program managers, international partners, vendors, and academia will unite to discuss joint initiatives, individual programs and share best practices in support of the U.S. military aviation community. View hundreds of never-before-seen products and solutions, attend innovative sessions on the Main Conference and Presentation Theater, and network with your peers during the cocktail reception.

All military and government personnel will benefit from the VIP Club Lounge – stocked with food, beverages and a quiet place to conduct business meetings.

Register to attend today and use code “MOAA” to receive 25% off the Main Conference or a Free Expo Pass. During the month of February, use the code “MOAA Travel” and receive a $100 travel voucher when attending the event.

The Department of Defense (DoD) will launch the 2010 Military Saves Campaign with Military Saves Week, February 21-28, 2010.

The Campaign is conducted annually in cooperation with the official DoD Financial Readiness Campaign nonprofit partner, the Consumer Federation of America, as part of the larger nationwide America Saves Campaign. Reducing debt and saving for the future are two goals all military, Military Saves members, and their families can start working towards immediately. This campaign offers encouragement and guidance to motivate military families to start building financial wealth today.

Members can set a savings goal and take the saving pledge by registering on Military Saves. Take the pledge now!

Free Tax Preparation Available

Military OneSource brings you H&R Block At Home® (formerly TaxCut) online tax filing through the Military OneSource website and telephonic tax consultations.  Prepare your 2009 state and federal taxes with this easy-to-use program. Provided by the DoD, H&R Block At Home® is available for free to active duty, National Guard, and Reserve service members and their families.

Tax consultants are available seven days a week from 7AM-11PM ET by calling the Military OneSource Tax Hotline at 1-800-730-3802. Please Note:  You must use the link on the Military OneSource website to access the customized product and create an account.  Do not go to the public H&R Block website to create a user account.

The Feb. 17 deadline for students to apply for the 2010 Scholarships for Military Children Program is fast approaching. All students interested and eligible to apply are encouraged to gather their materials and submit their applications as soon as possible.

One of the materials needed includes an essay on the following topic: “You can travel back in time, however, you cannot change events. What point in history would you visit and why?”

Applications are available in commissaries worldwide and directly at http://www.militaryscholar.org. Applications must be turned in to a commissary by close of business Feb. 17. At least one scholarship will be awarded at every commissary location with qualified applicants.

Be sure to check for full eligibility requirements when applying! And hurry, you have a week left!

The National Financial Capability Challenge is a non-monetary awards program designed to increase the financial knowledge and capability of high-school aged youth across the United States. It challenges youth to take control of their financial future by learning more about personal finance, and it challenges teachers and schools to incorporate the important information and topics into their curricula. The program encourages schools to get involved in financial fitness. All teachers who sign up to participate in the Challenge will receive a “teachers’ toolkit” to help them incorporate the topics into their curricula.

In March 2010 students will take a voluntary online exam designed to illustrate the relevance of financial capability, allow students to demonstrate what they have learned, and assess their financial knowledge. In April, top scoring students from each school will receive awards. In addition, a select group of outstanding schools and educators will be recognized.

All U.S. high-school aged students (ages 13-19) are encouraged to take part in the Challenge. Teachers, schools, school districts, home-school parents, and youth groups can register to participate.

To register:

If you are a high school teacher, home-school parent, youth group leader, principal or superintendent, you can sign up for the Challenge.

If you are a student, please encourage your teacher or group leader to sign up starting December 15, 2009!

Check out the official National Financial Capability Challenge site for more details on this free program!

Give a little, and get a little back!

With the final months of winter upon us and some of the coldest temperatures yet to be faced, it is important for Americans to remember those who do not have a warm home, 23 percent of whom are military veterans*. At a time when these veterans need help the most, Sears is rallying support for them. Today the retailer announced it has teamed up with AMVETS to support “Operation Blanket,” a program created to collect blankets that will be distributed to military veterans.

Customers are invited to show their support and donate gently used blankets from Jan. 31 through Feb. 18 at a Sears store  in one of the states participating in “Operation Blanket”:  California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

In exchange for their donation, Sears will provide each customer with a coupon for 20 percent off any one home fashion or home décor item, or a coupon for 10 percent off any one housewares, luggage or furniture item (mattresses are excluded). Customers will receive a coupon for each blanket they donate.

AMVETS will distribute all collected blankets to veterans through its thrift shops and local veteran posts in select cities across the country. Sears will also make a $5,000 donation directly to AMVETS to further support their military veteran programs.

*U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Urban Institute, 1999

From the American Forces Press Service

Military families now have free access to an online network of quality caregivers who can assist with everything from babysitting to dog walking.

Sittercity is the nation’s largest online source for local babysitters, nannies, elder care providers, dog walkers, housekeepers and tutors, and contains more than a million caregiver profiles, officials said.

Military members and their families can activate their membership by going to http://www.sittercity.com/dod.

The Sittercity Corporate Program, funded by the Defense Department, offers military families — including active duty, Guard and Reserve — with a paid membership to the site.

The paid membership enables military families entry to a custom-built Defense Department Web site portal where they can match up caregivers to their situation; gain instant access to caregiver profiles that include background checks, references and reviews; and find military-certified care providers as well as caregivers who are military-subsidized and authorized access to a military installation.

While the membership is free, servicemembers will be responsible for the hiring and payment of caregivers, officials said.

Military members and their families can activate their membership by going to http://www.sittercity.com/dod.

To give troops a soft spot to rest their heads, Sleepy’s, the family-owned east coast mattress company, has developed a pillow donation program in partnership with Give2TheTroops, a non-profit organization which sends care packages to the military. Through a program called “Comfort Our Troops,” when consumers purchase any Tempur-Pedic pillow at one of Sleepy’s 700 retail locations between January 28 and February 28 Sleepy’s will send a travel pillow to troops overseas via care package from the Give2TheTroops organization. The pillows will be packaged with other “comforts of home” such as snacks and toiletries.

”Sleepy’s is proud to engage our community to support the men and women who serve our country through the ‘Comfort Our Troops’ program,” said Adam Blank, Chief Operating Officer at Sleepy’s. “We hope that when they lay their heads down, they are reminded how truly grateful we are for their service.”

“A cozy bed is one of the things that our soldiers miss the most while they are away,” said Andi Grant, President and Founder of Give2TheTroops. “The ‘Comfort Our Troops’ program is a great way for people to give our soldiers a little piece of home and help them sleep a little easier.”

To purchase a pillow in support of the “Comfort Our Troops” program, please visit one of Sleepy’s 700 retail locations beginning January 28. For information on the program, please visit Sleepys.com or give2thetroops.org.