Laura Young reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com Communities across the nation observed Veterans Day in November. Special days and causes linked to a particular month help us remember to acknowledge important events, values and groups of people. Still, even as these yearly reminders prompt us to take time for what matters, many people feel that one day or one month just isn’t enough. Shouldn’t we focus on thankfulness beyond Thanksgiving? Shouldn’t the f ight against drug abuse capture our attention for more than a month? How can Veterans receive more recognition and support all year long? For those wishing to do more for Veterans, active military personnel and their families beyond the special days on the calendar dedicated to them, charitable organizations abound. According to Charity Navigator, there are more than 40,000 American charities with militaryrelated missions, and Americans donate more than $2.5 billion annually to them. With so many groups offering avenues to support vets, choosing one could be overwhelming. For this reason, Charity Navigator, which has provided tools for philanthropic decision-making since 2001, has curated a list of highly-rated organizations that offer a variety of services to military members and their families. The following, published by Metro Media, gives a brief rundown of that list that can serve as a solid foundation for prospective donors. Wounded Troops – Air Warrior Courage Foundation (airwarriorcourage.org) – DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust (cst.dav.org) – Fisher House Foundation (fisherhouse.org) – Higher Ground (highergroundusa.org) – Homes for Our Troops (hfotusa.org) – K9s for Warriors (k9sforwarriors.org) – Operation Second Chance (operationsecondchance.org) (missioncontinues.org) Military Family Support – Army Emergency Relief (armyemergencyrelief.org) – Blue Star Families – Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org) – Yellow Ribbon Fund (yellowribbonfund.org) Military Social Services – AMVETS National Service Foundation (amvetsnsf.org) – Hire Heroes USA (hireheroesusa.org) – Honor Flight Network (honorflight.org) – Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (iava.org) – Operation Gratitude (operationgratitude.com) – Operation Healing Forces (operationhealingforces.org) – Soldiers’ Angels (soldiersangels.org) – The Mission Continues (bluestarfam.org) – Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation (fallenpatriots.org) – Folds of Honor (foldsofhonor.org) – Operation Homefront (operationhomefront.org) – Our Military Kinds (ourmilitarykids.org) – Travis Manion Foundation (travismanion.org) – VFW National Home for Children (vfwnationalhome.org) To see the full list, visit charitynavigator.org.

Laura Young reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com

Communities across the nation observed Veterans Day in November. Special days and causes linked to a particular month help us remember to acknowledge important events, values and groups of people. Still, even as these yearly reminders prompt us to take time for what matters, many people feel that one day or one month just isn't enough. Shouldn't we focus on thankfulness beyond Thanksgiving? Shouldn't the f ight against drug abuse capture our attention for more than a month? How can Veterans receive more recognition and support all year long?

For those wishing to do more for Veterans, active military personnel and their families beyond the special days on the calendar dedicated to them, charitable organizations abound. According to Charity Navigator, there are more than 40,000 American charities with militaryrelated missions, and Americans donate more than $2.5 billion annually to them.

With so many groups offering avenues to support vets, choosing one could be overwhelming. For this reason, Charity Navigator, which has provided tools for philanthropic decision-making since 2001, has curated a list of highly-rated organizations that offer a variety of services to military members and their families. The following, published by Metro Media, gives a brief rundown of that list that can serve as a solid foundation for prospective donors.

Wounded Troops - Air Warrior Courage Foundation (airwarriorcourage.org) - DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust (cst.dav.org) - Fisher House Foundation (fisherhouse.org) - Higher Ground (highergroundusa.org) - Homes for Our Troops (hfotusa.org) - K9s for Warriors (k9sforwarriors.org) - Operation Second Chance (operationsecondchance.org) (missioncontinues.org) Military Family Support - Army Emergency Relief (armyemergencyrelief.org) - Blue Star Families - Wounded Warrior Project (woundedwarriorproject.org) - Yellow Ribbon Fund (yellowribbonfund.org)

Military Social Services - AMVETS National Service Foundation (amvetsnsf.org) - Hire Heroes USA (hireheroesusa.org) - Honor Flight Network (honorflight.org) - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (iava.org) - Operation Gratitude (operationgratitude.com) - Operation Healing Forces (operationhealingforces.org) - Soldiers' Angels (soldiersangels.org) - The Mission Continues (bluestarfam.org) - Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation (fallenpatriots.org) - Folds of Honor (foldsofhonor.org) - Operation Homefront (operationhomefront.org) - Our Military Kinds (ourmilitarykids.org) - Travis Manion Foundation (travismanion.org) - VFW National Home for Children (vfwnationalhome.org) To see the full list, visit charitynavigator.org.

Military Family Support - Army Emergency Relief (armyemergencyrelief.org) - Blue Star Families (bluestarfam.org) - Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation (fallenpatriots.org) - Folds of Honor (foldsofhonor.org) - Operation Homefront (operationhomefront.org) - Our Military Kinds (ourmilitarykids.org) - Travis Manion Foundation (travismanion.org) - VFW National Home for Children (vfwnationalhome.org) To see the full list, visit charitynavigator.org.