Travis Manion Foundation

This week, families of fallen servicemembers will be traveling to Atlanta, GA for a 5-day expedition where participants will focus on their personal development while also serving at the community level. Expedition participants will work with 180 Degree Farm, a farm that aims to provide clean and organic food to cancer fighters in the community. These families of the fallen will build a therapeutic deck and garden space which will be available as a healing escape for cancer fighters and survivors receiving treatment at the nearby cancer treatment center. Stay tuned this week to see the amazing work these families of the fallen do to honor their loved one's legacy of service.

Actresses Elizabeth Alderfer and Kelli Goss sit down with Ryan Manion on episode 31 of #TheResilientLife to discuss how their TV roles in United States of Al have changed their perspective and introduced them to the burden that military families carry. Listen now: https://bit.ly/3bC3ULl

Our veteran-led character program powered by Under Armour Freedom now has a virtual offering! We’re adapting to meet students’ social and educational needs, while also empowering our Veteran and Survivor Mentors to continue to lead the #IfNotMeThenWho mission. Now, students across the country can join interactive character lessons, delivered virtually by our team of mentors, wherever they are. Learn more and access your virtual classroom: https://bit.ly/2HN46eH

These women are from up and down the east coast, but distance didn’t stop them from coming together to honor their late husbands who sacrificed for our freedom this October. Normally, they would be running and rucking the Marine Corps Marathon, but they opted to make the trip to our headquarters in the Philadelphia suburbs to support one another in 26.2 miles in support of TMF. Let’s give them a below.

It’s been the best thing that happened to me in 2020, says Spartan Leadership Program participant, Manuel Fletcher. He’s a USAF veteran and The Boeing Company employee. I came to the program expecting another leadership class, it was not. SLP [Spartan Leadership Program] challenged me to do things I never did before about reflecting on my leadership and really thinking about how I lead and how my actions impact others. It is helping me develop better skills to be better at home, work and those that I help when I do volunteer work. In a nutshell, I heavily reflect on my life and leadership skills and how I can be better to help those around me no matter the situation. #IfNotMeThenWho

As part of our participation in the Veteran’s Wellness Alliance with the George W. Bush Presidential Center, we’re sharing the latest report in partnership with RAND Corporation which proposes a definition of high-quality care for the invisible wounds and recommended steps for implementing it. Read it here: https://bit.ly/2JdGkZR

You can still serve while social distancing. Be one of hundreds of #OperationLegacy service projects that will honor a fallen hero this November. Just identify a local need, wear your Spartan t-shirt, and serve. Register to serve virtually: https://bit.ly/37Q7P5O

In Episode 12 of #TheResilientLife podcast, The Fittest One Armed Man on Earth, Logan Aldridge, discusses his relentless obsession of overcoming boundaries and making fitness more accessible for everyone. Listen now: travismanion.org/podcast

TMF’s Northwest Spartans teamed up with Joint Base Lewis-McChord military teens at USO for an #OperationLegacy service and beautification project in honor of Julius Ervin Jr., U.S. Navy. He is the late father of one of the teen volunteers who lost him at the age of 2 years old. Together, this group not only carried on this commitment to service, but also his humor, intelligence, and the joy he brought to others. #IfNotMeThenWho

When you volunteer in an #OperationLegacy project this November, you’re doing so much more than a service project. You’re upholding the character and values of fallen heroes across the country to ensure their sacrifice is never forgotten. Register to serve virtually today: http://bit.ly/2H1iLkW

Our communities become stronger with veterans like Ben Alexander leading the way. He organized a four-day soccer camp where the athletes learned more than skills and techniques -- they learned about character strengths like honesty, gratitude, teamwork and kindness. They put it all in action by wrapping up the camp by running a food drive to support the local United Way. #IfNotMeThenWho

Find out where they are and meet them there, said Veteran Mentor, Rob Barea. He was one of many Veteran Mentors and experts who discussed helpful tips in our DEI Webinar for connecting with students and breaking down barriers in mentor-mentee relationships. Want to catch the next one? Join our mission to receive our webinar updates to your inbox. http://bit.ly/2eSrpW9 #IfNotMeThenWho

Greater participation with TMF leads to improved mental health outcomes. According to Institute for Veterans and Military Families - IVMF, thousands of veterans and families of fallen heroes involved with TMF experienced significant improvements in these four key areas of well-being.

Our TMF Detroit Chapter and the Detroit Dawoodi Bohra Muslim Community didn’t let #WorldFoodDay pass by last week without getting out to serve local families in need. Together, they were able to serve over 200 families with 2,500 lbs of food. Let’s give them a below for embodying the #IfNotMeThenWho ethos.

There’s still time to join us today at 12 pm ET for our webinar, Breaking Down Barriers and Connecting with Youth. This discussion will deliver helpful tips for connecting with students who may not look like you or who hold invisible identities that often create barriers to the mentor-mentee relationship. We'll identify what those barriers may be and how you can transcend them to create a meaningful connection with young people you mentor and teach. Register now: https://bit.ly/2SHJOW6

When I found TMF, I was so happy to have found a place where I could serve in honor of the service and sacrifice my husband gave, says Jackie June. She lost her husband Matt, a U.S. Army veteran 5 years ago today. She says, In September of 2009, after a few months of failing motor skills, Matt was Diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease. [...] As time went on, he slowly lost the ability to walk, to feed himself, to move his arms, or to even breath on his own. We learned pr...etty early on that Veterans are twice as likely to be diagnosed with ALS than any other demographic but we have no idea why. Matt passed away at home, surrounded by his family and close friends just the way he wanted. So even though Matt didn’t die during his service, he died because of it. Jackie carries on his legacy through service to the communities across the country with TMF. She continues, Matt asked each and everyone of us in our extended family to think of all the things we wanted to do - a bucket list of sorts. Matt always lived with the hope that they would find a cure, or at least a treatment that would stop the progression. He lived out each item on our lists with the hope that he would live long enough to do every last one. #IfNotMeThenWho See more