Everyday heroes. Everyday victories.

2011-2012 Annual Report

Dear Friends: Every day, the people of VFW National Home for Children inspire us with victories large and small. •There’s the Helpline staff person who keeps trying on behalf of a caller, so they can finally hear ‘yes, we can help’ after so many ‘no’s. •Or the teacher in our Ladies Auxiliary Nursery who gives a preschooler the stable, nurturing environment he needs to feel loved and secure until daddy is safely home again. •Or the single mom whose story of success inspires others in our community to meet their goals. These events, happening day in and day out at the National Home, are what makes this place so amazing. Whether living on our campus or getting help through our National Home Helpline 800.313.4200, our nation’s military and veteran families know they can count on the National Home when they are struggling. All this is possible because of generous donors like you – heroes in your own right – who come together from across this great nation because you believe in the strength of our military and veteran families. Whether you’ve sent a donation, signed up to be a monthly donor, purchased a tribute brick, collected soup labels for us or given in other ways, we thank you. Through your support and our continued partnership with the VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary, we are able to help bring about these everyday victories for the military and veteran families we serve. In gratitude, Patrice Green Executive Director

Highlights Highlights

Eleven National Home residents traveled to New York City to celebrate the Statue of Liberty’s 125th birthday, as guests of the Ladies Auxiliary and then-National President Gwen Rankin. The young people raised money throughout the year so they could present their own gift to the Statue, a check for nearly $1,700, which was used to help purchase fire helmets for the national park’s new fire brigade.

We cut the ribbon and welcomed the first residents into our newest duplex. The Air Force and Air National Guard houses, sponsored by the VFW Department of Europe and the Military Order of the Cootie and MOCA, Grand of Florida, respectively, were constructed with funds donated by VFW member and a proud veteran of the Air Force and Air National Guard Jim Logg of Washington.

We formally dedicated our new Tribute Park in June. This peaceful and scenic setting at the National Home’s entrance provides many wonderful opportunities to honor or memorialize loved ones while helping the Home continue to serve our nation’s military and veteran families. Major contributors to the park so far include the 2011-2012 class of VFW Department Commanders and Presidents, the VFW Department of Illinois, and the VFW Department of Arizona Ladies Auxiliary.

The National Home was awarded a $10,000 grant from The Home Depot Foundation. In addition to the funds, dozens of Team Depot Members converged on the National Home campus to install landscaping, new decks with steps and a storage shed for the new Air Force and Air National Guard houses, a handicap-accessible fishing dock and an inside deck for the new retaining wall at Lake Romanis.

2011-2012 Board of Trustees David G. Havely, President, District 8 Jack McDermott, Vice President, District 5 Donna Knapper, District 1 Joan Chwalisz, District 2 Larry M. Wade, Sr., District 3 Yvonne Crawford, District 4 Jim Mueller, District 6 Cindy Peto, District 7 Tom Tweet, District 9 Eliseo (Al) Cantu, Jr., District 10 Raymond Warren, District 11 Virginia Carman, District 12 Richard DeNoyer, VFW Commander-in-Chief Gwen Rankin, Ladies Auxiliary National President Allen “Gunner” Kent, VFW Adjutant General Larry Maher, VFW Quartermaster General Jan Owens, Ladies Auxiliary National Secretary/Treasurer Garry Goff, Secretary/Treasurer of the Board

2011-2012 Management Team Patrice Green, Executive Director Molly Studinger, Program Director Todd Marriott, Facilities Director Tim Smith, Marketing & Development Director

Leadership

The VFW National Home for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported solely by contributions from private individuals and organizations. Although the VFW National Home for Children is an autonomous organization separate from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the two organizations, as well as its Auxiliaries, work in unison to serve the families and children of veterans and active-duty military personnel.

990 Financial Information Summary

78%

14% 8%

Program Services

Management/General Services

Fundraising

Contributions $ 4,374,401 Life Memberships $ 75,950 Investment Income $ (53,387) Other Revenue $ 152,893 Total Revenue $ 4,549,857

Program Services $ 4,183,073 Management/General Services $ 738,619 Fundraising $ 457,168 Total Expenses $ 5,378,860

Change in Net Assets $ (829,003)

Cash and Equivalents $ 345,231 Investments $ 9,699,164 Receivables $ 175,687 Property and Equipment $ 6,615,580 Other Assets $ 73,754 Total Assets $ 16,909,416

Accounts payable & accrued expenses $ 407,682 Total Liabilities $ 407,682

Unrestricted $ 10,216,763 Temporarily Restricted $ 4,537,947 Permanently Restricted $ 1,747,024 Total Net Assets $ 16,501,734

Change in Net Assets $ (829,003)

Your support helps the National Home continue to make a difference in the lives of struggling military and veteran families. Donate today at

www.vfwnationalhome.org/donate or call 866.483.9642.

Thank you I cannot say enough good things about the VFW National Home for Children. They gave me opportunities that I would have never been given. They taught me what it meant to be a family. They gave me a second chance.

Thank you so much to all who support the VFW National Home for Children! My two children and I received a tremendous amount of support and guidance from all of the kind-hearted professional staff at the Home.

I am thankful to be part of such a friendly community and for the trips and activities I get to do, like State Days, Cedar Point and 4-H – where I raised my hog, Sloppy Joe.

Cover photo: CarbonNYC on Flickr.