TRUE NORTH – CELEBRATING 2023
by Leslie Parsons
As 2023 draws to a close, we would like to take a moment to reflect on all that The True North Foundation has accomplished over the past year and the impact that, with your help, we have made in the veteran community.
Our year started strong in January when we had the honor of sponsoring adaptive athlete Luke Kittel as he competed in the Tampa Bay Frogman Swim. We were then excited to partner with Luke to raise funds for his “Conquering Kili” campaign. Luke will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in February 2024 as part of an expedition organized by the Chris Long Foundation and has chosen to use this fundraising campaign to shine a light on adaptive athletes and the organizations that serve them.
Our non-profit partners also had a very successful year with True North’s support. For the 2023-2024 academic year, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF) awarded $10.8 million in scholarships to 2,758 students—all of them current or former Marines or their children, Navy Corpsmen, and chaplains assigned to Marine units or their children. In April, True North hosted an event to raise awareness and funds for MCSF where CAVU Securities, True North’s parent company, donated $10,000. In May, representatives from True North attended the annual Leatherneck Ball which is MCSF’s biggest event of the year. You can learn more about the impact that the MCSF has had on the veteran community here and read several stories about the exceptional young men and women who have benefitted from MSCF assistance here.
Dog Tag had another amazing year. In May and November, they celebrated the graduation of Cohorts 17 and 18 (Washington DC) and 3 and 4 (Chicago) from the Dog Tag Fellowship Program. Each cohort comprised veterans, military spouses, and caregivers who completed a five-month program of courses, workshops, learning labs, and special projects that helped them gain clarity on their goals and develop the practical skills needed to thrive in their civilian careers. In September, True North co-hosted “Meet the Fellows” night, where Dog Tag staff, alumni, and advocates came together to celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s Fellows and raise awareness about the program. You can read stories about how the DTFP has made a tremendous impact on the lives of veterans and their families here and here.
At the Stay in Step Brain and Spinal Cord Recovery Center, physical therapists and other highly skilled professionals are working to assist veterans and civilians who are suffering from paralysis due to spinal cord injuries or neurological disorders. This year, Stay in Step began offering both Massage Therapy and Occupational Therapy services to its clients and the organization hopes to continue expanding its offerings in 2024. In addition to the work they do with those suffering from paralysis, Stay in Step also has a program designed to support caregivers. True North was proud to attend the annual Stay in Step Gala, where we presented Stay in Step with a donation of $20,000. You can learn more about Stay in Step’s offerings here. You can also read about Stay in Step’s founders, Romy and Gaby Camargo, here.
With eight chapters in cities across the United States and a ninth online, Merging Vets and Players (MVP) is forging bonds between combat veterans and former professional athletes and helping them build new teams and find a renewed sense of purpose. Through weekly meetings centered around physical exercise and events designed to help members connect with their families and communities, MVP strives to address both the physical and mental health issues that can keep veterans from living rich and full lives once they’ve left the military. You can read more about this exciting and innovative program here.
This year, The Heroes Journey (THJ) partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation to stage productions of “Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret '' in nine U.S. cities. This tour served as a means by which THJ could share its mission of bringing veterans, their families, and the public together through storytelling to audiences across the country.
As we look ahead to 2024, the True North Foundation hopes to continue serving the veteran community and our nonprofit partners. This year, we spent more than 1,600 hours volunteering with various veteran causes and we plan to build on that over the next twelve months. If you are interested in supporting the work that True North does, please consider making a donation.