Throw a Bone at the Vets

Iman Jalali — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 23:54:45 +0000

I’ve recently been putting together a charity promotion for Train Signal where a portion of every order placed in December will go to a veterans charity. I’ve been doing a lot of research on different organizations and have talked to some really amazing people and in the end I went with a local Chicago charity called Salute. I spent some time this week at Salute’s donated offices in downtown Palatine, IL and met with Mary Beth Beirsdorf to learn more about their charity.

Salute is a wonderful charity started by Will and Mary Beth Beiersdorf in 2003 after Will was called to active duty. When Will was deployed the Beiersdorfs household finances took a huge hit and Mary Beth had to raise their three sons with the strain of a financial hardship and the emotional strain of Will being deployed.

Through the help and support of their family, friends and the community they were able to survive, but upon Will’s return they felt the need to “give back” to others facing the same hardships. And that’s pretty much how Salute started…

One thing I’ve learned is that a lot of charities survive thanks to the fundraising efforts of others in events like marathons and walks. The surprising part was how little support there is for veterans organizations like Salute. I took a look at the list of contributing charities at the Chicago Marathon just this year and I was shocked to see how many charities there are for pets and how there were only two charities for veterans, with Salute being the only one who provided support for non-wounded veterans. That’s just a damn shame… wrong on so many levels. Politics aside we should be much, much more supportive of the men and women who defend this country.

If you’re interested in learning more about Salute and how to donate please visit: Salute

Iman Jalali » veterans charities

Throw a Bone at the Vets