The Dirt Farmer Foundation’s CAUSE it’s NOVEMBER: The United Service Organizations USO

The Dirt Farmer Foundation is our way of focusing the social media power of the Dirt Farmer’s community to help worthwhile charities.

Our CAUSE it’s NOVEMBER or Cause of the Month is:

THE UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS USO

Click here to Visit their Website


The United Service Organizations USO is a nonprofit charitable organization that strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. USO works in more than 160 locations and offers more than 20 programs to keep service members connected to the people, places and things they love. Learn more about the history of the USO

 

The USO supports the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform. Overseas centers are located in Germany, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Qatar, Korea, Afghanistan, Guam and Kuwait. Service members and their families visit USO centers more than 6.9 million times each year. The USO is the way the American public supports the troops. Find out more about programs and services offered in your area.

 

The USO offers a variety of PROGRAMS AND SERVICES designed to support our service members and their families. Learn more about what they do for 

• Deployed Service Members: Including Mobile Entertainment Gaming System (MEGS), Holiday Care Packages, USO2GO, Mobile USO, Operation Phone Home®, Joining Forces
• Military Families: Including USO and What to Expect Present Special Delivery, USO Transition 360 Alliance Stronger Families, United Through Reading® Military Program, Comfort Crew for Military Kids, The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families, Operation That's My Dress
• Transitioning Troops: Including USO Transition 360 Alliance RP/6, USO Transition 360 Alliance, USO Transition 360 Alliance Stronger Families, Comfort Crew for Military Kids, USO Transition 360 Alliance Employment Events
• Families of the Fallen and Wounded, Ill and Injured Service Members: Including Warrior Games, Caregivers Seminars, USO Warrior and Family Centers, Support for Families of the Fallen

USO Centers. The USO provides programs, entertainment and services at more than 160 USO locations worldwide, including Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy, Japan, Iraq, South Korea and the United States. In 2014, USO centers were visited more than 7 million times by service members and their families. USO centers provide a warm and comforting place where service members can connect to loved ones via Internet or phone, play a video game, catch a movie, have a snack or just put their feet up and relax. Learn more About the USO Centers and Entertainment. Find a Center: United States, Europe, Pacific, Southwest Asia

 

USO Keeps Service Members Connected to the People and Places They Love. From the moment they step into boot camp to the time they transition back to civilian life, troops rely on the USO to help them stay connected to their friends and family. Here are a few ways the USO does it. Visit USO.org/donate to help keep America’s military members connected to the comforts of home.

 

• Getting troops online: Free Internet access is one of the most popular services at USO centers today. While some USO centers offer computers for troops to use, nearly all of them offer free Wi-Fi for people who bring their own devices. Even the Mobile USO units are Wi-Fi enabled so troops serving in remote locations can get online.
• Among Other Services, USO helps expecting military dads Skype into the delivery room for their baby’s birth, even if they’re abroad. They also Serve comfort foods from home like home cooked meals.
• Free phone calls home: In 2003, the USO launched Operation Phone Home to provide troops with free phone cards so they can call their loved ones at no cost – even when they’re in remote locations.
• Keeping story time alive: Thanks to the USO’s partnership with United Through Reading, deployed troops can record themselves reading a children’s book at a USO center and send the DVD recording back home for their kids to watch and digitally connect with them in their absence.
• Giving the gift of gaming: Video games are one of our younger service members’ favorite ways to unwind. That’s why most USO centers have gaming stations. USO also developed the Mobile Entertainment Gaming System (MEGS) so service members can enjoy video games no matter their location.
• Bringing the holidays to troops abroad: Being deployed during a special holiday can make troops feel even further from home. That’s why many USO centers host a number of special parties and events around those red calendar days.
• Welcoming troops home: From helping arriving troops freshen up before reuniting with their loved ones to coordinating surprise homecomings, the USO is there to celebrate military families finally reconnecting after a long deployment apart.

From bases around the world, our heroes in uniform put their lives on the line every day to protect the freedoms we cherish. Back home, their families deal with the stresses of the uncertainty and risks that their loved ones face every day. Here are a few ways you can make their lives a little easier:

 

• Get involved with your local USO Center. Thanks to dedicated volunteers, USO centers operate to provide a place to unwind, to connect to families back home or whatever else is needed to ease the burden. Even if you are not able to volunteer on a regular basis, local USO centers often have programs and events that need your support. Find your local USO Center.
• Check out all the ways to volunteer and learn how you can make a difference.
• Join TEAM USO. TEAM USO is an easy, fast and effective way to organize or participate in an event to raise money for the troops and their families

How You Can Help. There are many ways you can help USO: Ways to Give, Volunteer, Become a Partner, Fundraise, Our Partners, Planned Giving, CFC … Volunteers play a crucial role at the USO. Volunteers provide hundreds of thousands of hours of service, from welcoming home deployed service members to providing support for individual service members and their families at USO centers. Find out more information about how to get involved.

 

How can YOU contribute to the USO? Your donation makes in possible for the USO to support service members and their families: From the moment they join, through their assignments and deployments, and as they transition back to their communities, your donation ensures the USO is always by their side. Donate now.

 

USO Care Packages. The USO does not have names or addresses of individuals serving overseas. Care Packages are sent to units in the field, at departure locations, and through some USO centers. Visit the USO Wishbook, the alternative giving catalog. The gifts you purchase from the USO Wishbook allow you to recognize a special occasion while directly benefiting service members and their families.

 

Mailing Something to Deployed Troops for the Holidays? You May Only Have A Few Weeks. Learn more HERE

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