AFCEA Strategic Partners Support
This is one of several articles published in our Veterans Focus. To see all articles from the series, please visit www.afcea.org/signal/veteran.asp.
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Booz Allen Hamilton recently made an extra-special donation when it agreed to sponsor the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team’s trip to West 2012 in January. (Read more about the team in “Battlefield to Ball Field”.) It also supports a large range of other charities both through corporate giving and through employees who share their personal time and resources. Suzanne Piner, Booz Allen’s deputy director of community partnerships and philanthropy, explains that individuals volunteer across the country; employees who spend 40 hours or more during a one-year time span helping a specific nonprofit can even qualify for a company-sponsored grant for that organization.
Company Senior Vice President Natalie Givans talks more about the organization’s military-community support, saying that “Booz Allen is grateful for the personal sacrifices veterans and wounded warriors have made serving our country. It’s in that same spirit of service that Booz Allen supports our military men and women, their families, and the vast network of public, private and not-for-profit organizations that also support them. We are honored to work with approximately 80 organizations that support the U.S. armed services and their families, including Operation Homefront, the USO, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Aleethia Foundation. Because supporting our armed services is important to our employees, they volunteer with these organizations in each community where we have a presence.”
“HP has a long history supporting the U.S. military and takes great pride in sponsoring events that help care for our men and women in uniform,” says Dennis Stolkey, senior vice president and general manager, U.S. Public Sector, HP Enterprise Services. “Our work with the Wounded Warrior Experience, Marine Corps Marathon, National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic and the numerous other events that we support throughout the year, allows us to show our appreciation for their commitment and sacrifice.” Additional beneficiaries include: 
• Paralyzed Veterans of America Games
• San Diego MCRD Santa’s Arrival
• NMCI Toys 4 Tots
• Camp Lejeune Maynia
• Camp Pendleton Mud Run
• Camp Lejeune 4th of July
• Camp Pendleton 4th of July Beach Bash
• Military Appreciation Concert
• Semper Fi Fund Pasta Dinner
• Okinawa Newcomer’s Orientation Brief
• U.S. Marine Corps Community Services
• Hawaii Race Series
• MCRD Fun Runs
• USO Military Family Care Package Stuffing Party
• Hosting wounded warriors in HP suite at Redskins football game
• Paralyzed Veterans of America Gala
• Wounded Warrior Bike Ride
• Fort Bragg Race Series
• Fort Knox 10 Miler Races (two yearly)
• Henderson Hall Races (four yearly)
• San Diego MWR Race Series and Family Event
• Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride
• National Memorial Day Parade
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Unlike AFCEA’s other Strategic Partners, MITRE is a nonprofit and tax-exempt operator of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers for government sponsors. Legal and other restrictions limit its ability to donate to charitable organizations. However, employees have donated their time in groups and individually to assist the military community. Efforts include:
• The foundation of Suits for Vets by a MITRE employee. The program collects financial donations from MITRE personnel and from local businesses to subsidize the purchase of clothing for wounded veterans who have left active military service and are starting new careers.
• An employee who uses her skills to help the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic.
“MITRE is deeply committed to doing everything we can to support our men and women in uniform,” says Al Grasso, MITRE president and chief executive officer. “From the development of new capabilities that aid the warfighter to volunteer and hiring programs that support returning veterans, our goal is to help those who make sacrifices each and every day to defend our great nation. As a nation, we cannot fully repay our active-duty military, veterans and their families for their service. But MITRE will always give our time and talent to programs such as these, which are vital to helping our service personnel receive the support they so richly deserve.”
“Northrop Grumman is honored to support our veterans and the men and women who keep us out of harm’s way,” Sandra Evers-Manly, president of the Northrop Grumman Foundation, says. “We owe a great debt to our veterans, many of whom are our employees and retirees. That is why we do considerable outreach to support the military, veterans and their families. Their service and sacrifice allow us to do what we do in so many ways.” The company donates to: 
• Homes for Our Troops
• Wounded Warrior Project
• Veterans of Foreign Wars
• USO
• Special Operations Warrior Foundation
• Armed Forces Foundation
• Operation Homefront
• Fisher House Foundation
• Disabled American Veterans
• Association of the United States Army
• Armed Services YMCA of the USA
• Paralyzed Veterans of America
“At QinetiQ North America, we believe the support of customers takes many forms,” Tom Bailey, the company’s senior vice president for human resources, says. “Whether it’s through enhanced technology and services for warfighters—or providing assistance to those who have been wounded and their families—our goal is to help those who serve. In addition to the personal time our employees invest, the company makes financial donations to those who protect our country.” These include: 
• Wounded Warrior Project
• Operation Helping Hands for Heroes
• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS)
• Night Stalker Association
• EOD Memorial Foundation
• Hope for the Warriors
• Project Healing Waters
QinetiQ North America also donates to a number of organizations that support health programs. “The missions of the organizations listed above are ones we believe in and have committed to support in an effort to thank them for their efforts to enrich the lives of our heroes,” Bailey explains.
