In honor of Veterans Day, Applebee’s invites veterans and active-duty military members to eat free at its restaurant locations on Wednesday, November 11. A list of acceptable proofs of identification and the menu items available with the offer are posted on the company’s Web site.

The first American Heroes Challenge will take place in Las Vegas Nov. 7-8, 2009. The event features four-man teams comprised of military, law enforcement and security personnel who will compete in a six-stage, live-fire firearms and tactics competition. Each stage is named in honor of a fallen American hero. The contest is designed to test technical, tactical and physical skills as well as the ability to evolve with the mission. 

The American Heroes Challenge organization is a nonprofit created to benefit and honor members of the military, law enforcement and first-responder communities through the challenge event. All proceeds will go toward the goal to raise $1 million in 2009. That money will be donated to the construction of a veteran’s memorial in Las Vegas.

More information about the event, the troops after whom stages are named, sponsorships, donations, team applications and the entry fee is available on the Web site.

The Outback Steakhouse Annual Golf Classic is raising money for the American Freedom Foundation for the second year in a row. The foundation supports veterans and their families by raising money and awareness for veterans’ organizations. The non-profit group has a special focus on welfare and education issues facing troops wounded or disabled in action and the families of veterans killed in action during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

The 17th annual golf event will be played Monday, October 5, 2009, at  Cannon Ridge Golf Club  in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Last year, the classic raised $75,000. Information about this year’s sponsorship opportunities, registration and activity times can be found on the Cannon Ridge Web site.

You say goodbye or you say hello. Or both. Operation Send-Off is dedicated to ensuring that troops leaving for or returning from deployment have the proper send-off and an honorable welcome home. It currently operates at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with plans to expand to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The idea was conceived to exhibit appreciation and support to offset the presence of protesters. The nonprofit group also sends care packages to warfighters overseas and is developing a mobile canteen to visit military bases throughout the world. As part of its efforts, the organization supports and comforts military family members as well.

Volunteers are critical for the success of Operation Send-Off’s efforts, and help is needed in several areas such as package preparation, fundraising, administrative duties, general nonprofit support and, of course, seeing troops off and cheering their return. Donations also are greatly appreciated since the organization has very limited funds. Stephen Butler, the media relations contact for the organization, who also served in the Marine Corps and is an active volunteer, says the money the organization receives is spent quickly to buy drinks and other items for the troops once they pass through security. Butler brings his seeing-eye dog Sgt. Maj. Blaze with him to his airport visits and has found that the pooch draws attention from even the shyest soldiers, who then talk about their canines. Blaze also serves as a comfort to children who have said goodbye to a parent. Children can e-mail Blaze at blaze@operationsendoff.org and will receive a response.

Anyone interested in volunteering can request more information by e-mailing volunteers@operationsendoff.org. Those interested in scheduling a group to go to the Dallas airport should e-mail operations@operationsendoff.org. People in other locations who want to support similar activities can e-mail Butler at Stephen.Butler@operationsendoff.org. Additional contact information and resources are available online, including links to other military support groups and photographs.

Military families requiring just about any kind of help—from supplies to camaraderie—can find what they need here. Military Family Support Centers (MFSC) Incorporated, located in Salem, Virginia, is dedicated to identifying and meeting the needs of the families of deployed military members. The organization seeks to reduce the stress for troops and their families by providing ways for the community to express its gratitude through offering services, volunteering or making donations.

MFSC offers an array of support including an information clearinghouse for military and civilian programs and benefits; telecommunications support such as videoconferencing, free long-distance and broadband Internet access; social interaction through support group organization assistance and a casual meeting place staffed by caring volunteers; home/car repair assistance offering reduced and no-cost repairs by qualified volunteers; a playroom for children to use while parents handle other issues; collaboration with local charities that provide food and clothing; transportation assistance; counseling; a limited amount of in-house baby supplies and canned goods; and TRICARE insurance assistance.

The organization seeks volunteers to assist with its outreach efforts, and it solicits donations as well as sells items to raise money. More information and necessary forms are available on the Web site. Also available online is news about upcoming events, a newsletter, support links and contact information, including directions to the office. Anyone who needs assistance or knows of a military family who could benefit through MFSC’s help is encouraged to contact the organization by phone or e-mail or can drop by. The center has operating hours listed, but appointments can be made for other times as well.

Injured veterans looking to get back in the saddle can find what they need through the help of Project Healing Horse. The veterans therapeutic riding program uses horses as a medium to provide physical, psychological and social benefits to recovering veterans. The group raises money and promotes therapeutic riding at facilities across the country to heal troops who are injured or suffering from illness. Horses offer a dynamic base of support, which is excellent for improving strength, balance, circulation, respiration, posture endurance, coordination, agility and motor development as well as self-confidence and emotional well-being. The dream of Project Healing Horse is to have the therapeutic riding programs available to all injured veterans who would like to participate.

The program is offered at no cost to the government and is supported completely by donations. Project Healing Horse encourages people to make donations to the facility closest to them. Currently, veterans therapeutic riding centers are available at The National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy, Woodside, California; Forward Stride, Beaverton, Oregon; Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center, Elbert, Colorado; Equest, Kennebunk, Maine; and Life’s Journey Equine Therapy, Bardonia, New York.

More information about the project is available on the Web site. Features include an image gallery and a video with comments from wounded heroes about how the program has helped their recovery efforts.

Boatsie’s Boxes started out sending packages to the base hospital in Balad, Iraq, and now gives goodies to several military hospitals as well as young troops deployed for the first time. In addition, through help from service members, items now are reaching the front lines of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The organization does special mailings at holidays such as Operation Christmas Stocking and the recent mailings of bags of jelly beans at Easter.

Contact and donation information is available online, as are photo albums from various years. A list of items Boatsie’s needs to send to the troops also is posted; goods especially necessary for the upcoming hot-weather months are listed in red.

In the sphere of military community support, Army Community Covenant operates at the strategic level. The organization aims at raising awareness and encouraging businesses, agencies and groups at the local and state levels to create and foster state and community partnerships that assist service members. The first phase of the program is the signing of the Community Covenant. Each community determines its own wording for the document and decides on the number of signatories, usually between 16 and 20 people. The signers often include governors, mayors, other civic leaders, a senior military representative and a service member as well as his or her spouse and child. The document is intended to be displayed in a public area.

The purpose of the covenant signing is to invite states, cities and towns across the United States to demonstrate their support for the military community during this time of war—the longest in U.S. history with an all-volunteer force. Since April 2008, 85 communities have signed Community Covenants, and often the events become an opportunity to announce new regional initiatives or programs to support service members. Army Community Covenant’s goal for 2009 is to offer every state, city and town the opportunity to host these ceremonies.

More information, including contacts and how to host a ceremony, is available on the Web site or by contacting Maj. Gen. Craig B. Whelden, USA (Ret.). In addition, visitors to the site can learn more about other efforts designed to support military families as well as state and local best practices. Community Covenant was also featured in Outreach Opportunities Abound Through Community Covenants, from last month’s SIGNAL Connections.

The New England Center for Homeless Veterans (NECHV) extends a helping hand to any homeless veteran facing the challenges of addiction, trauma, severe and persistent mental illness, and unemployment; however, the veterans must be committed to sobriety, nonviolence and working for personal change. The organization is located in Boston, and though most clients are from the Boston area, the NECHV has aided veterans from all 50 states.

Homeless veterans seeking help should go to 17 Court Street, any time of the day or night, and request assistance. Veteran status will be verified through the discharge form (DD214). If the DD214 is not readily available, NECHV staff will make an emergency request from the Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis for the appropriate information.

The center’s support services include a residential program, specialized counseling, housing programs, training opportunities, job placement and medical help. The residential program has three levels. The first is the “Cot Squad,” in which veterans receive intensive counseling to address and resolve immediate personal issues. Individuals are given thorough assessments and the determination is made about the need for more intensive medical care.

The second level is the “Transitional Housing Program” that offers more comfortable living environments. To qualify for this, veterans must be working or enrolled in a training or educational program. This level concentrates on financial management and the search for permanent housing; clients are prepared to transition to self-sufficiency. The third level is a move to the 59 single-occupancy permanent units in the John Joseph Moakley Veterans Quarters located at the center. Typically, the rooms are 98 percent occupied with veterans who have completed level two.

The center’s Veterans Training School offers life skills as well as pre-vocational and vocational courses. It also assists with résumés and provides career counseling, JumpStart workshops and a job posting board. More information about the NECHV, its efforts and the ways to assist with time, talent and treasure is available on the Web site.