Armed Forces Foundation

The Armed Forces Foundation was an American non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., which was founded in 2002 by Jim Gorab, a former Navy Seabee, to promote the morale, welfare and quality of life of the military community with a special emphasis on military families.[1] In 2003, new leadership assumed management of the organization, however, due to issues related to an audit, the operations of the Armed Forces Foundation ceased on October 15, 2016.[2]

Armed Forces Foundation
MottoServing those who Serve
Formation2001 (2001)
DissolvedOctober 15, 2016 (2016-10-15)
75-3070368
Legal statusNon-Profit registered 501c(3) Foundation
Focus
Region served
United States
LeaderBrian Cooke
Main organ
Board of Directors
Websitearmedforcesfoundation.org

Armed Forces Foundation ceases operation

On October 15, 2016, the Armed Forces Foundation made an announcement that they were ceasing operations after performing an audit of operations as a result of Patricia Driscoll’s resignation on June 14, 2015 and the subsequent indictment of the former President on federal charges stemming from a scheme in which she allegedly stole from the non-profit charity, defrauded donors, and lied to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the public about her salary and benefits.[2][3]

In the statement “As a result of this exercise, and careful considerations, AFF has decided to cease our programs and fundraising operations and to transfer existing resources to other highly-impactful organizations in this military service space. The reality is that there are more than 40,000 non-profit organizations dedicated to serving military members and their families and there is considerable overlap among those organizations. We believe by combining our resources with similar organizations, we can ultimately better serve the military community.

As such, AFF will continue its legacy of protecting and promoting the physical, mental and emotional wellness of military service members, veterans, and their families by allocating financial resources to four high-quality, high-performing non-profit organizations in the military/veterans space: Hire Our Heroes,[4] Team Rubicon,[5] The Mission Continues,[6] and the Yellow Ribbon Fund.[7]"[2]

Programs
Congressman C.W Bill Young of Florida with his wife Beverly speak at the 2008 Armed Forces Foundation's Congressional Gala.

The Honorable C.W Bill Young Financial Assistance Fund, named after former Congressman Bill Young, once provided direct financial assistance to service members and their families facing financial hardship through injury and other service related situations.[8]

The Armed Forces Foundation, in partnership with Southwest Airlines, once paid for the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team's travel expenses during the season.[9] The team consists of 29 veterans and active duty soldiers with a variety of injuries.[10]

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings with a child during the Armed Forces Foundation's Operation Caring Classroom

Operation Caring Classroom was the foundation's annual Veterans Day education initiative to help increase understanding and support among children for military families across the United States.[11]

Started in 2009, the NASCAR Troops to the Track program (T2T), presented by Bank of America in partnership with the Armed Forces Foundation, is a year-round recreational group therapy program that honors service men and women, veterans, and military families at races throughout the country by taking them to races and behind-the-scenes events.[12]

Starting in 2012, Kurt Busch and the Armed Forces Foundation dedicated races in memory or in honor service members and veterans.[13] On November 7, 2014 the program was suspended due to allegations of assault by Busch against Patricia Driscoll, who at the time was the President of the AFF and his former girlfriend.[14] On March 5, 2015, it was announced by the Delaware District Attorney that no criminal charges would be filed against Busch, citing a lack of evidence.[15]

Controversies

Misappropriation of funds allegations

Patricia Driscoll served as President of the Armed Forces Foundation from 2003 to 2015.[16]

According to the ESPN's OTL, Patricia Driscoll, the former girlfriend of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, resigned as executive director of the Armed Forces Foundation on June 14, 2015 in the wake of allegations that she mishandled foundation money, according to ESPN’s Outside the Lines [17] and Kickin' The Tires [18]

References
  1. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2004-05-05/pdf/CREC-2004-05-05.pdf
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2015-04-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. https://www.justice.gov/opa/file/894086/download
  4. "Hire Our Heroes - Vets Connecting Vets with New Careers..."
  5. "Team Rubicon - Disaster Response Veterans Service Organization".
  6. "Mission Continues - Reporting for Duty in Your Community".
  7. Studio, Sitebox Group Marketing & Graphic. "Yellow Ribbon Fund - Welcoming Injured Service Members".
  8. "Rep. Issa Statement on the Passing of Rep. Bill Young". house.gov. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  9. Writer, Beth QuimbyStaff (10 August 2014). "Wounded but not weak, amputee veterans win a softball fundraiser - Portland Press Herald".
  10. "Wounded Warriors play the way they fought -- hard". woundedwarrioramputeesoftballteam.org. 22 May 2015.
  11. "8th Annual Operation Caring Classroom Begins November 11th". Downeast News.
  12. "Troops to the Track celebrates fifth anniversary". nascar.com.
  13. Kurt Busch Talks about the AFF Race Dedication Program on NASCAR on FOX. YouTube. 17 March 2014.
  14. Fox Sports. "Kurt Busch was investigated by the Dover Police for alleged domestic violence". FOX Sports.
  15. Jill Martin, CNN (5 March 2015). "NASCAR's Busch won't face charges". CNN.
  16. "NASCAR driver Kurt Busch's ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll resigns as leader of Armed Forces Foundation". ESPN.com.
  17. "Kurt Busch's ex-girlfriend out as charity leader".
  18. "He said, she said – NASCAR driver's attorney proclaims client's innocence". 10 January 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
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