Special Ops Survivors

“The board treasurer and executive director review draft of form 990. Upon completion of their review, a copy of form 990 is made available to the entire voting members of the organization's governing body for review and comment before filing.”

“Each director, principal officer, and key employee shall annually sign a statement which affirms such person: has received a copy of the conflicts of interest policy, has read and understands the policy, has agreed to comply with the policy, and understands the foundation is a public charity and in order to maintain its federal tax exemption it must engage primarily in activities which accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt purposes.”

“The board of directors reviews the compensation of the executive director. Annually, the board uses a review of comparable data from similar non- profit organizations' policies to set compensation.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“Special ops survivors advances the mission "to embrace and empower surviving spouses of fallen special operations heroes to build healthy post-loss futures as they transition and rebuild their new lives." the foundation provides programs specifically designed to a) empower and educate, b) build and enhance resiliency, c) improve health and wellness, d)fund education and career advancement, and e) offer financial assistance for unexpected expenses.”

“Group and individual emotional support: special ops survivors (sos) channels the healing power of bonds so that survivors do not weather their tragedies alone. Spouses have a shared experience as military families operating in special operations communities - lifestyles that can be markedly distinct from more traditional military units. As such, the bonds formed among them are both strong and lasting. Special ops survivors provides communities so that survivors may stay strong together. Resiliency retreats (group): annually, sos holds a national survivor's resiliency retreat. Though each year the retreat has a unique theme, the consistent outcome is to offer peer-based emotional assistance and to provide practical life-skills training for survivors to better manage their day-to-day lives. Sos covers costs, including local transportation, meals, lodging, speakers, workshops and extracurricular activities. "forget me not" outreaches (individual): sos maintains regular contact with our survivors through direct communications and quarterly remembrances or outreaches. These enduring outreaches are essential to our survivors' well-being because they demonstrate to our survivors that they are not forgotten and that they are not alone. Over 1,300 outreaches were sent throughout fy2019 to more than 250 survivors in 38 different states. The outreaches were sent around valentine's day, memorial day, christmas, the survivor's birthdays and special remembrance days with their fallen hero.”

“Special ops survivors empowers surviving spouses with (a) education and career advancement awards to reward them for their strength and resiliency as they pursue additional education to further their careers, and (b) limited amounts of financial assistance to assist them with unexpected expenses: education and career advancement awards: when their partners are killed in action or training, surviving spouses are thrust into the role of provider. They are often left to find new sources of income for the family. However, many can be ill-equipped to support themselves. Sos' education and career advancement program helps surviving spouses improve their quality of lives by helping them increase their education and improve their job skills. Emergency financial assistance: sos awards limited amounts of vital emergency financial aid to surviving spouses to assist them with unexpected expenses (e.g., home maintenance and repairs, weather damage, mortgage/rent assistance, purchase of home appliances, automobile repairs and maintenance, healthcare expenses not covered by insurance, emergency childcare, etc.)”

“Other program services or resources: sos understands that our survivor's lives changed significantly after the loss of their fallen hero and that they face new and demanding challenges. With appropriate funding, we offer additional programs that help surviving spouses alleviate stress, learn coping skills, and to stay healthy in their post-loss journey. We stand ready to provide information to available resources that address our survivor's particular needs and requirements. Join our circle - for more information about the services provided by special ops survivors and ways to help support our mission, please visit our website at www.specialopssurvivors.org or email our team at [email protected].”