WHAT IS REMIND.ORG?
REMIND.org is a public education movement of the Bob Woodruff Foundation that informs Americans about the needs of injured service members, veterans and their families as they reintegrate into their communities. REMIND.org empowers people everywhere to take action.
From Harms Way to Headway
After Bob Woodruff was nearly killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Iraq, he and his family had an opportunity to get to know so many of our nation’s injured heroes and their families. They realized their unique position as a voice that could be heard in civilian and military cultures, across political lines and throughout our nation–a voice that could call for tangible support to assist our injured service members and their families. Thus, the Bob Woodruff Foundation was born.
In January of 2008, the Bob Woodruff Foundation separated from the Brain Injury Association of America and became an independent 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. We’re very pleased to note that as of July 9, 2008, we are operating with expenses being distributed as follows: 94% Programs, 5% Management, and 1% Fundraising. To date, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has given more that $1 million in individual and charitable grants.
Bob Woodruff
Though not engaged in our day-to-day operations, Bob Woodruff will always be the spirit behind the foundation. In December 2005, Bob Woodruff was named co-anchor of ABC’s “World News Tonight.” On January 29, 2006, while reporting on U.S. and Iraqi security forces, Mr. Woodruff was seriously injured by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle near Taji, Iraq. In February 2007, just thirteen months after being wounded, Mr. Woodruff returned to ABC News with his first on-air-report, “To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports.” Since then, Mr. Woodruff has reported from around the globe for the network.
In July 2008, Woodruff began anchoring “Focus Earth,” a weekly eco-newscast for the Planet Green, Discovery Communications’ 24/7 eco-lifestyle network.
Click here to read a special message from Bob
Dear Friends,
After I was severely injured while reporting on location in Iraq, my family and I realized we had a unique opportunity to reach out and help many of our nation's injured heroes. In January 2008, my wife Lee and I started ReMIND.org, an organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as their families.
Our current project is the TweetToRemind campaign, which asks individuals and corporations to donate $5.25 or more in an effort to raise $1.65 million by the end of the Memorial Day weekend.
I have so many heroes in my life who have affected me in so many ways. But after what my family and I went through more than three years ago, my greatest heroes are the doctors, nurses, medics, soldiers, pilots and others who risk their lives on a daily basis to save injured soldiers and bring them back to their communities. They did it for me, and my family and I can never thank them enough.
This is what I ask of you: please post a simple blog or tweet answering, "Who is your hero?" and encourage your readers to do the same. Please link to your blog post from your Twitter account.
I hope you find it in your heart to support this effort throughout the campaign which ends on Memorial Day, May 25th.
Thank you in advance for your support.
Sincerely,
Bob Woodruff
Lee Woodruff
A co-author of the best-selling book, In An Instant, Lee Woodruff garnered critical acclaim for the compelling and humorous chronicle of her family’s journey to recovery following her husband Bob’s roadside bomb injury in Iraq.
As a freelance writer, Woodruff has penned numerous personal articles about her family and parenting that have run in such high-profile magazines as Health, Redbook, and Country Living. She also works as a contributing editor and spokesperson of Family Fun.
Woodruff is currently a contributor for ABC’s Good Morning America, reporting on a variety of home and family related topics. She is working on a second book.
Click here to read a special message from Lee
It is amazing to be sitting here, writing from our home, just three years since Bob’s near-fatal injury from a roadside bomb while reporting from Iraq. Outside the window, the spring bulbs are poking through the ground. Sponge Bob’s annoying laugh reverberates through the family room, riveting my twins to the couch. I can’t help but think, “How did life get so back to normal for us?” In fact, I think about that a lot.
We are so lucky. We had what so many service members do not: unlimited resources through ABC News, a strong community of support, the ability for family to be with Bob at all times, extensive and unlimited rehabilitation, and a job waiting for him when he recovered.
I wish the same were true for the 1.65 million service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, many for multiple deployments.
ReMIND.org, an initiative of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, was founded to help the families of those soldiers who have returned from war and are finding it hard to re-enter the lives they left to serve. They may be one of the more than 320,000 brain injured–struggling with processing information, reading or even carrying on a conversation. Or maybe they are among the more than 300,000 suffering from post-traumatic stress, or the 35,000 with other physical ailments. These men and women have given so much, and now they need all of us in America to come together and help.
This Memorial Day, Bob and I will be tweeting to show our support for the troops. We hope you will too–and that you’ll urge all of your friends to join us.
Since September 11, our troops are the only ones who have been asked to sacrifice. When called upon, each one volunteered to leave their lives and families and brave the horrors of war. They stood up for all of us, and they served. By pledging $5.25 or more and retweeting our message, you too are helping in a very big way to come together as a community and heal these heroes. It’s such a small act of compassion and support, but it can have such a big impact.
Remember, no matter what you think about the war, this is about the warrior. It is about showing gratitude to the soldiers who left to serve and need help now that they are home. And it is about how we can come together as citizens, as neighbors, as a community and as a nation. The people who selflessly served are asking for our help, and helping is easier than ever.
Donate now. This Memorial Day, with your help, we hope to raise $1.65 million. For so long, so many people have wanted to help, but didn’t know quite how. Now you can take action. All you have to do is lift a finger.
Together we can make such an incredible difference in the lives of the soldiers who served us and the families who care for them.
Thank you,
Lee