BROWARD COUNTY CHAPTER | Vol. 12 | Issue 1 | january 2015

Newsletter

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Wishing everyone had a great New Year

and Happy Holidays with family. I want

to thank all the Freedoms Foundation

members and board members for all your

support thus far at the Broward County

Chapter. I also want to thank everyone that

supported the Toys for Tots Marine Corps

toy drive, which was a success in the

month of December.

I am proud to share that the Broward

County Chapter officially has it’s own

challenge coin (order form in newsletter).

Thank you to Annie Shyne for all the

support to make this a reality. Traditionally

the challenge coin is given to prove

membership when challenged and to

enhance morale. We will be using them as a

fundraiser and also exchanged in recognition

of guest speakers to our organization.

Change = Change new piggybanks have

arrived and will be given to the students

at this years student orientation. We also

have changed the name to: Boyce Ann

Bryant Change = Change Scholarship

to honor her in all the hard work she has

done over the years for the organization.

This year we will present a scholarship

to a student at the George Washington

Birthday Fundraiser Gala.

Marilyn Siadman, Lisa Gould, Kim Harrell,

Anna Shyne, Jeffery Shyne and Charles

Williams, great job on interviewing over

ninety High School Juniors from Broward

County Private & Public schools for the

upcoming American Leaders Youth

Summit. Seventy-two students have been

selected and we will have our student

orientation at Deicke Auditorium on Friday,

January 23, 2015, at 6 P.M. where you can

meet them. All members are encouraged

to attend and support this event. We will

be joined by 1stSgt Thomas of Deerfield

Beach High School Marine Corps JROTC

to Present Colors. We are also currently

looking for volunteers to help set up at

5PM, if you are interested in helping please

contact Abiud Montes at #954.816.7034

Charles Williams, the Chairman for this

year’s Gala, has been doing an outstanding

job on the 42nd George Washington

Fundraising Gala. We are currently

looking for sponsorship for our Gala that

is on Friday, February 20th, at 6:30 P.M.

This Gala will help support our goals

and objectives, and in particular, to raise

money to support sending South Florida

High School Students to the American

Leaders Youth Summit this coming spring

in Valley Forge. These scholarships cost

us approximately $1500 for each student.

We hope that you are interested in

supporting us with sponsorship (Please

see sponsorship form in newsletter). This

year’s Gala we will have a new addition in

honoring the Boyce Ann Bryant Change

= Change Scholarship to a student, the

George Washington Honor Medal and

George Washington Certificates of Merit

recipients.

Thank you in advance for your support

and God Bless.

www.freedomsfoundation.org PO Box 4116, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33338

Abiud (Abi) Montes

WINTER

2014 /2015

We are happy to report that

we have received our annual

distribution from the Community

Foundation of Broward. This

year, we received $ 25,667.00

from the Mary N. Porter Fund

and $ 89,395.00 from the Jack

and Harriet Kay Fund. These

funds are used exclusively for

sending students to Valley Forge

to attend the Spirit of America

Leadership Program.

As many of you already know,

the Broward County Chapter

of Freedom’s Foundation is the

only chapter that fully funds the

student’s trip. This makes our

chapter extraordinary. It is with

the above grants and donations

from our membership that

allows our chapter to offer this

unique opportunity to Broward

County Students. The Board

would like to thank you for

your support.

We wish you a Healthy and

Happy 2015 and look forward to

seeing you at the 42nd George

Washington Birthday Gala on

Friday, February 20, 2015.

Lisa Keefe, Treasurer

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Financial Update

GeorGe WashinGton honor Medal and certiFicate oF Merit recipients

Al Hanley, has been selected

to receive The George

Washington Honor Medal.

Al is the President & CEO of

The CDL School / Troops Into

Transportation program. As

a 3rd generation commercial

training educator he has been

actively involved in training

commercial motor vehicle

operators since 1992. Serving

as an instructor examiner,

school director, and president

he has unique knowledge

and perspective on the

transportation industry. In 2011

changes in the GI Bill made it

easier for service members to

access Non-College degree

programs and become

employed post exit faster.

This created a great opportunity

for retiring service members

to enter the national ground

transportation industry and

begin filling the national

250,000 driver shortage that

currently exists. Mr Hanley

recognized this change and

opportunity for unemployed

and under-employed service

members. The CDL School

partnered with its hiring

motor carriers and created a

program called Troops Into

Transportation. This program is

unique, because it is a job-first

program. To date, the program

has graduated over 350 service

members and placed them

into positions in the national

logistics and transportation

industry. According to Al

Hanley, they have more jobs

than students - currently the

school has over 150 open

positions it could fill every

month with service members.

Sara Shayanian, a student alumni

of Freedoms Foundation at

Valley Forge Broward County

Chapter, has been selected to

receive The George Washington

Honor Medal for an outstanding

essay she wrote on the American

Revolution and it’s importance in

giving us the freedoms we enjoy

today. Sara is attending J.P.

Taravella high school.

Gabriella Shyne, has been

selected to receive The George

Washington Certificate of Merit

for outstanding community

involvement. Gabriella is

attending Westminister

Academy and this year she was

selected to attend Freedoms

Foundation Leadership Summit

at Valley Forge, PA.

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coMMUnity oUtreach

Gabriella Shyne is a rising junior

at Westminster Academy

in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Her

grandfather is a United States

Naval Academy graduate from

the class of 1959, so the military

has always been a part of her

family life. From attending ship

commission’s, to Fleet Week

events and other USNA related

activities, Gabriella have grown

up with awareness that our

troops make immense sacrifices

on behalf of the citizens of this

nation. This was impressed

upon her mind upon visiting

the Korean War Memorial, and

the phrase inscribed in the gray

marble: “Liberty is not Free”.

Gabriella’s brother Nicolas is a

member of the Class of 2017,

and her younger brother is a

member of the Fort Lauderdale

Sea Cadets – Spruance Division.

Her service organization,

Students for Soldiers, took

root as she volunteered for

the USNA South Florida

Parents Club. They have

been attending meetings

and activities for the club for

several years and her favorite

event was helping to prepare

care packages. Additionally,

Gabriella’s church occasionally

has drives in collaboration with

America’s Moms for Soldiers.

During the summer of 2013,

while Gabriella’s brother was

enduring Plebe Summer, she

formalized her community

service activities as a service

organization called Students

for Soldiers (SFS). The purpose

of the organization is to collect

supplies and items for care

packages to be sent to our

troops stationed in harm’s way

around the world. Gabriella

is cooperating with America’s

Moms for Soldiers (www.

americasmomsforsoldiers.com)

whose mission is to “Never let a

soldier walk away from mail call

empty handed”.

Gabriella has been primarily

working through her school

and has begun expanding her

reach to work cooperatively

with other like-minded

organizations, such as the

Fort Lauderdale Naval Sea

Cadets, the USNA South

Florida Parents Club, hopes

to come on board with the

Navy League, various military

academy alumni associations,

veterans organizations like

Fisher House, various Key Clubs

and High School ROTC/NRTOC

programs, in order to magnify

the impact we can all have by

working together for our troops.

So far, her Students for Soldiers

organization has had three

successful collection drives and

attended two Honor Flights in

demonstration of our support

for our troops. Gabriella will

begin a new chapter this fall in

Cardinal Gibbons High School

among others. It has been very

satisfying for Gabriella getting

younger people involved and

in making them aware of the

sacrifices that the men and

women in military service make

for our nation.

It has been very satisfying getting younger people involved and in making them aware of the sacrifices that the men and women in

military service make for our nation. Gabriella Shyne““

4

Colonel Tom Manion currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Travis Manion Foundation. His son, Travis Manion, a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper while drawing fire away from his wounded comrades during a mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007. His selfless actions, for which he was awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with Valor, allowed every other member of his patrol to survive. Shortly after his death, Travis’ mother and Tom’s wife, Janet Manion, founded the Travis Manion Foundation with the goal of honoring the fallen by

challenging the living. While fighting her own battle with cancer, Janet worked tirelessly to help families of other fallen heroes, veterans, and active duty troops. Janet passed away in 2012. Tom, inspired by Janet’s efforts and his son’s sacrifice, has worked through the Foundation to galvanize people around him, inspiring them to convey a sense of sacrifice and public service in all they do.

In Brothers Forever, Tom, with award-winning journalist Tom Sileo, tells the intimate and personal story of how Travis, and his Naval Academy roommate, Brendan Looney, defined a generation’s sacrifice after 9/11. From Travis’s incredible heroism

on the streets of Fallujah to Brendan’s anguished Navy SEAL training in the wake of his friend’s death and his own heroism in the mountains of Afghanistan, Brothers Forever is a remarkable story of friendship, family, and war.

Tom served 11 years of active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps and another 19 years in the Marine Reserves, retiring at the end of 2007 as a Colonel. After ending his active service, Tom began consulting for Fortune 500 companies and then, in 1990, began a successful career as a business executive at Johnson and Johnson.

introdUcinG GeorGe WashinGton Ball GUest speaker colonel toM Manion

42ND GEORGE WASHINGTON BIRTHDAY

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, 2015 6:30PM

At Coral Ridge Yacht Club2800 Yacht Club Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33304

With Special Guest of Honor Colonel Tom Manion.

“The Travis Manion Foundation”

Cocktail Hour, Gourmet Dining, Presentations, Auctions and DancingBlack Tie or Dress Uniform for Military

Cost: $150.00 Per Person

RSVP with payment by Friday, February 6, 2015*Checks should be made payable to:

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge Broward County Chapter

Freedoms Foundation at Valley ForgeBroward County Chapter

Cordially invites you to attend its

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge Broward County ChapterGeorge Washington Gala Sponsor/Donation Form 2015

______General George Washington Level Sponsorship $7,500 and aboveIncludes 10 person VIP table at the Banquet

Full Page ad in the Banquet ProgramRecognition during the Awards Presentation

Advertisement in Newsletter for 1 year and George Washington Membership

______Martha Washington Level Sponsorship $5,000Includes 8 person VIP table at the Banquet

Half- Page ad in the Banquet ProgramRecognition during the Awards Presentation

Advertisement in Newsletter for 1/2 year and George Washington Membership

______Alexander Hamilton Level Sponsorship $3,000Includes 4 seats at VIP table at the Banquet

1/4 Sized ad in the Banquet ProgramRecognition during the Awards Presentation

Advertisement in Newsletter for 1/4 year and 3 year Membership

______Benjamin Franklin Level Sponsorship $1,000Includes 2 seats at VIP table at the BanquetRecognition during the Awards Presentation

Sponsor a military couple to attend the Gala ($300.00)

Purchase an advertisement in the George Washington Gala Program Full page 5” x 8” $500 ½ page 5” x 4” $250 1/4 page 2.5” x 4” $100

Deadline for submissions to Gala Program is Feb 1st, 2015

Purchase_______tickets to attend the George Washington Gala - $150.00 per person

Please complete and return this form along with your donation to:Lisa Keefe Treasurer

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge Broward County ChapterPO Box 4116

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33338Cell phone: 954.554.8610 - Email: lisa.keefe@kmccpa.com

Checks should be made payable to Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge Broward County Chapter

Name of Donor/Business:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Telephone:

Email Address:

5

Where are they

noW

University of Notre Dame Nikolas Brooks

6

After his great experience with the

Freedoms Foundation in February 2013,

Nikolas Brooks understood his place as a

citizen and student whose job it was to

do impressive things and be successful.

He worked 25 hours a week at his

summer job and applied and interviewed

for several scholarships in preparation

for his senior year of high school.

During his senior year at McArthur

High School, Nikolas took 5 AP

classes, earned a spot on McArthur’s

varsity wrestling squad, and continued

working 20 hours a week at the job he

had before coming to the Freedoms

Foundation. After a brief stint as George

Washington in February, Nikolas used

his refined leadership abilities to gather

and lead a team that was to compete

in Moody’s Mega Math challenge, a

real-world problem solving competition

facilitated by Moody’s Corporation. His

team earned McArthur High School

an ‘honorable mention’ rating, placing

his school in the top 50 teams of the

nationwide competition. Nik’s hard work

earned him a spot in the University of

Notre Dame’s class of 2018, a spot he

was very eager to take.

Nikolas just completed his first

semester as a Notre Dame student.

During his first semester, he has

earned a starting spot on Notre Dame’s

Ultimate Frisbee team and also became

a member of Notre Dame’s wrestling

and boxing programs. By 2019, he plans

to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree

in Philosophy, a Bachelor’s degree

in Computer Science, and a Master’s

degree in Business Administration.

February 2013 – Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge – Nikolas makes some memories with his new friends at Valley Forge

Senior Year – Nikolas reps his “Mustang Pride” and prepares to leave his friends and family for a new adventure at the University of Notre Dame

Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian, educational

organization founded in 1949 by Don Belding, E. F. Hutton, and Ken Wells, three prominent American

businessmen.

MembershipBroward County Chapter

Freedoms Foundation at Valley ForgeP. O. Box 4116

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33338

Because I believe in and want to support the following purposes and goals of the Broward County Chapter of Freedoms Foundation

at Valley Forge, I hereby apply for membership:

§ To improve the understanding of the American Constitution and the Bill of Rights;

§ To interest and encourage citizens to support actively the American Way of Life as set forth in the Declaration of

Independence and the Credo of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge;

§ To take positive steps to teach young people to assume the responsibilities of good citizenship;

§ To be diligent in protecting our political and economic rights;

§ To encourage responsible and intelligent citizens to join in our efforts to achieve these goals;

§ To further the aims and purpose of building a greater awareness of the values of our American way of life.

Enclosed is my check payable to Freedoms Foundation – Broward County Chapter for membership. Membership dues for the

Broward County Chapter of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge are due June 1st of each year and may be deductible for income

tax purposes.

_____ Regular, per year per individual $30.00

_____ Patron, per year per individual $125.00

_____ George Washington 5 year membership $300.00

Sample: Mrs. John C. Doe, Jr. (Jane)

Name ____________________________________________________________________________________Please print your name the way you want it to appear in the membership roster, including Miss, Mrs., Ms., Mr., Dr.

Address __________________________________________________________ Apt. # __________________

City ____________________________________________ State __________ Zip ______________________

Home Phone _________________________________ Cell Phone __________________________________

Office Phone _________________________________ Fax No. _____________________________________

E-Mail_____________________________________________________________________________________

We invite you to become involved. Check all of the following that are of an interest to you:

___ Awards Program ___ Membership ___ Public Relations ___ Geo. Wash. Ball

___ Interview Students ___ Ways and Means ___ Newsletter ___ Silent Auction

___ Chaperone Students ___ Grant Applications ___ Web Site ___ Special Projects

___ Hostess ___ Budget/Finance ___ Telephone Committee ___ Other

Please send this application and check to:

MeMBership application

7

8

Army Pvt. Miguel A. Vera a

veteran from the Korean War

received the Medal of Honor

60 years later after his death.

Ten months ago at the White

House, Vera’s nephew, Marine

Corps Veteran Jose (Joe) Ramon

Rodriguez was there to receive

the Medal of Honor for him.

Vera from Puerto Rico joined

the Army at the young age of

17 years old. As an automatic

rifleman at the Battle of Old

Baldy on Sept. 21, 1952 Vera

was killed. While engaged in

combat operations Vera suffered

injuries that ultimately sent him

to the battalion aid station but

voluntarily left the aid station

to join his unit in an assault on

a well-fortified enemy position

on a hill. When he and his

men from Company F were

within 20 yards of the spot,

they were suddenly trapped

by heavy mortar, artillery and

small-arms fire. The company

retreated, but Vera volunteered

to stay behind to provide cover

fire. When they returned the

following morning, they found

Vera dead in the same position,

facing the enemy.

Vera was previously awarded

the Purple Heart, Army Good

Conduct Medal, National

Defense Service Medal,

Korean Service Medal with

two Bronze Service Stars,

Combat Infantryman Badge,

United Nations Service Medal,

Republic of Korea-Korean War

Service Medal, and Wharang

Distinguished Military Service

Medal with Silver Star.

Vera was originally buried in

Puerto Rico, but a longtime goal

of Vera’s nephew Joe was that

he be reburied with full military

honors at Arlington. Well that

dream became a reality; the

Korean War hero was laid to rest

at Arlington National Cemetery

on Thursday November 20,

2014 more than 60 years after

he was killed in action. On that

day the Army Honor Guard

presented a folded U.S. flag to

Joe, who attended with other

family members and friends.

Also in attendance was the

American Legion Latin American

Post 840 from Philadelphia, PA,

whom carried the Puerto Rican

flag; Staff from the Freedoms

Foundation at Valley Forge,

and Friends of the Medal of

Honor Grove.

Article by: Abiud Montes

arMy pvt. MiGUel a. vera BUrial at arlinGon national ceMetary

Boyce ann Bryant chanGe = chanGe scolarship

Eligibility: The scholarship

competition is open to all

student alumni who had

attended the FFVF Leadership

event at Valley Forge, PA. All

applicants must submit a 500-

word essay as described below.

Essay Topic: Each student will

reflect back on their time at

Valley Forge and answer the

question as to how they plan

to be proactive to make a

difference using the theme of

“If not me, than who?”.

Deadline: All essays must

be submitted by midnight

February 10, 2015. They are to

be submitted electronically to

the following email:

freedomsfoundationbroward@

gmail.com

Amount: There will be two (2)

winners, one male and one

female. Each will receive a

one-time $500.00 Scholarship

to be used for their respective

college educations.

2014 /2015

ABIUD MONTES

Freedoms FoundationBroward County Chapter

You can also order Freedoms Foundation Broward County Chapter POLO

SHIRTS (men and women sizes) and FLEX HATS with Freedoms Foundation at

Valley Forge Broward Chapter insignia.

$20 dollar donation per FLEX HAT;

$25 dollar donation per POLO SHIRT

By ordering these items you will help raise the monies for the organization.

For more information and order please contact Abiud Montes @ 954-816-7034

or via e-mail: abiud.montes@gmail.com

Now you can order Freedoms Foundation Broward County Chapter name tags

and challenge coins. Only $10 dollars donation.

9

Freedoms Foundation is pleased to

announce that we will be offering

three graduate courses for teachers

in summer 2015. Help us spread the

word. Scholarships are available for all

three programs for teachers from the

Pacific Northwest thanks to the Murdock

Charitable Trust. Other scholarships are

available for the Medal of Honor Legacy

program for teachers nation-wide through

funds provided by the Congressional

Medal of Honor Foundation and several

other organizations and foundations.

Medal of Honor LegacyJune 28 - July 3, 2015

July 19 - 24, 2015

July 26 - 31, 2015

at Freedoms Foundation

Covers World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq,

and Afghanistan. Includes training and

classroom resources on the Medal of Honor

Character Development Program

.

Revolution in the Middle StatesJuly 3 - 9, 2015

Pennsylvania & New Jersey

at Freedoms Foundation

Field studies of historic sites include

Independence Hall, Washington’s Crossing,

Trenton barracks, Princeton, Monmouth,

Brandywine, Peter Wentz Farmstead, Valley

Forge, and more.

Civil War EastJuly 10 - 15, 2015

Richmond, VA - Gettysburg, PA

Field studies of historic sties include

Appomattox Courthouse, Antietam,

Manasas, Harper’s Ferry, Shenandoah,

Petersburg, and more. The program

will end at Freedoms Foundation where

we will fete Mr. Paul Sanborn for three

decades of service.

2015 sUMMer GradUate proGraMs For teachers

The essay should articulate how the

student plans on making that difference in

their communities, schools or families.

Notification: The two winners will be notified

prior to the George Washington Gala to be

held in February 2015 and will be presented

with the scholarships at the gala.

Questions: Please contact Jeffrey Shyne,

VP of FFVF-Broward Chapter at

jshyneme@me.com

Piggy Banks will be passed out at Student

Orientation and the students will return

them at the Student Luncheon in May.

FFVF members can also support this cause.

Please support this wonderful project by

saving your change. It is amazing where

you will find change: in your sofa, your car,

drawers, pocketbooks and even walking

around on the street. Ask your family and

friends to collect change for you too.

Members and friends of the chapter

collected $1,000 last year. Keep this

in mind every time you add a penny,

dime, nickel or quarter in your

CHANGE=CHANGE Piggy Bank.

Please direct any and all questions regarding courses, scholarships,

or the application process to Abiud.Montes@gmail.com

Broward County ChapterPO Box 4116, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33338

NON PROFITUS POSTAGE

PAIDFT LAUD FL

PERMIT 1999

The mission of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge is to impart to Americans – particularly young Americans – an understanding of and commitment to our heritage, basic values upon which this nation was built, the private enterprise system, and responsible citizenship.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Board Meeting – Thursday Feb. 5th at 6:00 CRYC. GW Ball final meeting; Selection of Nomination Committee.George Washington Ball – Friday, Feb. 20th

Dinner Meeting – Thursday, Mar. 12th at 6:00 CRYC. Speaker TBA. Board Meeting immediately following.

Dinner Meeting – Thursday, Apr. 16th at 6:00 CRYC. Speaker TBA. Board Meeting immediately following.

Student Luncheon – Sunday May 3rd, 1:00 p.m. at CYRC. Board Meeting immediately following.

Dinner Meeting – Thursday, June 11th at 6:00 p.m. CYRC. Election of new Board Members.

iMportant dates

Student Orientation

5701 Cypress Road Plantation, FL 33317

Friday, Janury 23rd6PM

Everyone is invited. Come meet the students who will be going to Valley Forge.

Deicke Auditorium