February 9th, 2023
On February 1, 2023, at the annual Leadership Conference and Gala held in El Paso, Texas, the Hunt Heroes Foundation announced it is now named Hunt Military Communities Foundation. This change aligns with the foundation’s work with Hunt Military Communities employees and vendors who continue actively supporting the foundation’s programs and services.
“As we continue to increase our support of best-in-class military charities, we feel it is important to recognize our employees and vendors who actively support the foundation and our focus on our active service members, military families, and veterans.”, said Brian Stann, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Hunt Military Communities. “Our goal is to continue focusing on areas of need for our military and their families.”
The Hunt Heroes Foundation focuses on health and well-being, education, and housing. Because the foundation focuses on these areas, they can better serve our active military, their families, and veterans.
In January 2022, The Hunt Heroes Scholarship program entered its fifth year. This past year, over 160 scholarship applications were received, with eighteen scholarships awarded totaling $50,000. The scholarship recipients included active service members and dependents who will receive increased financial support to continue their secondary or technical school education.
In March, the third annual Hunt Little Heroes program launched, receiving over 120 applications from military children all over the country who shared what it meant for them to be a hero in their homes or community. All applicants received a hero cape, mask, and challenge coin, with three outstanding children named Hunt Little Heroes. Each of these winners received a monetary donation and the opportunity to choose a charity that had meaning to them. This year the charities selected by the winners to receive a matching financial gift included The International Rescue Committee for the Ukraine, Daily Bread, Inc., and Support Wigs for Kids. In total, the winners and their selected charities received $3,000.
In July, the foundation partnered with Operation Homefront and their Back to School Backpack Brigade. This year 2,350 backpacks were filled with necessary school supplies and given to children living in a Hunt Military Community. The total contribution for this program was $25,000.
On September 2 annual Patriot Essay Contest was held. This contest is open to any child between the ages of 4 and 16. Participants wrote a short essay on what it means to be a patriot. This year five winners were awarded monetary prizes of $100 each.
Hire Heroes, Hunt Military Communities, and the foundation created several workshops to assist those transitioning and military spouses looking for a career. The online workshops held in June and October included resume writing, interview techniques, networking skills, best practices for a successful career search, and so much more. This year the foundation donated $40,000 to Hire Heroes USA.
Our partnership with the Travis Manion Foundation entered its second year. The Department of Education supported bringing the “Character Does Matter” program into military schools. The Travis Manion Foundation trains veterans or volunteers to be Character Does Matter Mentors to build character and leadership skills in young adults. Grounded in the evidence-based field of Positive Psychology, they use a strengths-based approach to develop character traits in the next generation through informal discussions and activity-based learning. In 2023, the foundation will focus on bringing this most worthwhile project into middle and high schools of children living in a Hunt Military Community.
And finally, the foundation will continue its support of the Tunnel To Towers Foundation and the vital work of the Gold Star Family Home Program and The Smart Home Program. Tunnel to Towers Foundation builds mortgage-free smart homes for our most catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. Each home addresses the unique needs of each individual, such as automated doors and lighting, more expansive halls and doorways, special showers to accommodate wheelchairs, automatic door openers, cabinets, counters, and stove tops that can be raised and lowered, backup generators, and central heating and air conditioning systems that tablets can control. These homes help our most severely injured veterans, and first responders reclaim their independence.
Each year, the foundation continues to grow, increase its giving, and develop meaningful partnerships to better support our service members, their families, and our veterans. In 2022, due to the generosity of our employees and sponsors, we were proud to have donated by way of programs and general support, $143,500.
For more information about the Hunt Military Communities Foundation, please visit www.huntmilitarycommunitiesfoundation.org or visit their social pages at https://www.facebook.com/HuntMilitaryCommunitiesFDN or https://www.instagram.com/huntmilitarycommunitiesfdn/