CrisisLink


Frank Lasch, Chairman, CEO and Founder of Azalea Charities (third from left) delivers a  speech at a ceremony recognizing Azalea Charities for its contributions to Crisis Link. With him are ( l – r): Thomas Rachele, Chief Financial Officer of Azalea Charities; Kevin Cheezum, Senior Vice President of Azalea Charities; Sergeant Major Brent Jurgersen; CrisisLink supporter Chuck Landry; Keith Taylor, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the British Army Benevolent Fund America;  Douglas Taggart, President of Azalea Charities; and Brigadier Philip Jones of the British Embassy.

 

PRESS RELEASE

Azalea Charities Distributes $168,000 to
Aid for Wounded Warriors in FY 2007-2008;
Announces Increased Fundraising

Prince William County, VA - Azalea Charities, Inc., located in Prince William County, Virginia, distributed $168,000 to Aid for Wounded Warriors during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008. Azalea Charities also awarded $42,000 to community charities and expects to distribute an additional $50,000 to its core charities this fall.

Since its inception in June 2004, Azalea Charities has distributed more than $500,000 in funding to Aid for Wounded Warriors. Azalea Charities Chairman Frank Lasch has announced plans to increase fundraising this year.
“With the numerous requests from our wounded military men and women and families a greater need to raise funds is needed,” said Lasch. “There is a need to raise $500K for our Aid for Wounded Warriors effort and an additional $250K for our core community charities. We are looking to the community and businesses from Arlington to Fredericksburg to adopt Azalea Charities as their charity”

Azalea Charities raises funds for Aid for Wounded Warriors and its community charities through membership fees, private donations and sponsorship of special events such as the Marine Corps Marathon, Redskins Charity Challenge, and the Azalea Classic Pro-Am Invitational Golf Classic, the organization's keystone event held each May.  Beyond minimal expenses, all the funds they raise go to their charitable core causes.

“Side by Side” Portrait to be Unveiled
Azalea Charities also raises money for Aid for Wounded Warriors through the sale of “Proud Warrior” limited edition prints by Prince William County artist Dean Baer. In a reception at the British Embassy on Thursday, October 9, 2008, a new painting by Baer will be unveiled. The painting, entitled “Side by Side,” is a depiction of the close relationship between the U.S. and the United Kingdom Armed Forces as they stand side by side in the fight against terrorism. Aid for Wounded Warriors and the British Army Benevolent Fund America will share the proceeds from the sale of prints, note cards and other images.

Through it partnership with CrisisLink in Arlington, Virginia, Aid for Wounded Warriors helps to support the U.S. Army's  Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline (1-800-984-8523), which opened on March 19, 2008.  In April 2008, Crisis Link honored Azalea Charities and Prince Leopold d’Arenberg of Europe, who contributed $10,000 to the British Army Benevolent Fund America in support of their wounded men and women. Prince Leopold is an ongoing supporter of Azalea Charities and Aid for Wounded Warriors.

Prince Leopold d’Arenberg

Prince d’Arenberg’s interest in the development of the Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline stems from the liberation by an American lieutenant of his mother and her sisters from a Nazi death camp in 1945. The Prince’s support of the “Aid for Wounded Soldiers” program operated by Azalea Charities, has enabled this Northern Virginia-based regional non-profit organization to fund CrisisLink’s development and delivery of a training program for staff members of the hotline.

Aid for Wounded Warriors also supports Fisher House, which provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers across the country, the Family Assistance Center at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military medical and rehabilitation centers.  In addition, they provide outreach to VA Medical Centers Volunteer Services programs.

About Azalea Charities
Azalea Charities is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization staffed entirely by volunteers who donate their time, talent and money.  The idea for Azalea Charities originated with Montclair resident Frank Lasch and Larry Pergerson, formerly of Montclair, who organized a “Time to Give” telethon in October 1997 to benefit the Girl Scouts, Boys & Girls Clubs, local homeless shelters and other community groups. The following April, Lasch and Pergerson traveled to Augustine Golf Course in Stafford County to organize a charity golf tournament. Golf Pro Tom Lernihan suggested that they wait until spring to hold the tournament, when the golf course would be most pristine with trees and azaleas in bloom. The Azalea Classic Pro-Am Invitational Golf Classic was inaugurated in April 1999, with the support of two major sponsors, banker Gary Martin and developer Dean Morehouse. Azalea Charities netted $32,000 from that first tournament.

“Martin and Morehouse were so delighted with the results of the tournament that they suggested we keep the event going and they encouraged us to raise significant funds,” says Lasch. “Ten years later, they are still with us.”
Azalea Charities now operates with a board of 44 local men and women and 13 officers. For more information on the organization and the charities it supports, call 703-670-5238 or visit www.azaleacharities.org. Contributions can be made online.
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For more information, contact:
Frank Lasch
Chairman, Azalea Charities, Inc.
703-670-5238
azaleacharities@aol.com