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HELPING WOUNDED TROOPS & THEIR FAMILIES REBUILD THEIR LIVES
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Spreading the message.
Konica Minolta and CSAH send 10 wounded troops to Konica Minolta Gator Bowl
Hello everyone! Donny Daughenbaugh here, just wanted to let everyone know that I am headed to the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl on New Years Day!! We are so excited, and very honored that Konica Minolta donated 25 tickets to the Coalition, which enabled CSAH to invite 10 wounded troops and their families to attend the game. There is no where else I want to be on New Years Day but in a stadium watching football. I would like to say thank you to Konica Minolta for being so generous as to donate the tickets, and also to CSAH for making it possible that myself and the other troops attend the game. I will update you all later on the fun times that I know we will have at the game! Happy New Years everyone! Best, Donny Daughenbaugh National Spokesman and Director of Grassroots Events for CSAH
CSAH Welcomes Parsons Family Home for Christmas
Wow! What exciting news we have to share with everyone!
Last year, Cindy Parsons received the phone call that no mother wants to get when she learned that her only child, U.S. Army Corporal Shane Parsons, had been severely injured during combat in Ramadi, Iraq.
Shane lost both of his legs and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. After Shane was sent back to the United States for medical treatment, Cindy immediately flew from their home in Fostoria, Ohio, to be by her son's side - and there she has faithfully remained ever since.
Cindy is a single mother, and no one was there to check in on the home while she was away. During that time, an undetected water leak spread black mold throughout the house. The deadly mold crept into every room and the insurance company declared the house - and every bit of its contents - condemned. Their home and belongings were leveled to the ground. On November 15, 2007, Dan Vargas, Director of the Family Support Network for CSAH, met Cindy and Shane at the Intrepid Center. Cindy and Shane thought they were there to meet Big Kenny, one half of the famous country duo, Big and Rich. Vargas and Big Kenny pulled them aside. They asked about Shane's injury and the situation with their house. Big Kenny said to Cindy, "The great thing about this month is it is about giving. And the greatest thing about America, is that the American people love to give. Because of their generous donations to the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, you are getting a new home." Vargas says that upon hearing those words, "you could literally see the stress lifted off Cindy's shoulders" as she started to cry. So moved by this, Big Kenny opened up his personal checkbook and wrote a check right then and there to Cindy in the amount of $10,000 to buy new furniture for their home. CSAH paid $130,000 to Lakewood Homes for construction of a brand new home so that Cindy would be mortgage free, and CSAH honored the Parsons family with their new home on December 23rd!! We are so excited and honored to be able to share this information with everyone now. Check out these pictures below!
Big Kenny, Cindy Parsons and Shane Parsons
Dan Vargas, Big Kenny, and Shane Parsons
Big Kenny and Shane Parsons
42nd and Nelson partner with CSAH for 2008 theme song, "That's All I'm Asking For"
Long Island Songwriter / Musicians Steve Farella & Pete Colombo craft a message of unity for the United States; "That's All I'm Asking For". Manager / Producer Howie Harnick teams up Steve (Guitars), and Pete (Vocals) with famed Nashville Producer / Engineer Ed Seay, and 5 of the best session players on the planet; Pat Buchanan (Guitars), Tim Akers (Keys), Biff Watson (Acoustic Guitars), Paul Leim (Drums / Percussion), and Alison Prestwood (Bass), on September 14, 2007 at Starstruck Studios in Nashville to record an "Anthem of Unity For America". While in Nashville the guys recorded their second single, "We're Gonna Be Alright." Their union was completed by partnering with The Coalition To Salute America's Heroes, an organization that supports severely wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Steve and Pete, performing as 42nd & Nelson, officially launched "That's All I'm Asking For" as the Coalition's theme song on December 4, 2007 in Orlando. The performance will be part of the Coalition's 2007 Road to Recovery Convention. The guys will be backed up by Leann Rimes' tour band led by Tim Akers. 50% of the net proceeds from the sale of these songs and associated merchandise will be donated to The Coalition To Salute America's Heroes. To download the song, click here!
Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute featured in opinion column
 A guest who was staying at the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort at the same time we were there for the conference, wrote about his experience with our wounded heroes in an opinion column in the St. Cloud Times in Minnesota. "Until this trip, these folks were just news stories to me and I had no real understanding of the immensity of their sacrifices. Talking to the service members and watching their Stoicism and the support of their young families tore my heart out and I cannot talk about it without tearing up," said John Anderson. It is stories like these that we love to see in the media! Check it out here.
WBAP-AM Raises Money for CSAH
 Hal Jay and Mark Davis of WBAP-AM broadcasted live yesterday for Hal's Angels in front of the WBAP Studios in Dallas. Listeners stopped by and made donations to the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes and met soldier Jason Wimmert of the Coalition. Jason and the Coalition presented Hal and Mark with a very special American flag that had flown in Iraq.
Thank you WBAP Listeners! You really came through and showed our soldiers how much you care!
Want to bid on Hal Bay? Hurry only a few days left to bid on great holiday gift items with all of the proceeds going to our soldiers and their families as a part of the Hal's Angels Program for the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. 
Road to Recovery Wrap-up
 Well, we have been so busy since we have returned from Orlando that we haven't had a chance to update you all on the amazing things that happened at our Fourth Annual Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute! It was a great six days, and we met so many inspirational men and women who made our experiences so much better. We wanted to update you on all of the great things that happened in Orlando, and hope that you all will stay tuned for next year!  The Adventure Sports Expo A big THANK YOU goes out to GNC, the sponsor of the Expo, and Mark Wellman and his entire team for putting on such an exciting expo for us all! The rock climbing wall, hand cycles, and ski ramp were so much fun. The ski ramp was especially great to see heroes skiing who may have thought they would never walk again. It was truly inspiring, and one of our favorite aspects to the conference.
At our 2006 Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute, Camp C.O.P.E. debuted for the first time, and now this one-of-a-kind therapeutic day camp for kids is in it's second year and it has been more successful than ever! Not only was the camp featured on CBS Evening News, but the children in attendance all said they loved the experience!
All of our heroes in attendance were surprised on Friday night when we presented them each with a $500 gift check courtesy of our sponsor, NAPE. The gift checks were meant to show our appreciation to our troops, and to also help them afford Christmas presents that they might not be able to afford otherwise.
Amazing stories!
Not only was this event a one-stop shop of information from the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and various employers at the career fair such as the CIA, the Secret Service, Northrop Grunman and T-Mobile, but this gathering was also a time for emotional and mental healing from the invisible scars of war.
We were all surprised when in our general session, injured veteran Rory Dunn reunited with the medic who saved his life in Iraq, Tim Bredberg! There wasn't a dry eye in the house after they told their story, and Tim shared that he thought Rory had been dead for the past three years. These encounters are what make all of our hard work in putting together this event, worthwhile.
Camp C.O.P.E. is going to be on CBS Evening News!
 Well it is finally Friday, and most of us are back and settled into our home towns after a very exciting Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute in Orlando, FL! The event ended on Tuesday and all the troops and their families flew out on Wednesday. We had such a great time, but more on that later... While we were in Orlando, Camp C.O.P.E. got paid a visit by CBS Evening News!! The show is set to air on tonights news, so tune in to your local programming! Check out some of these great pictures from Camp C.O.P.E.!  Camp C.O.P.E. is a therapeutic, hands-on day camp for children whose parents have been severely wounded in the War on Terror. Camp C.O.P.E. was first rolled out at last years Road to Recovery Conference and made its second appearance last week in Orlando. The program is scheduled to be released on a national scale sometime in 2008. Camp C.O.P.E. was featured in the Orlando Sentinel.
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