Fellow MN Patriot Guard Members….
I have some great news to share with you that came out of the blue….
By now you are aware that Governor Tim Pawlenty has announced he is not seeking another term as Governor of Minnesota. His tremendous support of the military and constant promotion of awareness of the sacrifices the military makes has made him a special Governor to us.
We have seen him at many funerals across the state for our fallen heroes. The grief he displays is genuine.. just as genuine as ours.
If you look closely at the Patriot Guard Riders flags that we sign and present to deploying units you will see not only his signature but also those of the First Lady and his daughters.
We have seen him in lighter moments as well. The first Rally in Mankato, Pine City, the Patriot Ride this year, and at other events where he took the time to walk up and down the flag lines as long as he could thanking you for standing there.
I’ll never forget seeing him on his hands and knees with some of the kids at the first Heroes United in St Cloud and letting them make bunny ears behind him.
With that set up now comes the good news….
I received a phone message this week from the Governor letting us know how much he appreciates the effort and sacrifices you all make to let all these families know how much you love and care for them. He said that he had a donation for us to let us know how much he thought of our mission and what we do.
We are receiving a donation from Pawlenty for Governor for $20,000. As they are closing the Pawlenty for Governor effort they had money left over in his campaign funds and they wanted to donate them to a 501(c)3 in the state of Minnesota that they trusted to do good things with it.
With this opportunity given to us we are going to really focus on helping families of the deployed in need with these funds. Our goal is to donate “quick strike” funds to the Family Assistance Centers (FAC) to help families who need help quickly with gift cards for groceries, gasoline, or other basic family needs. The Family Assistance Centers will work the Family Readiness Groups (FRG) of deployed units and other avenues to let families know that they can receive some fast help.
One of the HOTH missions has been the families of the deployed and with this donation we can really help them out!
Thank you to the Pawlenty for Governor team!
