2024 Bag Lady Brunch

ABOUT PMFF

The Patriot Military Family Foundation's mission is to honor veterans for their service & commitment to our freedoms and to serve them and their families. We have provide services to veterans & their families through a variety of programs to include:. 

VETERAN HEALTH & SUPPORT
Our Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) program started with a program in Chicago, partnered with Dr. Eugene Lipov, a renowned Chicago area pain management specialist.  His treatment, termed Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) has been used since 2008, and has successfully relieved PTS symptoms in 70 percent of combat veterans who received it once or more.  Through our partnership with the Global PTSI Foundation and Atrium, this important treatment has been expanded to the East Coast.

PMFF has also provided support to veterans undergoing cancer treatments and other life-changing illnesses. Our support of other non-medical treatments for PTS and TBI have included funding the excellent work of such organizations as Eagle Rock Camp, the USO of NC, Warrior Wellness Solutions and Trellis Supportive Care.

Fisher House provides housing for families of veterans undergoing prolonged hospitalization for combat injuries.  This housing is available at several hospitals around the country.  PMFF is honored to be a supporter of Fisher House, which was also the recipient of the Selfless Service award in 2015, given by PMFF and the USO of NC.

VETERAN SUPPORT
Working closely with the USO of North Carolina, PMFF has assisted with a variety of veteran support programs, and helped to raise money specifically for their mission of supporting veterans throughout the North Carolina.  We support veterans at such organizations as Lords Harvest, Operation North State, and the Community Culinary School.

Service dogs can mean a lot to a service-disabled veteran, especially those suffering from PTS or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). In partnership with our trainers at Saving Grace K9s and All Aspects we have provided 69 veterans with service animals to-date.

MILITARY FAMILY SUPPORT
When we lose a veteran it is a traumatic experience for the family.  But the difficulty doesn't end there.  Frequently, the family is left in financial difficulty, and sometimes without the ability for the remaining spouse to work, either due to lack of training or the need to take care of the children.  Part of our mission is to support these families.  As an example, this past Christmas we provided Christmas gifts for entire families of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.  This effort provided gifts for 59 families, representing over 150 family members.

Reconnect weekends allow families of returning combat veterans to spend time as a family in an environment of fun and relaxation.  This helps to improve the health and well-being of the veteran and family, and helping to reduce a divorce rate that has exceeded 70% for our returning veterans.

Our support of the North Carolina National Guard Survivor Weekend for Gold Star families (those who have lost a loved one in the National Guard) has been ongoing for multiple years, and continues now.  These weekends allow these families to get together with others who have the same type of loss and provide them with access to services that they might not otherwise have.  It is quite therapeutic, and rewarding to see what this means to these families.

 
Additional programs you can learn more about on the PMFF website include:

SCHOLARSHIPS
HOMES FOR VETERANS
 

Meet Our Speaker

Colonel Michele Harper is originally from Hendersonville, NC and is a graduate of Appalachian State University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics in 1993. She commissioned that same year into the North Carolina Army National Guard where she began her officer assignments in the National Guard with Company D, 1st Battalion 192nd Aviation out of Salisbury, NC. Colonel Harper has held numerous leadership positions within the Aviation community throughout her career. She has served as the Company Commander for three different companies to include HHC, 449th Aviation Group, Company B 1-59th Aviation and Company B 1-126 Aviation. She served as the Battalion S1 for HHC, 1-130th Attack Recon Battalion and Brigade S-1 for the 449th Theater Aviation Brigade. Colonel Harper has also served as Chief of Aviation Operation Training and Standardization Branch for Joint

Force Headquarters, North Carolina, the 2-130th Airfield Operations Battalion Commander and the State Aviation Officer for Joint Force Headquarters, North Carolina. Her most recent assignment is as the Commander of the 449th Combat Aviation Brigade. 

Colonel Harper's military education includes: Initial Entry Rotary Wing Course, Aviation Officer Basic Course, UH-60 Advanced Qualification Course, Aviation Officer Advance Course, Combined Arms Services School, and Command and General Staff College. Colonel Harper is a Master Army Aviator and is qualified in the UH-1 and UH-60A/L.

Personal awards and decorations and badges include: Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism

Service Medal, Master Aviator Badge, and numerous State Awards. She has over 29 years of dedicated service in the North Carolina National Guard.

Colonel Harper resides in Matthews, NC with her husband Aaron and their three children, Soren, Cruz, and Jake.

For more information or to secure your sponsorhsip please reach out to Angela Simcox at [email protected]