Picatinny Arsenal – Middle Forge: Chapter President Louise Bonnett and the vice president for publicity, Missy Nulk, along with chapter volunteers, participated in the packaging event at Operation Jersey Cares in Raritan, N.J.The event was the culmination of three months of collecting donations for deployed troops, then packaging the donations for shipment.The chapter has organized collections and donated several hundred pounds of goods for these events, including personal hygiene items, food, magazines, books and DVDs.This event resulted in approximately 1,000 pounds of goods for overseas shipment to deployed service members.Aberdeen: The chapter held a golf tournament for wounded warriors and netted over $28,000 to support these heroes. The chapter donated $12,780 to the Fisher House Foundation from the proceeds.Cpl. Bill McMillan – Bluegrass: The chapter, along with the Bluegrass Military Affairs Coalition, donated $3,000 to the Blue Grass Army Depot- "Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom Living Memorial," $1,000 each to the Wounded Warrior Battalions at Fort Knox, Fort Campbell and the Lexington Veteran’s Administration Medical Center.Suncoast: The chapter donated $10,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation that provides full educational scholarships to children of fallen special operations personnel.More than 500 attended the chapter’s AUSA Winter Symposium Golf Tournament with 420 participants. More than $100,000 was raised for the chapter that will be used to support soldier and soldier family projects.Rock Island Arsenal: The chapter passed a motion to donate $4,350 to support the Army Community Service Program. With the funding, Army Community Service will purchase gift cards for soldiers and needy families to purchase groceries, gas, etc. The money will also support special needs forums and family assistance committee meetings, family fun nights and more.Gen. John Vessey Jr.: The Chapter donated $1,500 to send three World War II veterans to Washington as part of the Honor Flight Twin Cities Program. The Honor Flight Twin Cities is a non-profit organization created to honor America’s veterans. They transport our heroes at no cost to Washington to visit their memorials. The veterans fly from the Twin Cities early in the morning and spend a full day in our nation’s capital, then return to the Twin Cities that same evening.In appreciation for their service, the chapter presents each veteran with a certificate signed by Gen. John W. Vessey Jr., a World War II veteran, and a chapter challenge coin. Over 300 certificates have been presented this year, representing an additional $1,000 from the chapter.Greater Los Angeles: The chapter’s Adopt-A-Family program provided grocery gift cards and holiday gifts to more than 200 local Army Reserve, Army National Guard and active duty Army families. More than 400 children received these gifts.  The program focuses on donations by individuals rather than corporations.  With unemployment rates in some units of the local reserve and guard reaching as high as 25 percent, the need for assistance this year was greater than ever.Fort Riley-Central Kansas. The chapter recently awarded its 485th cash grant to a wounded warrior of the Fort Riley Warrior Transition Battalion.With this grant, the chapter’s Wounded Soldier Fund has distributed $165,000 in grants to wounded warriors for incidental expenses incurred by their injuries.The chapter’s Wounded Soldier Fund (WSF) was created in January 2004 by the former chapter president Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Wells, USA, Ret.Grant distribution peaked during the "surge" years in Iraq where units from the 1st Infantry division were heavily engaged in combat.In the aftermath of the surge, the chapter implemented a supplementary program to provide severely wounded soldiers luxury-quality "BRO" (Big Red One) hospital robes with the AUSA and 1st Infantry Division crests embroidered on them for wear while assigned to the Army’s major treatment facilities.The chapter treasurer, Maj. Bill Shea, USA, Ret., now serves as the chapter’s WSF program director. Shea is working to sustain this program to support the chapter’s soldiers during current operations in both Afghanistan and Iraq.