Minnesotans' Military Appreciation Fund (MMAF) has recently awarded $500 in grants to Staff Sergeant Bryan D. Hipp of Esko in honor of his service in combat in Iraq. Staff Sergeant Hipp served from February to May 2007 in Balad, Iraq.
MMAF is a statewide fund-raising initiative by the citizens of Minnesota for Minnesota military personnel and their families. MMAF is a non-partisan, volunteer-run, non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation formed to raise money to provide cash grants as a "thank you" to all Minnesota military personnel who have served in a combat zone since September 2001. With a goal of more than 95 percent of collected funds going directly to eligible Minnesota armed forces, MMAF seeks to show troops how much Minnesotans appreciate and respect their service to our country.
"Our goal in awarding grants to a hero like Staff Sergeant Hipp is to show him that the people of Minnesota respect and support him and his family," said Eugene Sit, chairman of MMAF and chief executive officer of Sit Investments. "He has represented our state and the community of Esko with great honor."
Individuals, corporations and foundations have contributed nearly $6 million since the launch of MMAF in early August 2005 - making it what organizers believe to be the nation's largest-ever, non-partisan, statewide fund raiser for military personnel and their families.
Minnesota military personnel returning from war and families of the fallen submit grant applications (available for download at www.thankmntroops.org ), which are then reviewed against MMAF eligibility guidelines. Eligible grant applicants are notified of the amount of their grant award and issued checks, with priority processing given to the applicants who were wounded or killed. Applications for grants have been submitted to MMAF at a rate of approximately 100 per week. It is anticipated that all funds raised will be completely disbursed within five years. The levels of grants are:
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- $500 for all Minnesota military personnel who served in a combat zone
- $2,000-$10,000 for those wounded in a combat zone, with the amount based on the severity of injury
- $5,000 to the families of those killed in combat
To make a donation, mail to MMAF, P.O. Box 2070, Minneapolis, MN 55402, call 1-877-MN-THANX (1-877-669-4269) or visit www.thankmntroops.org .
