Last Updated on December 16, 2024 by Luke Feldbrugge
The Homes for Heroes Foundation awarded the Travis Manion Foundation (TMF) a $5,000 grant to help support their specific programs: character development, leadership expeditions, and events. 1st Lt. Travis Manion was an experienced Iraq war veteran from the 1st Recon Battalion. He was fatally wounded by an enemy sniper while aiding and drawing fire away from wounded teammates, allowing all members of his patrol to escape and survive. The Travis Manion Foundation was established to continue his legacy, inspiring people to make an impact by serving others.
Travis Manion Foundation Check Presentation with Jay Flynn
The grant check presentation interview was conducted by Homes for Heroes Foundation Director, Jay Flynn. Homes for Heroes Real Estate Specialist, Ron Washington. Homes for Heroes Mortgage Specialist, Fay Strange. They helped Jay interview Morgan Clark, the Senior Manager of Partnerships and Grant for the Travis Manion Foundation, and two Travis Manion Foundation Spartans who are also family members of Travis, Monica Velez and Samantha Martinez.
You can watch the full interview or read about it below.
Jay: Hello and thanks for joining us today. I’m Jay Flynn, Director of the Home for Heroes Foundation. I’m joined today by Morgan Clark. She’s the senior manager of partnerships and grants. And also Sam Neuhauser, the West Region Manager for the Travis Manion Foundation. We also have Ron Washington. He’s a Home for Heroes real estate specialist, and Homes for Heroes mortgage specialist, Fay Strange.
Ron and Fay, you both have some very special guests with you today. Please take a second to do some introductions.
Fay: I have with me today, Monica Velez, and she’s one of the Spartans with the Travis Vineyard Foundation.
Ron: I have Samantha Martinez, here and she’s the local chapter co-lead and a Spartan.
Jay: Awesome! So, Morgan and Sam for the Homes for Heroes Circle of Giving, the Homes for Heroes Foundation provides grants to nonprofits whose mission is to support our heroes in need. Ron, Fay and I are so honored to present this $5,000 Homes for Heroes grant to the Travis Manion Foundation.
Morgan: Thank you so much. We’re honored to receive it.
Jay: Absolutely. So let’s just take a few minutes and chat more about Travis Manion and what your foundation does. So, Morgan, Sam, please tell us how you’re supporting our veterans in need.
Morgan: Sure. I can kick it off. The Travis Manion Foundation is a leading veteran service organization, and our mission is to empower veterans and families of the fallen to develop character and future generations.
We are a national organization, but we really pride ourselves on operating as a local foundation. And, our volunteers, our “Spartans” as we call them, are made up of not only veterans and families of the fallen, but inspired civilians as well. They’re truly the leaders who power all of our programs and initiatives on the ground in their communities.
The Travis Manning Foundation provides personal and professional development opportunities for veterans and families of the fallen. But really, our goal is to support them in identifying the strengths and skills that they already possess in order to go out and continue to lead and continue to serve in civilian life, or after they’ve lost a loved one.
We provide the platform for them to do what they do best. And we are super grateful to Homes for Heroes, and to Ron and Fay, for their support of TMF, on the ground. Because really, what you’re doing is twofold. You’re empowering our veterans and families of the fallen, but you’re also impacting your community at the same time.
And, Sam, I don’t know if you have anything to add, but I’ll hand it your way.
Sam: A lot of the work that we do is very community based, and centered around where we have chapters and large pools of volunteers. Phoenix is one of our largest chapters around the country. They’ve been super active. They have a number of service projects throughout the year, and do a ton to impact youth all over the greater Phoenix area. We’re super happy about this grant and the opportunities it allows us to engage throughout Phoenix.
Jay: That’s awesome. So, Ron and Fay. I know you’re both big supporters of all our heroes as Homes for Heroes real estate and mortgage specialists. What led you to nominate the Travis Manning Foundation for the Homes for Heroes Foundation grant?
Fay: I think first, if that’s okay, Ron. I had the opportunity to attend a Heroes Run here in Austin at Camp Mayberry, and at that point in time, Monica came at the end and gave her story…and sorry for the tears because I got emotional.
All the men in my family have been in the military, and that’s the reason that I joined Homes for Heroes was to give back to the veterans and our other heroes across the board.
But when I heard Monica’s story about her brother, it was so moving that I didn’t hesitate. I went straight up looking for who I could connect with so I could get the contact name over to Homes for Heroes to get this foundation nominated for the grant.
Jay: Awesome. All right, Ron, you’re up buddy.
Ron: Okay. My “Why” is pretty similar to Fay’s. I came across Travis Manion Foundation and I wanted to join as a mentor. My first interaction with everybody from the chapter was amazing. And then seeing the things that they did made me want to keep tagging along to learn more about what they’re doing.
I made it up to chapter leader and I am able to see what they do in our community, working with our youth, our military veterans, and hearing the stories of people like Travis Manion with the If Not Me, Then Who ethos. Because as a foster parent, I’ve lived that and not many people do what we do in the communities. Being a part of that is just so amazing, and I enjoy being side by side with veterans.
I come from an Army family too. I want to give back in so many ways, and this is just one of those small ways we can say thank you.
Jay: And you guys know, that’s really what Home for Heroes is all about. Thanking every hero in the nation. And it’s through you guys out there in the field, the boots on the ground, that we’re able to do it.
Morgan and Sam, we’re honored to support your organization with this grant. Tell us a bit about how you plan to use these funds to support our veterans in the Phoenix and Austin areas.
Morgan: These funds will go specifically to Austin and Phoenix. Our programs at Travis Manning Foundation are not cookie cutter programs. They are led by our volunteers in the communities, so these funds will be used specifically by our volunteers to execute service projects.
We have four pillar campaigns throughout the year that are service related, but also ongoing service initiatives outside of that. Some of those include Veterans Day, which just passed us. We have a campaign around Memorial Day where we have volunteers around the country go to visit the gravesites of our fallen heroes if their family member cannot go and visit and honor them on that day. We have volunteers doing food distribution projects, hurricane relief efforts, I mean, you name it.
Our local volunteers will identify needs in their communities and they will go out and use these funds to get supplies or things they need to do, what they do. We also have veteran mentors go out to schools and mentor youth about character and leadership, and how to be leaders in their own communities. So this will also help fund efforts where we’re bringing youth into the fold and teaching them. Our next generation of leaders how to serve their communities.
Sam and his team are on the ground in the West region. Sam, do you have anything specific you want to highlight, I’ll pass it to you?
Morgan: I mean, that was pretty much perfect. The only thing I’ll add is in addition to what we do through the Characters Matter program and the veteran surviving family member mentors that we have. We also work a lot with law enforcement, and have the opportunity to really work inside of schools and youth organizations, like boys and girls clubs, or really any youth program.
So, this grant really enables us to get out, and not only empower veterans and the families of the fallen, but also the youth, to go out into their own community so they can really see the impact that they get to make.
Jay: That’s awesome. Monica and Samantha, we just heard Morgan and Sam talk about how the grant funds are going to be used. And I understand each of you has a story. I would be honored to hear how Travis Manning has impacted your life.
Monica: Thank you all very much for honoring us. The Travis Martin Foundation has had a big impact in my grief journey and being able to honor both my brothers. I lost my first brother in Iraq in 2004, Corporal Jose Velez. And then I lost my second brother in 2006. Specialist Andrew Velez, in Afghanistan.
Being able to honor my brothers and continue their legacy of life by serving here in my community has been an amazing impact for me. And being able to share the, “If not me, then who?”, motto with our Austin area.
All: Wow. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that, Monica.
Samantha: Hi, my name is Samantha Martinez. My brother, Special Operations First Class Kevin Ebbert was with a team of four when he was killed. Actually, this weekend will be the 12 year anniversary. He was killed November 24th, 2012 in Afghanistan.
I always tell people Travis Manion kind of saved me from my grief. It gave me a way to turn my grief back into joy, because all my joy had turned into grief when Kevin was taken. And recently our family moved to the Phoenix area so we could be closer to an active chapter because we were 14 hours away. So we sold our house and packed up our U-Haul and drove to Arizona. And here we are. Within two months I was asked to co-lead the chapter. Anything for TMF.
Ron: She is a great co-lead for this chapter. She is amazing.
Jay: Well, thank you both for taking a bit to tell us your stories. You know, that’s really the heart of why Homes for Heroes and Homes Heroes Foundation and our mission of service exists.
We’re out here to make a difference and make an impact in the lives of our heroes. So thank you so much for your willingness to share your stories.
Morgan, if people want to learn more, get involved or donate to the Travis Manion Foundation, where can they go?
Morgan: You can do all of those things on our website. Be sure to go to the upper right hand corner where it says, Join the Mission, fill out a brief entry, and that will opt you into information that is tailored to where you are.
You can join your local volunteer chapter. You can find a service project near you. If you’d love to donate, you can do that. And really, our website is a one stop shop for all of those things. That’s the best method: Join the Mission, on our website.
You can also follow us on social media. Travis Manning Foundation on Linkedin and Instagram.
Jay: So, that connects interested people to folks like Sam at specific chapters to get things moving, to get them out there, and get them to work. Right?
Morgan: Yes, absolutely.
Jay: That’s awesome. You are doing great work to support your communities and our veterans.
I want to say thank you to everybody for taking time to join me, and for everything you’re doing to support our heroes. I hope everybody has a great rest of your day.
Thank you for tuning in and remember, just take a moment out of your day to thank a hero.
Homes for Heroes Circle of Giving
Grants from the Homes for Heroes Foundation are made possible by the Homes for Heroes Circle of Giving and its network of real estate and mortgage professionals. Homes for Heroes, Inc. is committed to providing savings to community heroes; such as firefighters, EMS, law enforcement, military (active duty, reserves and veterans), healthcare professionals and teachers.
To expand its Circle of Giving, Homes for Heroes, Inc., donates a portion of its earnings to the Homes for Heroes Foundation. So, every time a hero buys or sells a home using the Homes for Heroes program, they are helping other heroes across the country who are facing a housing crisis or are in need of urgent financial assistance.
If you are interested in learning more about how Homes for Heroes can guide you through the home buying, selling or refinancing process AND save you an average of $3,000 after closing on a home, simply sign up to be connected with our local specialists. They will follow up with you to answer all of your questions.
If you’re interested in learning about our wider impact, simply visit the Homes for Heroes Foundation for more information about recent grants to hero organizations, how much it has awarded, and how it all works.
If you’re interested in supporting and donating to the Homes for Heroes Foundation to assist heroes in need, please visit the donation page to submit your contribution via PayPal. And, thank you for your interest and support.
