Unite your community with a high-energy fitness event such as a squat, push-up, or endurance challenge. One example is Frozen Frogman, an annual winter swim event hosted by John and Gayle Mosko, Gold Star parents of Lt. Chris Mosko, U.S. Navy, who gave the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan on April 26, 2012. Participants take on outdoor swim races or a BUD/S-style workout to honor fallen heroes while supporting their families.

Raise funds while enjoying great company by hosting a cocktail hour and inviting guests to donate for entry. Events like the Mattalina Wine Mixer—an intimate backyard gathering hosted annually by Matt and Kristen Tormenti, complete with dueling pianos and signature drinks—show how a get-together can make a meaningful impact in support of TMF.

Bring your community together to honor fallen service members through a remembrance ride. The Jim Thorpe Adventure Remembrance Ride gathers cyclists in Pennsylvania for a 75-mile journey honoring the lives and legacies of our nation’s fallen heroes.

Host a backyard tournament and invite friends, family, or coworkers to join an ultimate kickball, cornhole, or wiffleball competition and collect an entry fee to participate. In the past, a WWII Veteran Tournament brought the community together for a wiffleball event honoring the memory of WWII veteran Joseph Martines, all while supporting TMF.

Host a workout and invite others to pledge a donation for every rep or mile completed. The Beach Warrior Workout—previously hosted by Surfside Fitness in Avalon, New Jersey, in partnership with TMF—brought participants together for a challenging 4th of July beach workout in support of our nation’s heroes.

Keep it simple with a bake sale or lemonade stand—an easy, family-friendly way to bring your community together while giving them something in return. The Gerhardt family of Doylestown, PA, hosted a Halloween lemonade stand, inviting neighbors to stop by for a drink and make optional donations to TMF while teaching their children the value of giving back.

An organization or company-wide 5K is a great way to bring your employees together for a shared purpose. It also offers an opportunity to mobilize veteran employee resource groups (ERGs) and foster understanding between civilian and military groups.

For those who work in an office, coordinate with Human Resources and invite co-workers to donate $5 to your fundraiser in exchange for wearing jeans or comfy clothing on a designated day. Dress-down days are a simple way to increase employee engagement by giving everyone a fun, shared way to support a meaningful cause.

Business owners can set up a round-up campaign to allow customers to round their bill up to the next dollar at checkout and donate the difference to TMF. Round-up campaigns are simple to implement, require minimal effort from staff, and make it easy for customers to participate. They can also help strengthen ethical perception, contributing to greater customer loyalty.