BALTIMORE, MD – The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is partnering with TMF in support of the expansion of their Mid-Atlantic Region into Baltimore, MD, through TMF's character initiative. TMF’s character initiative empowers veterans at various stages of transition—professionally through educational workshops, personally to lead and inspire the next generation, and in their communities as civic assets finding new meaning through service here at home. The Weinberg Foundation’s Library Project will serve as a catalyst for TMF's Character Does Matter program to serve schools that are currently identified as partners through this Weinberg initiative. Specifically, the two-year, $150,000 grant will allow TMF to bring its program to three Library Project schools by the fall of 2018.
This partnership will allow for the expansion of TMF programs that supports veterans during transition out of military service, and provides school-based community engagement opportunities for military members and students. TMF’s Character Does Matter Program provides opportunities for veterans and families of fallen heroes to teach character and leadership lessons to young adults through day-long and multi-day team-building exercises, discussions, and experiential learning challenges. Through TMF’s Veteran Transition Workshops, transitioning veterans identify and engage their strengths and passions, build positive relationships, and rediscover their sense of purpose after their military service.
TMF Vice-President Amy Looney said, “The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation has built a legacy of supporting those most in need. Travis Manion Foundation is proud to partner with the Weinberg Foundation to ensure more veterans are given the proper tools and opportunities to thrive in their post-military lives. These opportunities will allow veterans to connect with the next generation of leaders to impress upon them what it means to live a life of character and purpose.”
Aaron Merki, Managing Director of Programs and Grants for the Weinberg Foundation, commented, “This grant is especially exciting because it leverages the assets of two established initiatives to make both stronger and more effective in serving their communities. By connecting military members—and their extraordinary experience—to young adults, TMF will link Baltimore to its national identity built on character, leadership, and service.”
About Travis Manion Foundation
Travis Manion Foundation (TMF) empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to develop character in future generations. In 2007, 1stLt Travis Manion (USMC) was killed in Iraq while saving his wounded teammates. Today, Travis' legacy lives on in the words he spoke before leaving for his final deployment, "If Not Me, Then Who..." Guided by this mantra, veterans continue their service, develop strong relationships with their communities, and thrive in their post-military lives. As a result, communities prosper and the character of our nation’s heroes lives on in the next generation.
The story of 1st Lt. Travis Manion and his Naval Academy brother Lt. (SEAL) Brendan Looney have been publicized in the book Brothers Forever, and additional information about the Foundation can be found at www.travismanion.org.
About The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the largest private charitable foundations in the United States, provides approximately $100 million in annual grants to nonprofits that provide direct services to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families, primarily in the United States and Israel. Grants are focused on meeting basic needs and enhancing an individual’s ability to meet those needs with emphasis on older adults, the Jewish community, and the Foundation’s priority communities of Maryland, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, rural communities in the United States, and the State of Israel. The trustees, some of whom also serve as executive officers of the Foundation, are Chair Robert T. Kelly, Jr., Donn Weinberg, Alvin Awaya, Fay Hartog-Levin, and Paula B. Pretlow. Rachel Garbow Monroe serves as the Weinberg Foundation’s President and Chief Executive Officer. For more information, please visit www.hjweinbergfoundation.org.
