Program areas at TMF
Community engagement by veterans and families of the fallen. Led by veterans and families of the fallen, tmf volunteers share the legacy of character of fallen heroes through organizing community service projects that unite veterans, survivors, young adults, and inspired civilians to address their community's greatest need. Operation legacy service projects are executed throughout the year with focused campaigns in may, august, november and april. Operation legacy activated 11,303 participants to serve in 264 events in fy23. These campaigns included activating spartan members to visit fallen heroes on memorial day through "the honor project", a back-to-school day of character and service during august, and other service projects around veterans day and mlk day. Tmf also activates communities through a national 5k race series, the 9/11 heroes run. In 2023, 100 locations hosted runs with 21,421 participants honoring the heroes of 9/11 and the wars since.
Character and veteran-youth mentorship: through "character does matter", veterans and families of the fallen are empowered to develop character in future generations. Veterans and survivors serve as volunteer mentors to lead character education presentations for young adults that draw on a mentor's personal service experience and the value of character in everyday life. These same volunteers also mentor youth through a character and leadership curriculum that includes team-building exercises, discussions, and experiential learning challenges. Programs are facilitated by veteran and survivor teams for at least 10 hours of instruction that range in duration from a single day event to a multi-week course. 2,546 veteran mentors inspired 61,731 youth through character does matter in fy23, of which 50% are considered "at-risk or "under-resourced" youth.
Personal development & training for veterans and families of the fallen: tmf empowers veterans and families of fallen heroes to thrive in their post-military lives through personal development and life-changing experiences. Tmf delivered 74 personal development seminars that provide individualized tools and knowledge that helped 2,574 veterans successfully transition from active duty. In fy23, tmf delivered our propriety "spartan leadership program" to 28 veterans and families of the fallen who participated in a 7-month immersive leadership experience in order to experience personal growth and increase their volunteer leadership role within tmf. Also, families of fallen heroes are empowered to flourish on their personal journeys of healing through service based expeditions. In fy23, tmf hosted 5 expeditions where 72 survivors spent a week together serving communities in need, in honor of their lost loved ones. They provide camaraderie, support and renewed purpose to surviving family members to learn tools to move forward in their personal journey. Tmf hosted a national summit as well as seven regional summits for our top volunteer leaders to continue honing their volunteer leadership skills. Additionally, veterans and survivors continue to develop strong relationships and feel a sense of purpose beyond personal development workshops and expeditions by being involved members and participating in tmf events throughout the year.