And now we are all Nebraska football fans! Yay Luke! Ignore my celebrations lol!

Thank you, Vince for the recognition for Memorial Day at the end of today's meeting. I know that this group understands the meaning of this weekend more than most. I stepped out into a new space this past week and recorded a podcast with my friend and fellow Gold Star Sister, Ryan Manion, who is the CEO of the Travis Manion Foundation. I have posted the Spotify link here and would appreciate you guys sharing it within your network to not only bring awareness to our foundation and Drew's legacy, but to set the tone for the Memorial Day holiday! Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3EBJH1wO4uGALv7kDU1tvG?si=vr2FvhiETe2Xd_t7GaiU4A Enjoy your weekends - no need to sit around and lament for 3 days - you all had a hand in leading and building up the amazing men and women that we honor and remember on Memorial Day. So while you are recounting their stories, remember that your integrity and leadership created their incredible character! Thank you all for continuing to share your lessons learned and experiences because it is truly so helpful!

Mission: The Drew Ross Memorial Foundation (DRMF) is dedicated to inspiring patriotism, selfless service, and perseverance to strengthen communities. Our focus is to honor the legacy of fallen service members by supporting Gold Star families, friends, and the broader community. We provide hands-on therapeutic support through our woodworking program for veterans in the STAR program at the Richmond VA, fostering healing and resilience. Each year, we bring together veterans, active-duty service members, and civilians for our annual Ruck & Roll event in Richmond, Virginia. This event honors the service and sacrifice of those who fought to protect our freedoms during the Global War on Terror while raising funds to support the GWOT Memorial Foundation’s efforts to establish a national memorial on the National Mall. Beyond these flagship initiatives, we offer financial assistance to Gold Star families, Afghan allies, student leaders, and community service projects, ensuring that the spirit of service and sacrifice continues to impact lives in meaningful ways. Website: https://drewross.org Donation Link: https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/4781010 President and Founder: Sarah Ross Geisen (Drew's sister)

There are many challenges, but the main one is time. There aren't enough hours in the day to manage retiring from AD, starting a new job, starting a nonprofit, planning fundraisers, being a parent, and responding to the emails and offers to collaborate, all while I try to assemble a board of directors and advisors who are willing to sacrifice their time, talents and energy into my passion project. I feel like a burden on others trying to get them to plan, communicate and form committees. We have a major fundraiser and go live in April but there is much work to be done. I've hired an assistant that I'm paying out of pocket but so far the ROI is incredible, but I need volunteers. Everything takes time but there's simply not enough of it right now.

All items related to our 2nd annual Legacy Ruck and Roll: 1. Get the registration link live for the ruck (CHECK!!!! went live Friday!) 2. Create a social media plan for advertisements 3. Order and plan for distribution of advertising materials. Link: https://drewross.org/legacy/