Spirit of America (charity)

Spirit of America is a 501(c)(3) organization that supports the safety and success of Americans serving abroad and the local people and partners they seek to help. The organization was founded by Jim Hake in 2003. For example, in 2004 it was supplying material to be distributed by Marines in Iraq to locals:[1]

The Marines identify local equipment needs, and ... Spirit of America, after raising the money, acquires the stuff, typically for schools and medical clinics. It flies directly out of Camp Pendleton in California. Jim Hake and the Marines are a coalition of the can-do, bypassing the slow U.S. procurement bureaucracy.

As of July 2018, SoA has conducted over 800 projects across 57 nations.

The organization provides assistance in response to needs identified by American military and civilian personnel. SoA adds the agility, innovation, and resources of the American private sector to the capabilities of the US government and military in support of US missions abroad.

Spirit of America support makes US troops and diplomats safer and more successful in their missions and helps local people suffering from conflict and extremism who are often not reached by large-scale aid programs. Spirit of America provides the American people a way to understand, connect with, and support the vital work of US personnel serving abroad.

It is funded entirely by private contributions from individuals, foundations, and businesses. SoA has raised more than $32 million in donations from over 16,000 individual donors. With SoA’s “100% Promise” donors may earmark their donations, and 100 percent of their gift will be used for the direct expenses of the project they specify. Since SoA’s founding in 2003, 81 percent of the organization’s expenditures have gone to program expenses.

It's Advisory Board consists of prominent military officials, both active and retired, as well as several civilians. These include General Stanley McChrystal, former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, General James Jones, and others.[2]

SoA has solicited money for Special Forces troops operating in Afghanistan and for the 1st Marine Division in Iraq.[3] Items provided include "school and medical supplies, sewing machines, hand tools, watches, water barrels, clothing, soccer gear and toys".[4] They also "contributed equipment to Iraqi-owned television stations to establish a better alternative to Al Jazeera [and] helped Iraqi men whose arms were amputated by Saddam Hussein get a new start on life."[4]

They have funded a military identification system and database system, Snake Eater, to track and identify terrorists and insurgents, similar to mobile data terminals that are used by police officers for criminals. The system is to be used in Iraq.[5]

In 2010, Mr. Hake tried to formalize the ties between commanders in Afghanistan and his organization as a "Commander Support Program" (CSP) with support from senior Marine officers "who had developed a good working relationship with the group in Iraq".[6] This resulted in scrutiny from Pentagon lawyers, who ruled that sending goods to commanders violated ethics rules.[6] With help from John Bellinger, Jeh Johnson, General Joe Dunford and General Jim Mattis, the rules were changed to allow the CSP to operate.[6]

In 2014, Jim Hake was featured in a Wall Street Journal piece, where he discussed Spirit of America's unique model, provided specific examples of the philanthropic work conducted by the charity, and spoke about the support SoA received from prominent military officials, including General McChrystal.[7]

In 2018, Spirit of America was rated 4 out of 4 stars by Charity Navigator, one of the nation’s leading evaluators of charities and nonprofit organizations.[8] In order to earn this rating from Charity Navigator, an organization must demonstrate strong financial health and a commitment to both accountability and transparency.

References

  1. ↑ Henninger, Daniel (April 16, 2004). "Here's a Way You Can Help The Cause in Iraq". The Wall Street Journal.
  2. ↑ https://spiritofamerica.org/team
  3. ↑ https://spiritofamerica.org/projects/help-marines-help-local-partners-against-isis
  4. 1 2 "Spirit of America - History". Spirit of America website. April 30, 2005.
  5. ↑ "The Snake Eater". Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 Henninger, Daniel (January 20, 2011). "Will Afghanistan Be a Forgotten War?". The Wall Street Journal.
  7. ↑ http://1ivyrx152g8a1m7gbd366u66-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/WSJ-FINAL.pdf
  8. ↑ https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=13194
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