FTGA (Fill The Gap America) . . .
Hey Everyone, this website is being maintained as one path in sharing ideas, concerns and in some cases - comments around the various challenges unfolding. At a minimum, I want everyone to not loose site of the men and women who have served our country, that always deserve our respect and appreciation . . . but may also need our help as well. From thee to the broader challenge, I want to raise awareness to issues or ideas as well that challenge us to look at everyone across our country . . . as to helping to raise awareness or in requesting your thoughts and follow up.
Join us on the journey - your comments and recommendations are desired.
Join us on the journey - your comments and recommendations are desired.
As referenced above, one of our goals is to help those families of our American service men and women who have lost a loved one in service and are now struggling in some regards - whether it be months or years after the loss of their loved one. Is there more? Yes, but know this . . .
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We hope you take the time to review our weekly blogs posted and the resources we are making available (and will be expanding) as well as our "About" info below.
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Please note: At this time we are not looking for funds - but we are looking for comments, recommendations, names of those families that you may be aware of that may be in need of help.
We also know that some families may have questions or challenges in helping their loved ones who have been severely injured or are struggling in some ways due to aspects of their service or our military families are now transitioning into Veterans status - and things are not going well. As we reach out to help those US Military and Veteran's families, please note the following:
- Click on our Blog tab and see the words shared on "Our Mission" (dated 9/17/2013). That gives some added insight as we are working on our focus and next steps.
- We can't make the mistake of assuming there are numerous families with problems, with heart aches or issues in one way or another, just because they lost a loved one in service to our country. We do assume there are some. Can we find them and help them in some way is the challenge we want to pursue in the months to come.
- Oversimplified, we're investigating at this time, what are the needs and next steps required? From there, we'll pursue next steps required.
We also know that some families may have questions or challenges in helping their loved ones who have been severely injured or are struggling in some ways due to aspects of their service or our military families are now transitioning into Veterans status - and things are not going well. As we reach out to help those US Military and Veteran's families, please note the following:
Veterans in need of help? Some military or veteran families may just have questions and need help in finding the right programs as they transition out of active duty. Some of you may know some Veterans in need and can help us to reach out to help them.
- Yes we know there are various programs already available - the challenge are the gaps between existing programs, foundations, etc and those falling into those.
- If you would like to be a part of our team, working to help veterans and/or their families - then please click on our Mentors, Coaches & Friends tab; fill out the information form and use the submit button to send your information to us.
- If you are a veteran who has questions or needs help (or are a veteran's family member) - then please use our Contact tab; fill out the information form and submit your question or request.
We are a nation who owe so much to those that have served our country and even more is owed to those who have made those ultimate sacrifice. Over the weeks ahead we'll be gathering information, expanding this website, and in working on the books to be published (for raising funds for down the road). There is a lot more to share - watch for more details to come. Thank you.
Background Info: Who is Old Man River & why is this project being pursued?
My name is Keith Gore. I've retired from IBM (after 35 and a half years) and I now have the time to focus on what I believe is an opportunity to help others. How that has unfolded is as follows.
When my oldest son joined the Army, I saw in him a passion to serve our country. Not too long after his steps down this path, his younger brother signed up for the Reserves. Their two sets of adventures in the military, exposed me to various people and causes tied directly and in some cases indirectly to military and veterans families. My pride in our country grew as so many Americans did what they could to support the Troops and I wanted to make sure I was challenging myself to step up as well where I could.
As these last few years unfolded, I found that there are many good programs now in place. There are those for the military families (those still on active duty) and those for the veterans. Unfortunately, as I have talked with many these last few years, there would often be comments or questions in regards - is there enough help or is something missing? As I pondered this as well, I decided that just wondering and hoping that things were sufficiently in place, was not good enough (at least in my opinion). I thought - if I'm not sure that there is enough help in place for those that have served our country, there are probably more like me.
I'm using the talents & skills I learned during my career with IBM (Project Management, Process Transformation as well as those years in management and middle management positions). What I see is a lot of good programs are in place and some that look good on the surface but may not ensure the value that they should. No one wants to commit money or time to a program that is not effective and not using their funding as it should. Which brings me to this point in time.
This program being formed will look at the various programs that exist, find where there are gaps and then determine how best to fill those gaps. I expect this will take some time to find where there are needs and how best to help address those. That is the challenge. Any comments, questions or recommendations are appreciated. More information to come as we move forward.
Oops, one more thing. Old Man River was a nickname my boys gave me some years back. I'm using it here at the start as one way to help stay in the background. If I find that most feel the use of that causes confusion or doubt, I'll drop that (accountability is key to build trust). There are so many that have served, that don't get the recognition they deserve, and some don't get the help that they should. That is what I want to pursue and anyone who would like to join in this effort, please let me know. My appreciation for all and regards! Keith (OMR)