Tamara Frazier has three sons who serve in the Army. She glows when talking about their achievements. Nothing makes her happier than sharing the pride she feels for her boys.
"If everyone could feel just for one second, the sense of pride I feel everyday for my boys -- they would understand the true definition," Frazier said from her Texas home.
In the middle of brainstorming ways to give back to the military, Frazier stumbled upon the perfect opportunity -- Barbecue for the Troops. People can turn any barbecue, from a family reunion, fraternity party or regular get-together, into a fundraising event to support the troops and their families. Sponsored by the USO, the fundraising campaign, which started on Memorial Day, is ongoing until Labor Day.
Want to hold a barbecue fundraiser? Here's what you do. Create a fundraising event page and follow the step-by-step instructions. There are even get some hosting tips and recipes that will help you to help throw a successful party.
“The USO provides tools and resources at bbqforthetroops.org, including a toolkit with guidelines, tips and ideas and also a customizable event page where individuals can securely collect donations,” said Tracy Tucker, USO director of fundraising and development.
Frazier said it was simple for her to set up her own page, which allows her to post right onto social media sites.
“People are having barbecue parties anyway, why not do it for an important cause," she said. “Turn it into a direct and meaningful way to support the troops and their families. Fundraisers can feel unobtainable for some people, or they may seem too logistically unmanageable, so we engineered this campaign to be turn-key and simple.”
Barbecue for the Troops has even recruited the help of Jennifer Behm, Season 2 winner of the Fox reality show “MasterChef” to serve as the national spokesperson to help get the word out.
Frazier, who was already planning a family barbecue this summer, has now invited hundreds of people through Facebook , texts and email invites. For the family and friends who may not be able to attend, many have already donated a couple bucks, and she’s reached her fundraising goal.
“Even a dollar counts,” she said. “We spend that on a cup of coffee. The way I look at it, I would rather have a dollar from a million people than a million dollars from one person because I’ve touched a million lives.”
Do you want to host a BBQ? There is still time? Click here for details.
Click here to donate to Tamara’s page.
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