CHARITY NAVIGATOR 2020
We are proud to announce we have once again attained a 4-star rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency for a nonprofit organization. This is the highest possible rating and we have earned this coveted 4-star rating five years in a row! There are over 1.5 million American charities and only 15% that are evaluated by Charity Navigator receive this rating. Thank you to all our members, volunteers, sponsors, donors, and supporters for helping us to achieve this milestone!
JOIN US FOR A VIRTUAL COFFEE VIA ZOOM NEXT WEEK!
We will hold two Zoom online meeting sessions to share the latest on OSOT-America's reopening plans and the latest on how we are handling the pandemic. We will have two meetings--one on Tuesday, May 19th in the afternoon and one on Thursday, May 21st in the morning.

You can ask questions too! Please email questions to events@osotamerica.org by Monday, May 18th and we will address as many as possible in both meetings.


Watch you inbox for an email with details on the times for the meetings and the Zoom meeting link will be coming by the end of the week.
REOPENING THE WAREHOUSE AND OFFICE
The current stay-at-home order has been extended through May 30th. We are optimistically planning to reopen the office and warehouse on June 1st. We will be providing more details as soon as they become available, but we anticipate that we will have to follow some guidelines from government and health authorities, including:

  • Advance sign-up for volunteers to indicate if they will be coming in so we can maintain proper social distancing
  • Maintain a capacity on the number of people who can be in the facility at one time
  • Use of PPE while on site
  • Updated cleaning procedures
  • On site and remote working rotation plans for OSOT-America staff

We sure do miss our volunteers and can't wait to see you!
LET'S GO OVER THE EDGE FOR THE PROGRAMS OF OSOT-AMERICA!
On Friday, September 11th we will have our Over The Edge VIP rappelling in the afternoon/early evening and on September 12th we will have our fundraising rappellers from 8 AM- 5 PM at Hotel Arista in Naperville.

Stay tuned for a special announcement about some additions to this year's event, including an amazing musical guest that will be performing at our event and the participation of Illinois International Pageants!

The Over The Edge fundraising platform
is ready to go!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR G.I. YOGA CHANNEL!
A big thank you to Kate who runs our G.I. Yoga program--she has set up a YouTube channel and is teaching her classes virtually! Subscribe to the G.I. Yoga channel by CLICKING HERE . The more subscribers we have the more people we can share the restorative and stress relieving benefits of yoga! We are at 72 subscribers--help us get to 100!
96 BOXES ON THEIR WAY TO DEPLOYED TROOPS!
We continue to receive many requests for Comfort and Care Packages and this week 96 more boxes were shipped out!
SHOP ONLINE FOR COMFORT AND CARE PACKAGE ITEMS
--ITEMS WILL BE DELIVERED TO US WITH NO SHIPPING COST TO YOU--
A BIG Thank You to NAHU Vanguard Council for sponsoring the You Give Goods program for our Comfort and Care Packages!

Help our troops, shop today!

All goods ordered online will be shipped directly to us once the drive ends on June 13th. You will be emailed a tax receipt at the time of purchase.
Your contributions will help our Comfort and Care Package Program so we can continue to send our deployed service members items they need. Especially now as deployments are being extended to avoid troop movement and reduce COVID-19 exposure. 
VOLUNTEER FROM HOME!
While we are currently using social distancing practices, our staff is packing some boxes for deployed troops as the the requests continue to come in at a rapid pace.

Here are a few ideas of how you can help:

  • Christmas Stockings and Ornaments Needed We need volunteer help to make ornaments and stockings (we have patterns available) for our Christmas Stocking Program that starts this fall. We do have a pattern available that we can mail out to you for the stockings--email us at info@osotamerica.org with the address you would like us to mail it to.
  • Make paracord bracelets for our troops, CLICK HERE for a video tutorial.
  • Like to knit? Knit hats and scarves for our troops to give them a comfort from home that we can add to the Comfort and Care Packages. We are currently working with a very knowledgeable member who has already made many scarves with her group!
  • Kids can write letters, draw pictures and make cards for our Comfort and Care Packages. This is an item that troops are always appreciative of because they feel supported by the patriotic community. CLICK HERE for more information.

Call us at 630-971-1150 or email us at info@osotamerica.org with any questions or ideas of other ways you can contribute!
MAKE A FINANCIAL DONATION
Please consider donating financially to help support our programs.
LETTER OF THE WEEK
Hello all!
I'm currently deployed in southeast Asia.  I wanted to drop a quick line and say thank you for the box of goodies you sent out this way. Being away from home and family is hard, and knowing that there are folks back in the States who care for us and pray for us helps tremendously.  
Thank You,
God bless,
A.--USAF
TOP GUN FUN!
Today is Top Gun Day!
Test your “Top Gun” knowledge and match the character(s) to the movie quote.
1. "I feel the need…the need for speed."
2. "The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies room."
3. "Are you a good pilot” Great, then I won’t have to worry about you making your living as a singer." 
4. "Tower, this is ghost rider requesting a flyby." 
5. "Great balls of fire"
6. “Remember, boys, no points for second place” 
Something to look forward to...the next Top Gun movie is coming out in December!

UPCOMING EVENTS
Shop and Drive-- June 13th at the warehouse from 9 AM-1 PM.
Shop and Drop-- June 20 & 21 at Jewel-Osco stores in Wheaton and Downers Grove.
Save the Date for our Red, White and Blue Fundraiser on October 17th, 2020
More details coming soon!

SCOTT MAXSON'S CONTACT INFO
If you have a question for Scott Maxson, OSOT-America's Executive Director please email him at smaxson@osotamerica.org by CLICKING HERE or call 630-971-1150.
SUICIDE PREVENTION
We have experienced an increased level of interaction with veterans through our Veterans Assistance Program as well as our other programs regarding depression and suicidal thoughts. If you know a veteran that would be in need of help, please see the contact numbers you can share:

Military One Source  
1-800-342-9647

National Suicide Prevention Hotline  
1-800-273-8255
CHARITY WATCHDOG RATINGS AND AWARDS
OSOT-America is proud to have top ratings from Charity Navigator, Great Nonprofits, and a Guidestar Platinum Award...and our newest award from Chamber 630 for the Best Not-For-Profit Charity. 
Operation Support Our Troops-America
www.osotamerica.org
630-971-1150
MEDIA LINKS--2 Million Pounds of Comfort and Care 2019
CLICK HERE to watch Stacey Baca from ABC 7 Chicago at our warehouse.
CLICK HERE to see the AM560 The Answer interview.
CLICK HERE to watch the NC-TV segment.
CLICK HERE to hear the WBBM Newsradio interview.

MEDIA LINKS--Over The Edge Fundraiser 2019
CLICK HERE for the ABC-7 Chicago News segment with Stacey Baca
CLICK HERE for the NC-17 TV segment
CLICK HERE for The Naperville Sun article
CLICK HERE for The Daily Herald article

PHOTOGRAPHY LINKS--Over The Edge Fundraiser 2019
CLICK HERE for images from Friday's VIP/Media event.
CLICK HERE for images from Saturday's event.