Thunderbirds Charities is enriching academics and developing 21st century skills in students through a recent grant awarded to Veterans Heritage Project (VHP).
Grant funds are supporting the organization’s after-school civic and character education program. Middle school and high school students learn about history, citizenship, service, and leadership by interviewing veterans, and documenting their service stories, the significance and impact on their lives and careers, and resulting life lessons. They write and publishing each veteran’s story in the student publication, Since You Asked,TM and preserve the oral history video in the Library of Congress.

The book includes war and peacetime service stories from veterans of all eras or service branches, in addition to a selected theme for the year. The theme for the 20th Anniversary is Since You Asked XX: A Salute to Gold Star Families. A Gold Star Family is defined by legislation as a “parent, spouse, sibling or child of members of the Armed Forces who died as a result of their service during a period of war.” The legacies of 28 Gold Star experiences are among the 244 veterans’ stories preserved this year.
Students will honor the interviewed veterans and Gold Star Families at a free community event on April 28, 2024 at the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix. The public is welcome and will have the opportunity to purchase a book, and meet veterans during a book signing.https://www.veteransheritage.org/bookreception

Veterans Heritage Project (VHP)

This grant is part of the Fall 2023 cycle. View a list of all Recent Grantees.