Honor Guard Gala to Mark TAPS Silver Anniversary
More Than 800 Washington Influencers Will Gather to Commemorate 25 Years of Supporting the Families of America’s Fallen Military Heroes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 8, 2019
ARLINGTON, Va. – Congressional representatives, senior Administration and Pentagon officials, surviving military families and supporters will come together for a special 25th Anniversary Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Honor Guard Gala, to be held March 6 at the National Building Museum.
“For 25 years, TAPS has been America’s family, a home for all who are grieving a loved one who died in military service,” said TAPS President and Founder and 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, Bonnie Carroll. “Families never forget, and at TAPS, we come together to honor the life and service of all those who have selflessly sacrificed to guarantee our freedoms.”
Funds raised from the Gala will be used to provide critical support services to families who have lost a loved one in the military. TAPS programs are based on a peer-support model and provide surviving families with unlimited grief counseling, access to community-based care, casework assistance and a 24/7 Helpline.
In addition, TAPS hosts an annual National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp as well as regional seminars and retreats across the country to bring military survivors together to promote hope and healing. All services are provided at no cost to families.
"To all our fallen service men and women who selflessly sacrificed for our country, we owe a solemn obligation: make it matter,” said retired Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and member of the TAPS Board of Directors. “When our fallen heroes raised their right hands, they put their trust in us never to let their service be in vain. For 25 years, TAPS has lived up to that bond of trust, ensuring the sacrifice of America's fallen is never forgotten, and the obligation to care for their families never unfulfilled."
A highlight of the upcoming Gala will be the announcement of the TAPS 2019 Military Mentor of the Year. The annual award recognizes the contributions of active-duty service members and recent veterans who volunteer as mentors for surviving military children at TAPS Good Grief Camps.
The 2019 Senator Ted Stevens Leadership Award will also be presented to recognize a young military survivor who has demonstrated outstanding leadership on behalf of other surviving military families
The Legacy Sponsor of this year’s Gala is the Centene Charitable Foundation/Health Net Federal Services. The Title Sponsor is USAA, and Presenting Sponsors include BAE Systems, DynCorp International, Express Scripts, Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh Defense, Pratt & Whitney, Prudential, and Telos Corporation. For more information on this year’s event or to become a sponsor, visit taps.org/gala.
MEDIA RSVP REQUESTED:
Please email Rita Barry-Corke at media@taps.org or call her at O: (202) 588-8277 (TAPS), C: (860) 304-1807 to cover the 2019 TAPS Honor Guard Gala.
# # #
ABOUT TAPS
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the leading national organization providing compassionate care and survivor support services for the families of America’s fallen military heroes. Since 1994, TAPS has offered support to more than 85,000 survivors of fallen military in the form of peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, grief seminars and retreats for adults, Good Grief Camps for children, case work assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and a 24/7 resource and information helpline for all who have been affected by a military death. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to www.taps.org or call the toll-free TAPS resource and information helpline at 1.800.959.TAPS (8277).