The August 2012 Hero of the Month - Dennis Hall

Our August Hero of the Month is 63 year old Dennis Hall. Mr. Hall is a Vietnam Veteran who has terminal cancer (believed to be a result of his exposure to chemicals during the war). Doctor's have given Dennis less than a year to live, and he has one goal he'd like to achieved before he leaves this life. He and his daughter plan to take a pilgrimage to the Vietnam War Memorial, in Washington D.C., at the end of this month.

Mr. Hall is from the small town of Bridgeport, Oklahoma. His community held a garage and bake sale this weekend to help raise funds to make sure Dennis gets his last wish. He wants to make the trip in order to honor the friends he lost while in Vietnam."I think my life will be complete", Dennis said "It has been a dream of mine for a long time."
We are happy to announce that this fundraiser not only raised enough money to send Dennis on his trip, but it will also help with his final arrangements, ones fit for a true hero.

Dennis has trouble standing because of his illness, but this Fourth of July he insisted on standing with the American Flag during a community tribute and parade. When talking about his illness, Mr. Hall said he'd do it all again to serve his country.

Hall married his wife after returning from Vietnam. They have been married for 40 wonderful years and have 2 children. The Hall's are known in their community as some of the most giving individuals around. They took in over 4 other children, over the years, out of the goodness of their hearts. Those that know them said they have done without so that they could give all they could for others. We are so happy the community has rallied around them to help grant Dennis' last wish.

We would like to send Dennis on of our encouragement packages for his trip to Washington D.C. We have to get this one out quick, so please take a few moments to write a letter to Dennis. Let him know you are grateful for his service and continued sacrifice, tell him what freedoms you're thankful for, and tell him a little bit about yourself. Many of our Vietnam veterans have never been told "Thank You" for the sacrifices they have made (and continue to make). PLEASE help us thank this hero. We're hoping to have over 50 letters, along with some travel essentials. If you'd like to help fund this package, please click the donate button on the right side of this page.

Please email your letters to theartofencouragement@yahoo.com by August 24th, 2012 (at 8am central time) to ensure we get the package to Mr. Hall before his big adventure.

God Bless you for your time. We couldn't honor our heroes without your help!

Ashley Hyde-Fuhr
Founder of The Art of Encouragement

For up to date info, visit us on facebook!
www.facebook.com/TheArtofEncouragement

See Dennis Hall's story on OK News 9 here:
http://www.news9.com/story/19243041/family-of-oklahoma-vietnam-vet-hosting-sale-to-grant-dying-wish#.UCVX_aYzeu5.facebook

The Annual Breakdown

I've had a lot of people ask how much it costs to run The Art of Encouragement, lately. Honestly, each year is different, and it depends on how many cards we send, how many encouragement packages we send, how many events we do, and the general cost of "stuff" that year.

The following is a general breakdown of our average yearly costs

Cards average $0.10 each to send. That's $1,000 to send 10,000 cards to our veterans each Christmas.
TOTAL = $1,000

Encouragement packages average $20 each to produce and send. We average around 6 each year, adding up to $120.
TOTAL = $1000 + $120 = $1120

Each of our cards includes an insert explaining our mission and how to contact us. 10,000 inserts costs an average of $300, before shipping costs. Shipping for each shipment averages $15, equaling $30.
TOTAL = $1120 + $300 +$30 = $1,450

Each month we spend $5 on our website. We are now in the process of building a new website that will up the costs until we are able to full transition over. For the next year we will avearage $10 a month, totaling $120.
TOTAL = $1450 + $120 = $1,570

We spend an avereage of $300 in gas to travel to and from our events, that take place all over Oklahoma (and occasionally in other states!)
TOTAL = $1570 + $300 = $1,870

For the Christmas of 2011, two volunteers and one volunteer photographer traveled to DFW airport to pass out cards to our heroes traveling in uniform. With taxes and fees, the airline tickets of the 3 volunteers cost $425
TOTAL = $1870 + $425 = $2,295

For the last two years, we have signed our way through 10,000 cards. Our first year, we had a sizeable donation of cards, but we did not receive that last year. Because of this, we had to purchase new cards to help keep our stock up. $200 (We were so lucky to get a STEAL on the cards after Christmas!)
TOTAL = $2295 + 200 = $2,495

There are also quite a few little things that many may not think about, including waterproof totes to house our cards ($150 was spent over the last two years), rubberbands to help sort the cards, ($25 each year), paper and ink to print flyers, instructions sheets, and letters to our facilities ($150 each year), thank you cards to our donors ($20 a year), and pens to take to signing events ($30 a year).
TOTAL = $2495 + $150 + $25 + $150 + $20 + $30 = $2,670.

Also, new to TAOE this year, we gave a cash scholarship that was selected based on the outstanding service of a young women competing in the Miss Altus (Oklahoma) Scholarship Pageant. The Art of Encouragement was created in Altus (while I was the reigning Miss Altus), and the town embraced my passion and made it a reality. Without the support of that wonderful community, we would have not been able to successfully reach so many about the mission of TAOE. As founder, I feel it is important to not only support the community that so humbly supported us, but to fuel the giving and volunteering of other young people, in order to make our world a better place. I personally donated $100 dollars and so did my best friend, Rachel Newton. Together, we were able to give a $200 cash college scholarship named after The Art of Encouragment that promotes the act of community service. While this doesn't technically add to our total, we like to let you know about the things we support in TAOE's name.

$2,670

Please keep in mind that this is an average annual cost for us. These are things that we are guaranteed to spend money on each year. Inevitably, we tend to spend more than this becuase of other little things that come up throughout the year. This year we also bought furniture for a new TAOE office, and we are finally going to be able to file nationally for our non-profit status with the IRS. The filing cost for a non-profit can cost anywhere from $500-$1,000 depending on the specifics of your non-profit, and this does not include the amount we will pay both lawyers and CPAs to file the different portions to different state and federal agencies.
We also hope to send at least 2,000 more cards this year than we have the last two. This will up our costs a few hundred extra dollars, but we will find a way to make it happen!

We always strive to be completely transparent with our volunteers, supporters, and friends. We want you to know where your time and money is being invested. If you have any questions about our annual breakdown, please ask! Thank you for believing in what we do and for helping us honor those who have given us the gift of freedom.

God Bless!

Ashley Hyde-Fuhr

Founder

The FEBRUARY Hero of the Month - Ashley Jones

Wow. I'm bursting to tell you about February's Hero of the Month!

Everyone, Meet Specialist Ashley Jones!

SPC Ashley Jones was raised in the small town of Cleveland, Oklahoma where only 3,200 people reside (CAN WE GET HER SOME LOVE, OKLAHOMA?!). Jones was 17 years old when she chose to join the Oklahoma Army National Guard in order to help aid with her college costs. After her first semester at Tulsa Community College, the call came for Jones to prepare for deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Jones is assigned to Company C, 700 Brigade Support Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (or IBCT),  as a combat medic. She often traveled on convoys to provide medical support. She recently was involved in a firefight and earned the Combat Medic Badge for being engaged by the enemy and continuing to treat a fellow Soldier.

Shortly after, on December 18, 2011, Jones' convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). She broke her back and pelvis in the attack, and doctors were forced to amputate her right foot above the ankle. This made her the first amputee in the 45th IBCT.

Below, is a picture of Ashley receiving her Purple Heart

Ashley is loved by everyone in the 45th and was nominated for HERO OF THE MONTH by a fellow soldier. Below, she is laughing with some of her friends from the 45th.

Ashley has a vivacious sense of humor and is always laughing. We'd like to thank Ashley for her service and sacrifice to our country by overwhelming her with thank you letters from around the world.

As always, if you're a friend or family member of Ashley's, please help us ensure that this encouragement package comes as a SURPRISE! That's right, you have to keep a secret! =)

Well, you guys know the drill! Please send your letters to

theartofencouragement@yahoo.com

We are now taking letters until February 29th at 10pm, but don't delay! The sooner we have the letters, the better!

If you'd like to help with the cost of our Hero of the Month Program (includes printing, shipping, and the goodies inside each package) Please follow the link below. Thank you!

Jones with friends from the 45th IBCT.

The Need

Hello everyone!

We are working hard to get all of your cards screened and sorted so we can send them off to our nation's heroes this holiday season.

Please send your signed cards as soon as you can! We would like to send at least as many as we did last year, and would love to have all of them packed up and ready to send by Thanksgiving.

Also, we are still looking for funds to help us send cards, buy cards after the holiday season, and to visit DFW airport, on Christmas Eve, to pass our cards to our heroes that are traveling.

Think your $5 wont help? One donation of $5 will send 50 cards to our nation's heroes. Those are 50 lives that you have the oppurtunity to change! Please considering helping The Art of Encouragement send thousands of Christmas cards, this year. It's just a click away and only takes a couple of minutes.

Thank you for your help and dedication to our organization! We couldn't do it without you!

Happy Signing!
Ashley Hyde - Founder

www.theartofencouragement.vpweb.com

The Friendly Reminder

Well everyone, remember when I said the deadline for cards was October 1st? Where has all of the time gone?!

We are less than a month away from the deadline and only have about 25% of our goal!! If it has snuck up on me, I know it has snuck up on all of you. This is your friendly reminder that the clock is ticking! Christmas cards are going to start creeping up in your favorite stores so grab a few boxes, sign a few cards, and send them our way!

We have made plans to do our Airport Outreach again this year! To hear about last year's adventure, just click HERE! We will be headed out to DFW on Christmas Eve to pass out Christmas cards. If we're lucky, we may also have a photographer tailing us, so we will be sure to share the entire adventure with you!

Of course (and unfortunately!) we can't send these cards for free. We know everyone is saving up for that perfect Christmas gift, but if you have a few extra dollars, please consider donating to The Art of Encouragement.

Did you know that $10 will send a Christmas card to 100 veterans in either a VA hospital or a VA state nursing home? That's 100 lives that you could touch, and 100 heroes that might not get anything else for Christmas. Please help us make sure that these heroes know that their heroism and sacrifice is greatly appreciated.

If you have an hour to sit and write these heroes a card, to tell them thank you and that they are not forgotten, we need you, and we thank you.

If you have $10 or more to help us touch the hearts and lives of 20,000 heroes, we need you, and we thank you.


Maybe you don't have the time or the money to help, but you still want to do something. Guess what?! We need you, and we thank you!

Please share this mission with your friends and family. It takes an army of people to make this happen every year, and your help to spread the word is what creates the army! We thank you for standing with us, helping us, and beleiving in our mission! We simply want to thank those who have stood for us, protected us, and kept us free.

CLICK HERE to find out "How to Sign a Card for TAOE"
CLICK HERE to find out "Where to Send your Cards"
CLICK HERE to like us on Facebook
or CLICK HERE to visit our website and find out more about us!
To Donate, Please Click the Button Below:

God Bless You and Merry Christmas,
Ashley Hyde
Founder of The Art of Encouragement.

The AUGUST Hero of the Month - Rusty Dunagan

We've decided to allow a little extra time to receive letters for our hero of the month, since we had such difficulty collecting for our last one. This month's hero was nominated by his Aunt, Susan Porter. She describes Rusty better than I ever could, so I will let you enjoy parts of her nomination letter so you can get to know Rusty a little better...

"During the wee morning hours of 9/22/2010, my birthday, while the dew still clung to the grass, and the sun had barely graced the darkness, my nephew, Sgt. Rusty Dunagan and his unit, encountered an IED during a routine patrol in Afghanistan. When the IED exploded, Rusty was thrown into a creek with sewer laden water. He remembers in quite vivid detail trying to get up, but being unable to do so. Looking around for an explanation, Rusty then realized the reason why he couldn't get up---it was then that he recognized one of his legs on the embankment. Rusty lost both legs and his left arm, becoming one of 23 triple amputees from this war. But another type of war was just beginning. The open wounds from his limb loss created a breeding ground from the bacteria in the water; and Rusty had lost quite a bit of blood.

I was with Rusty when he received his purple heart. Very little was said as the gold medal, hanging by a wide purple ribbon, was pinned to his chest. Deplete of fanfare, or a cheering crowd, normally expressed at an awards ceremony, there was a very profound silence. This medal is not one that a soldier seeks, for it demands the greatest of sacrifice.

Rusty is an incredible young man, with an earthy laugh and an amazing sense of humor. His father, Richard Dunagan said it best, "The best parts of Rusty were not taken."  The 34 surgeries he has encountered have not daunted his eagerness to live life to the fullest, nor has it stopped him from being a great father and excellent husband."

Wow, what a hero! Rusty is currently living in Oklahoma (To all of my Oklahomans out there, let's show him some Okie love!). He loves to read, play video games and, of course, spend time with is family.

Rusty is also a huge movie buff! If he could meet any actor, it would be Clint Eastwood (he's a HUGE fan) followed by Bruce Willis and Will Smith.

Alright, you guys know the drill! Send us your letters of encouragement for Rusty at

theartofencouragement@yahoo.com

We will be taking letters until August 5th at midnight, but don't delay! The sooner we have the letters, the better!

UPDATE - We will be presenting these letters to Rusty (IN PERSON) on August 6th in Guthrie, OK!

If you'd like to help with the cost of our Hero of the Month Program (includes printing, shipping, and the goodies inside each package) Please follow the link below. Thank you!

Do you know someone who needs some encouragement and you think could be our next HERO OF THE MONTH?! Click HERE to find out how to nominate them!


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We just wanted to let everyone know that we were able to personally hand Rusty his package of letters. It was such an honor to shake his hand!

The APRIL Hero of the Month - Ronnie McCulley

It's that time again! Our Hero of the Month is Ronnie McCulley. Ronnie is a 21 year-old from Owasso, Oklahoma.

Ronnie spent six months patrolling the rugged mountains of Afghanistan until he was injured in October 2010.

At about 3 o'clock in the morning, Ronnie saw a few guys that were walking in the riverbed in front of him.

Before he could call for help, he was hit with an incendiary device. His entire body caught on fire.

Countless surgeries later, Specialist McCulley is home. A cane and compression bandages are the only signs of his battle wounds. Specialist McCulley expects to undergo even more surgeries, including one to amputate his pinky.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this young hero is his gratitude. Despite all that he has gone through, he continues to keep a positive attitude, while thanking everyone around him for supporting him.

"You see people who have it way worse. It was an honor and a blessing to serve my country," the 21-year-old said.

Personally, I think his father said it best, "He's always thanking people and really, we need to be thanking him".

Alright guys, you know the drill! Let's overload this hero with some notes of encouragement and gratitude!

Email us your notes/letters at theartofencouragement@yahoo.com

Please put HERO OF THE MONTH in the subject line. Also, include your name, age, and where you are from.

Send them in by April 20th at 11:59pm. We will take care of making sure Ronnie receives all of your amazing letters!

A hero contintues to be strong on the outside because it is their job; it is their nature. No one can possibly know of the struggle that wrestles inside the brave and injured men and women of our armed forces. Let's make sure they always have something to remind them that people are grateful for their sacrfice, even in their darkest hours.

We only received 33 letters for our last hero of the month, and we know you can do better than that! Share this blog with your friends. The more letters, the better!

DON'T DELAY!!! Send us your letters today!

As always, we love for our packages to come as a surprise to the hero! If you know Ronnie, help us keep the surprise going! Thank you!

Here are a couple of great news stories about Ronnie!

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20110326_12_A15_CUTLIN907118&archive=yes