Press Release

Operation Homefront Program to Support Wives of Injured Service Members Rebranded as “Hearts of Valor”

11/2/2012

Operation Homefront today announced that its support program for the caregivers of injured service members – primarily wives, girlfriends, and mothers – has been renamed “Hearts of Valor.” It was previously known as “Wounded Warrior Wives.”

“Caregivers know intimately the challenges of caring for wounded, ill or injured service members,” said Sara Boz, Director of Hearts of Valor. “Thousands of wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, fiancés and friends take care of a service member without expecting anything in return. With the expanding population of caregivers, our program needed a name make-over that could capture the true essence of these heroic women.”

Operation Homefront developed the new name by listening to the stories of numerous caregivers who found the healing process to be a long, daunting journey, filled with obstacles and setbacks. The caregivers told Operation Homefront that caring for a wounded warrior who has had the valor to serve our country takes not just love, but bravery too. They found the new identity both satisfies the existing expectations of what a caregiver stands for while simultaneously moving the organization forward. The goal is to maintain the iconic and recognizable devotion and heart the caregivers have, along with the valor and bravery of their wounded warriors.

The organization expects its name change to be fully in place by the end of 2012. Some rebranding efforts will begin immediately, such as website and online social media changes. Other branding efforts include adding new and improved features to their services.

Some of Hearts of Valor’s services include:

Weekend Retreats: Throughout the year they host weekend retreats in cities around the United States. There is no cost to attend and it’s an opportunity to come together and gain additional tools for successful caregiving. Additionally the women spend time sharing stories, networking and connecting to other caregivers in their area.

Care Packages: New members receive a care package that contains items that not only help welcome them to the program, but also communicate one of the program’s basic tenets; self-care is essential to caring for others.

Peer-Facilitated Groups: Peer-facilitated support groups are hosted in several locations around the United States. The support groups are not lead by professionals or certified experts instead they are led by volunteer caregivers willing to serve as facilitators. The goal of every group is to improve the lives of the women, who are caring for wounded warriors.

Online Forum: Their virtual community features an online discussion forum that is private and protected by login. Caregivers can ask any question, share struggles, successes and encourage each other in their unique roles.

Newsletters: Newsletters are sent out monthly by way of email and contain new caregiver information, upcoming events, contests, and success stories.

Blog: They host an online Blog at www.wifeofawoundedsoldier.com and it contains the joys and achievements of Cheryl Gansner, the caregiver of a wounded warrior.

Facebook: The Facebook site can be found at www.facebook.com/heartsofvalor and here they post current events, contests and success stories.