July 16, 2025 • 17 mins
What makes Monica Orluk with Operation Troop Appreciation a good neighbor?
Monica Orluk's chance encounter on July 4th, 2004 led to a twenty-year journey supporting America's military members through Operation Troop Appreciation (OTA). What started as a mission to send care packages to deployed troops has evolved into a comprehensive support system addressing critical gaps in both active-duty and veteran assistance.
When deployed troops contact OTA from remote locations worldwide, they receive more than just care packages. They get practical necessities often overlooked—portable protein options that fit in pockets during missions, hygiene supplies unavailable at distant outposts, and morale-boosting items that remind them they're not forgotten. These seemingly small comforts make a profound difference in maintaining health, energy, and spirit during deployments.
The organization's most transformative work happens through their Welcome Home Program, launched in 2014 to address an alarming statistic: 70% of veterans transitioning from homelessness would return to the streets within a year, despite receiving housing assistance. OTA's solution is beautifully practical—providing brand-new beds so veterans aren't sleeping on floors, delivering complete home starter kits with everything from pots and pans to cleaning supplies, and offering transportation to critical appointments. These services create the foundation for sustainable independence when government support ends.
What truly sets OTA apart is their volunteer-driven model, ensuring 90% of donations directly fund programs rather than administrative costs. Their newly renovated headquarters in West Mifflin symbolizes their commitment to creating not just services but community for veterans. Whether you're interested in volunteering, donating, or simply spreading the word, OTA demonstrates how targeted, practical support transforms lives of those who've served our country.
To learn more about Operation Troop Appreciation go to:
https://operationtroopappreciation.org/
Operation Troop Appreciation
(412)759-0696
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a charityfor active military and veteran
support?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Monica Orlick, with OperationTroop.
Appreciation, Monica, how's itgoing?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
It's going great, lila, thank you so much for
having us.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Awesome.
Thanks for being here.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your charity.
Tell us about your charity.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Well, operation Troop Appreciation was founded in
July of 2004.
So we celebrated our 20thanniversary last year, so in our
21st year, and we startedprimarily with supporting our
active duty military that wasdeployed.
So anywhere where there is amilitary member deployed
(01:06):
anywhere in the world for eithercombat-related or humanitarian
missions on behalf of the UnitedStates is eligible for our
support.
And then in 2013, when a lot ofthe troops in the Middle East
had drawn down and returned home, we saw, especially in Western
(01:26):
Pennsylvania, a sharp increasein the need for veteran support.
So we spent a year meeting withthe VA and other veteran
support organizations to try toidentify gaps in services that
our veterans may need and to seeif we could match those up to
(01:46):
our core competencies and expandour services to the veteran
community as well.
So we launched our Welcome HomeVeteran Support Program in
April of 2014.
And we run both programssimultaneously today.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
How did you get into this business?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
This was very serendipitous because I had a
very good friend who wasdeployed to Iraq as part of the
National Guard the PennsylvaniaNational Guard and I had been
looking for ways to volunteerand do more because I was
sending his unit a lot of thingsthat they needed and I thought
(02:38):
there has to be some anadditional outlet for me to do
more than just focus on thatparticular National Guard unit.
But I couldn't find anything andI just happened, on the 4th of
July 2004, to read a newspaperarticle about this woman named
Kristen Holloway who wasstarting a charity and she was
looking for volunteers and shetalked a lot about what she was
going to be doing and it wassupporting deployed members of
the military.
(02:59):
So I cut out the article.
I was very excited and Ithought great, I'll call her
tomorrow and see if there's away.
I cut out the article.
I was very excited and Ithought great, I'll call her
tomorrow and see if there's away I can jump on board.
Later on that day I went to a4th of July event at Soldiers
and Sailors Hall in Oakland andin a crowd of about 1,500 people
(03:19):
, she was standing right next tome.
I recognized her face from thepicture in the newspaper article
I introduced myself, and therest is history.
You know here we are.
We thought we'd be doing it tillthe war was over you know we
knew nothing about the militaryand you know, really we're both
(03:42):
businesswomen, you know in ourown right in our professional
careers, but really didn't knowa whole lot about the nonprofit
world.
But we're fast learners and youknow, again, having been, I had
a sales, marketing andtechnology background, she had
an audit and accountingbackground.
So you kind of marry all ofthat together and it's pretty
(04:04):
easy to figure out what you needto do.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Excellent.
So what are some myths ormisconceptions in your industry?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
I think that some of the misconceptions are that we
shouldn't be needed, that thegovernment should be providing
all the support that our troopsand veterans need, and that's
not necessarily true.
From an active duty perspective, our troops have everything
(04:36):
they need in way of equipmentand all of the essentials that
allow them to do their job.
But where we come in is reallya way to say thank you for
making the sacrifices thatyou're doing and knowing that a
lot of men and women that aredeployed sometimes are deployed
(04:56):
for the first time.
It's their first time away fromhome.
They may not have a supportsystem at home, so we focus on
items that are going to boosttheir morale, bring them a
little sense of home, show themthat we thank them for their
anything that aids in theirmissions.
(05:16):
They keep them motivated,healthy and well during their
deployment, so it could benutritional supplements,
personal care and hygiene itemsthings that they would otherwise
have to pay for out of pocket.
Also, sometimes our troops arein very remote locations so they
don't have access to a militarysupply store, a PX, so it's
(05:38):
hard for them to get those itemsand we make sure that they have
enough.
You know shampoo, body wash,deodorant, razors, shave cream,
you know anything that you needto kind of maintain good hygiene
while you're out on missions,as well as healthy and portable
food options, energy drinks youknow powder that you can mix
(06:02):
with a bottle of water, anythingthat they can fit into a pocket
or a backpack so that whenthey're on missions again,
they're getting protein, they'regetting energy, they're getting
supplements and they're justable to carry on their mission
without having to worry about it.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, I love that you guys can offer that additional
level of support and kind of hadthe offerings of.
You know what they really need.
So whenever you're thinkingabout who you need to reach, who
are your main customer base andhow do you attract them to the
business, Well, the actual forthe active duty program troops
(06:44):
will contact us through ourwebsite.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
So we've been around long enough now that you know
when troops get deployed.
They know we exist and theyknow what kind of support we
provide.
A lot of them have beendeployed before so they got help
from us on their lastdeployment and they'll contact
us on their next deployment andyou know that's pretty much how
we keep that program going.
(07:07):
When it comes to veteransupport, in the Welcome Home
program we have specificservices that we offer and it's
a little bit different thanactive duty because we focus on
veterans who reside in westernPennsylvania.
It's Allegheny and eightsurrounding counties, so that's
(07:28):
our geographic footprint forveteran care and they're all
referred to us.
So we focus on veterans thatare coming out of homelessness,
at risk of becoming homeless,coming out of homelessness, at
risk of becoming homeless.
They may be coming out ofinpatient care for physical,
psychological, combat-relatedsubstance abuse issues.
(07:49):
There may be some coming out ofincarceration for something
that was related to a PTSDepisode or something, and
they're able to secure fundingthrough federal funds or housing
through federal funds.
But once they go into the homes, support kind of stops and you
(08:19):
know when you talk to a veteranwho says I'm better in a shelter
because I've got a cot to sleepon and I get three square meals
a day.
That's where we said we can fixthat.
So our veteran program wheneverthese veterans are entering a
new apartment or a new home,they're being reunited with
their family members.
We offer three specific services.
One we make sure that theveteran and anybody residing in
that house in the immediatefamily gets a brand new bed.
(08:42):
So it's mattress box, springframe.
We have a partnership with theoriginal mattress factory and
all we have to do is order thebeds.
They deliver them, they setthem up.
They'll remove any old bedding.
Sometimes these men and womenhave futons or air mattresses.
They'll get rid of that so thatthey've got a brand new, clean
(09:03):
bed with linens.
And then we also provide whatwe call the Welcome Home Move-In
Starter Kit.
And if you've ever moved into anew place you need a lot of
stuff Pots and pans, dishes,glassware, silverware, towels,
linens, cleaning supplies,laundry supplies, all of that.
(09:24):
We provide those veterans withenough supplies to get them
started in their new home sotheir cabinets aren't empty,
right, they can cook healthymeals, they can keep their
apartments clean.
You know that's stuff thatcosts a lot of money and these
veterans don't have a lot ofmoney to spend, right, they're,
(09:46):
they're on a an upwardtrajectory path and we want to
keep that going.
We want to make sure that theycontinue, in whatever phase of
recovery they are, so thatthey're in a good or thriving
condition six months down theroad.
They're in a good or thrivingcondition six months down the
(10:07):
road.
Right, what we were finding isthat, prior to our support,
about 70% of veterans that werecoming through ended up homeless
again within a year.
You know, because they were cutoff from the veteran community.
They're in an apartment,sleeping on the floor, not able
to cook, eating fast food,they're not healthy, and we make
(10:27):
sure that that doesn't happenanymore.
And then we also providetransportation, because a lot of
them don't have cars, somearen't comfortable getting on a
bus to get from wherever theylive to Aspen, wall or Oakland.
So we provide transportationfor doctor's appointments,
therapy, counseling, courtappearances, job interviews, all
(10:51):
of those critical appointmentsthat are going to maintain that
upward trajectory to a higherquality of life.
Excellent.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
I just want to take a moment and thank any of our
listeners who have been inactive duty or who are veterans
and who have served.
We appreciate you so much and Ihope that during this interview
you realize that OperationTroop Appreciation is a charity
that sees you and sees thestruggles that you went through
(11:20):
and that you go through, andthat they're there to support
you in that.
Monica, I know that you have alot of information and resources
that you can provide people.
Have you ever thought aboutdoing your own podcast to
connect to these people?
Speaker 3 (11:37):
You know there are a lot of things that we could be
doing, but we are a 100%volunteer charity, so we all
have full-time jobs, you know aswell.
So we kind of pick and choosethe things that we do based on
the bandwidth that we have andthe resources at our disposal.
(11:57):
I would love to do a podcast,but trying to, you know, get
that going and it takes a lot ofwork.
People think you just turn on arecord button.
That's not the case, right, youknow.
So we're focused on ourprograms and we're also that
that's definitely on the tablefor a future activity.
(12:21):
We just spent the last two and ahalf years renovating a
building that we purchasedbecause we outgrew our space, so
that's really taken a lot ofthe focus.
We were able to secure specificgrant funding and we now have a
beautiful two-storyheadquarters.
That's going to allow us toexpand the Welcome Home program
(12:44):
and it's going to provide aplace where veterans can connect
and meet and we're going tohave social events.
And it's going to provide aplace where veterans can connect
and meet and we're going tohave social events.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Part of that may include doing like a monthly
podcast with veterans who canjust talk about their
experiences.
Yeah, it's also about communitytoo, within the organization.
I think that's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
So, outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Ota Between the two it's alittle bit difficult to do a
whole lot.
But I have a place in DeepCreek, maryland.
That's my happy place.
So I go down to the lake and Ilike to kayak on the lake.
So I go down to the lake and Ilike to kayak on the lake and
(13:33):
just kind of it's a great placeto check out.
What's nice is I work remotelyfor my day job and for OTA.
I can do what my part fromanywhere.
So you know, I can be downthere and doing just as much
work.
But I feel like I'm on vacation, you know, because there's no
it's.
It's very quiet and peaceful onthe water.
You know, and I just you know Ihave a great group of friends
(13:58):
and we do a lot of.
We go to charity events.
We support each other'scharities.
So purse bashes and cash bashesand those kind of events are
always fun.
I like to go hoping that I'llwin, but really I'm looking for
ideas for how we can improve ourfundraising events and you know
cool things that I see at otherevents.
So, it all comes back to, toOperation Dream Appreciation in
(14:21):
one way or another.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Right, it's like your mind's always thinking,
whenever you're a business woman, about how to kind of implement
those same ideas.
Right, right, right.
Well, monica, please tell ourlisteners one thing that should
stick with them, or that theyshould remember about Operation
Troop Appreciation.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I think that they should know that we were founded
on the principle that wevolunteer to serve those who
volunteer to serve our country.
And because we're volunteers,90% of all the funding that
comes into our organization goesdirectly to our programs.
(15:01):
So where other charities havehigh administrative costs, our
administrative costs are lowbecause we don't pay salaries.
So they know where theirmoney's going if they donate to
our charity.
And I think that's importantbecause a lot of times you know
there's negative press out thereabout charities and how much of
your donation is actually goingto the cause that you wish to
(15:25):
support.
And you can be rest assuredthat at OTA it's going to
support either the active dutyor welcome home program.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Very nice.
How can our listeners learnmore about Operation Troop?
Appreciation.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Well, they can visit our website, which is Operation
Troop Appreciation, justallstrungoutorg.
Or if you're on Facebook, youcan follow us.
Just do a search for OperationTroop Appreciation.
We put all of our events andposts and photos out on the
(16:00):
Facebook page and on our website.
And if you're interested involunteering through either the
website or the Facebook page,you can actually just submit a
request to info at OperationTroop Appreciation dot org.
And we're always in need ofpeople who want to help.
So we're in West Mifflin andyou know easy to get to kind of
(16:25):
close to Kennywood, so come onout and join the team.
We have a lot of fun, we dogreat stuff, we work hard, but
we definitely enjoy ourselveswhile we're doing it.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Excellent.
Well, Monica, I reallyappreciate your time today and
having you as a guest on theshow.
We wish you and your charitythe best moving forward.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Well, thank you so much, Lila.
Very much appreciate yourhaving us on the show.
We wish you and your charitythe best moving forward.
Well, thank you so much, Lila.
Very much appreciate yourhaving us on the show and look
forward to sometime doing thisagain with you.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Thank you for listening toPPittsburghcom.
No-transcript.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a charityfor active military and veteran
support?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Monica Orlick, with OperationTroop.
Appreciation, Monica, how's itgoing?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
It's going great, lila, thank you so much for
having us.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Awesome.
Thanks for being here.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your charity.
Tell us about your charity.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Well, operation Troop Appreciation was founded in
July of 2004.
So we celebrated our 20thanniversary last year, so in our
21st year, and we startedprimarily with supporting our
active duty military that wasdeployed.
So anywhere where there is amilitary member deployed
(01:06):
anywhere in the world for eithercombat-related or humanitarian
missions on behalf of the UnitedStates is eligible for our
support.
And then in 2013, when a lot ofthe troops in the Middle East
had drawn down and returned home, we saw, especially in Western
(01:26):
Pennsylvania, a sharp increasein the need for veteran support.
So we spent a year meeting withthe VA and other veteran
support organizations to try toidentify gaps in services that
our veterans may need and to seeif we could match those up to
(01:46):
our core competencies and expandour services to the veteran
community as well.
So we launched our Welcome HomeVeteran Support Program in
April of 2014.
And we run both programssimultaneously today.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
How did you get into this business?
Speaker 3 (02:08):
This was very serendipitous because I had a
very good friend who wasdeployed to Iraq as part of the
National Guard the PennsylvaniaNational Guard and I had been
looking for ways to volunteerand do more because I was
sending his unit a lot of thingsthat they needed and I thought
(02:38):
there has to be some anadditional outlet for me to do
more than just focus on thatparticular National Guard unit.
But I couldn't find anything andI just happened, on the 4th of
July 2004, to read a newspaperarticle about this woman named
Kristen Holloway who wasstarting a charity and she was
looking for volunteers and shetalked a lot about what she was
going to be doing and it wassupporting deployed members of
the military.
(02:59):
So I cut out the article.
I was very excited and Ithought great, I'll call her
tomorrow and see if there's away.
I cut out the article.
I was very excited and Ithought great, I'll call her
tomorrow and see if there's away I can jump on board.
Later on that day I went to a4th of July event at Soldiers
and Sailors Hall in Oakland andin a crowd of about 1,500 people
(03:19):
, she was standing right next tome.
I recognized her face from thepicture in the newspaper article
I introduced myself, and therest is history.
You know here we are.
We thought we'd be doing it tillthe war was over you know we
knew nothing about the militaryand you know, really we're both
(03:42):
businesswomen, you know in ourown right in our professional
careers, but really didn't knowa whole lot about the nonprofit
world.
But we're fast learners and youknow, again, having been, I had
a sales, marketing andtechnology background, she had
an audit and accountingbackground.
So you kind of marry all ofthat together and it's pretty
(04:04):
easy to figure out what you needto do.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Excellent.
So what are some myths ormisconceptions in your industry?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
I think that some of the misconceptions are that we
shouldn't be needed, that thegovernment should be providing
all the support that our troopsand veterans need, and that's
not necessarily true.
From an active duty perspective, our troops have everything
(04:36):
they need in way of equipmentand all of the essentials that
allow them to do their job.
But where we come in is reallya way to say thank you for
making the sacrifices thatyou're doing and knowing that a
lot of men and women that aredeployed sometimes are deployed
(04:56):
for the first time.
It's their first time away fromhome.
They may not have a supportsystem at home, so we focus on
items that are going to boosttheir morale, bring them a
little sense of home, show themthat we thank them for their
anything that aids in theirmissions.
(05:16):
They keep them motivated,healthy and well during their
deployment, so it could benutritional supplements,
personal care and hygiene itemsthings that they would otherwise
have to pay for out of pocket.
Also, sometimes our troops arein very remote locations so they
don't have access to a militarysupply store, a PX, so it's
(05:38):
hard for them to get those itemsand we make sure that they have
enough.
You know shampoo, body wash,deodorant, razors, shave cream,
you know anything that you needto kind of maintain good hygiene
while you're out on missions,as well as healthy and portable
food options, energy drinks youknow powder that you can mix
(06:02):
with a bottle of water, anythingthat they can fit into a pocket
or a backpack so that whenthey're on missions again,
they're getting protein, they'regetting energy, they're getting
supplements and they're justable to carry on their mission
without having to worry about it.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, I love that you guys can offer that additional
level of support and kind of hadthe offerings of.
You know what they really need.
So whenever you're thinkingabout who you need to reach, who
are your main customer base andhow do you attract them to the
business, Well, the actual forthe active duty program troops
(06:44):
will contact us through ourwebsite.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
So we've been around long enough now that you know
when troops get deployed.
They know we exist and theyknow what kind of support we
provide.
A lot of them have beendeployed before so they got help
from us on their lastdeployment and they'll contact
us on their next deployment andyou know that's pretty much how
we keep that program going.
(07:07):
When it comes to veteransupport, in the Welcome Home
program we have specificservices that we offer and it's
a little bit different thanactive duty because we focus on
veterans who reside in westernPennsylvania.
It's Allegheny and eightsurrounding counties, so that's
(07:28):
our geographic footprint forveteran care and they're all
referred to us.
So we focus on veterans thatare coming out of homelessness,
at risk of becoming homeless,coming out of homelessness, at
risk of becoming homeless.
They may be coming out ofinpatient care for physical,
psychological, combat-relatedsubstance abuse issues.
(07:49):
There may be some coming out ofincarceration for something
that was related to a PTSDepisode or something, and
they're able to secure fundingthrough federal funds or housing
through federal funds.
But once they go into the homes, support kind of stops and you
(08:19):
know when you talk to a veteranwho says I'm better in a shelter
because I've got a cot to sleepon and I get three square meals
a day.
That's where we said we can fixthat.
So our veteran program wheneverthese veterans are entering a
new apartment or a new home,they're being reunited with
their family members.
We offer three specific services.
One we make sure that theveteran and anybody residing in
that house in the immediatefamily gets a brand new bed.
(08:42):
So it's mattress box, springframe.
We have a partnership with theoriginal mattress factory and
all we have to do is order thebeds.
They deliver them, they setthem up.
They'll remove any old bedding.
Sometimes these men and womenhave futons or air mattresses.
They'll get rid of that so thatthey've got a brand new, clean
(09:03):
bed with linens.
And then we also provide whatwe call the Welcome Home Move-In
Starter Kit.
And if you've ever moved into anew place you need a lot of
stuff Pots and pans, dishes,glassware, silverware, towels,
linens, cleaning supplies,laundry supplies, all of that.
(09:24):
We provide those veterans withenough supplies to get them
started in their new home sotheir cabinets aren't empty,
right, they can cook healthymeals, they can keep their
apartments clean.
You know that's stuff thatcosts a lot of money and these
veterans don't have a lot ofmoney to spend, right, they're,
(09:46):
they're on a an upwardtrajectory path and we want to
keep that going.
We want to make sure that theycontinue, in whatever phase of
recovery they are, so thatthey're in a good or thriving
condition six months down theroad.
They're in a good or thrivingcondition six months down the
(10:07):
road.
Right, what we were finding isthat, prior to our support,
about 70% of veterans that werecoming through ended up homeless
again within a year.
You know, because they were cutoff from the veteran community.
They're in an apartment,sleeping on the floor, not able
to cook, eating fast food,they're not healthy, and we make
(10:27):
sure that that doesn't happenanymore.
And then we also providetransportation, because a lot of
them don't have cars, somearen't comfortable getting on a
bus to get from wherever theylive to Aspen, wall or Oakland.
So we provide transportationfor doctor's appointments,
therapy, counseling, courtappearances, job interviews, all
(10:51):
of those critical appointmentsthat are going to maintain that
upward trajectory to a higherquality of life.
Excellent.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
I just want to take a moment and thank any of our
listeners who have been inactive duty or who are veterans
and who have served.
We appreciate you so much and Ihope that during this interview
you realize that OperationTroop Appreciation is a charity
that sees you and sees thestruggles that you went through
(11:20):
and that you go through, andthat they're there to support
you in that.
Monica, I know that you have alot of information and resources
that you can provide people.
Have you ever thought aboutdoing your own podcast to
connect to these people?
Speaker 3 (11:37):
You know there are a lot of things that we could be
doing, but we are a 100%volunteer charity, so we all
have full-time jobs, you know aswell.
So we kind of pick and choosethe things that we do based on
the bandwidth that we have andthe resources at our disposal.
(11:57):
I would love to do a podcast,but trying to, you know, get
that going and it takes a lot ofwork.
People think you just turn on arecord button.
That's not the case, right, youknow.
So we're focused on ourprograms and we're also that
that's definitely on the tablefor a future activity.
(12:21):
We just spent the last two and ahalf years renovating a
building that we purchasedbecause we outgrew our space, so
that's really taken a lot ofthe focus.
We were able to secure specificgrant funding and we now have a
beautiful two-storyheadquarters.
That's going to allow us toexpand the Welcome Home program
(12:44):
and it's going to provide aplace where veterans can connect
and meet and we're going tohave social events.
And it's going to provide aplace where veterans can connect
and meet and we're going tohave social events.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Part of that may include doing like a monthly
podcast with veterans who canjust talk about their
experiences.
Yeah, it's also about communitytoo, within the organization.
I think that's beautiful.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
So, outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Ota Between the two it's alittle bit difficult to do a
whole lot.
But I have a place in DeepCreek, maryland.
That's my happy place.
So I go down to the lake and Ilike to kayak on the lake.
So I go down to the lake and Ilike to kayak on the lake and
(13:33):
just kind of it's a great placeto check out.
What's nice is I work remotelyfor my day job and for OTA.
I can do what my part fromanywhere.
So you know, I can be downthere and doing just as much
work.
But I feel like I'm on vacation, you know, because there's no
it's.
It's very quiet and peaceful onthe water.
You know, and I just you know Ihave a great group of friends
(13:58):
and we do a lot of.
We go to charity events.
We support each other'scharities.
So purse bashes and cash bashesand those kind of events are
always fun.
I like to go hoping that I'llwin, but really I'm looking for
ideas for how we can improve ourfundraising events and you know
cool things that I see at otherevents.
So, it all comes back to, toOperation Dream Appreciation in
(14:21):
one way or another.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Right, it's like your mind's always thinking,
whenever you're a business woman, about how to kind of implement
those same ideas.
Right, right, right.
Well, monica, please tell ourlisteners one thing that should
stick with them, or that theyshould remember about Operation
Troop Appreciation.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I think that they should know that we were founded
on the principle that wevolunteer to serve those who
volunteer to serve our country.
And because we're volunteers,90% of all the funding that
comes into our organization goesdirectly to our programs.
(15:01):
So where other charities havehigh administrative costs, our
administrative costs are lowbecause we don't pay salaries.
So they know where theirmoney's going if they donate to
our charity.
And I think that's importantbecause a lot of times you know
there's negative press out thereabout charities and how much of
your donation is actually goingto the cause that you wish to
(15:25):
support.
And you can be rest assuredthat at OTA it's going to
support either the active dutyor welcome home program.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Very nice.
How can our listeners learnmore about Operation Troop?
Appreciation.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Well, they can visit our website, which is Operation
Troop Appreciation, justallstrungoutorg.
Or if you're on Facebook, youcan follow us.
Just do a search for OperationTroop Appreciation.
We put all of our events andposts and photos out on the
(16:00):
Facebook page and on our website.
And if you're interested involunteering through either the
website or the Facebook page,you can actually just submit a
request to info at OperationTroop Appreciation dot org.
And we're always in need ofpeople who want to help.
So we're in West Mifflin andyou know easy to get to kind of
(16:25):
close to Kennywood, so come onout and join the team.
We have a lot of fun, we dogreat stuff, we work hard, but
we definitely enjoy ourselveswhile we're doing it.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Excellent.
Well, Monica, I reallyappreciate your time today and
having you as a guest on theshow.
We wish you and your charitythe best moving forward.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
Well, thank you so much, Lila.
Very much appreciate yourhaving us on the show.
We wish you and your charitythe best moving forward.
Well, thank you so much, Lila.
Very much appreciate yourhaving us on the show and look
forward to sometime doing thisagain with you.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Thank you for listening toPPittsburghcom.
No-transcript.
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