Tribute to 3 Million Disabled American Veterans

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Memorial Day, says Florida-based philanthropist Lois Pope, has become more about the unofficial start of summer and a day of huge sales at malls and retails stores across the country and less about its mission: honoring the millions of heroic men and women of our Armed Services who sacrificed so much defending our nation and the freedoms and ideals cherished by our citizenry.

That, she says, is unacceptable. And, just as we must ensure that their sacrifices are never forgotten, so do "we have a responsibility as individuals and as a nation to ensure that America's three million living disabled American veterans and all those who have died, will always be remembered," Mrs. Pope stresses. "Long after the fighting on the battlefield ends, they continue to fight to reclaim their lives and readjust to society. But far too often, they are marginalized and forgotten. That, too, is unacceptable. Their scars and afflictions should serve as daily reminders about the human cost of war."

And Mrs. Pope is doing her part to promote this mission. Indeed, to coincide with Memorial Day, she is making a $1 million gift to the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation (DVLMF), the non-profit organization for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. The Memorial - to be built on a 2.4 acre site at Washington Ave. and Second St. S.W., across from the U.S. Botanic Garden and 1,000 feet from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC - will be the nation's only permanent public tribute to the more than three million living disabled American veterans and the hundreds of thousands who have died.

"Lois is to be applauded once again for her magnificent commitment to this Memorial. She has been unwavering in her dedication to disabled veterans, dating back decades ," said Arthur H. Wilson, national adjutant and chief executive officer of the 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans and co-founder with Mrs. Pope of the DVLMF in 1998. "As a disabled veteran, this Memorial has deep and profound meaning. But it will also hold a special place in the hearts of all Americans, serving both as a never-ending reminder to all of the cost of human conflict and an essential lesson in courage, sacrifice, tenacity, loyalty and honor, bearing witness to the experiences of our disabled heroes."

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the Memorial was held in November of 2010 and completion is currently scheduled for late 2012. Among the prominent individuals participating in the groundbreaking were award-winning actor Gary Sinise, the national spokesman for the Memorial; U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki; Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; and Anthony Principi, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

The $1 million gift brings Mrs. Pope's total giving for the building of the Memorial to $10 million, making her the largest individual donor to the effort. Prominent donors also include the Disabled American Veterans, the national advocacy group for disabled veterans whose more than one million members have supported the Memorial since its inception; H. Ross Perot, Sr.; AT&T; Ford Motor Fund; Fifth Third Foundation; TriWest Healthcare Alliance; Health Net Federal Services; FedEx; Conoco Phillips; Union Pacific Corp.; Freeport McMoRan; GEICO; and QTC Medical Services, among others.

More important, Mrs. Pope's new gift, combined with existing pledges, are among the final funds needed to complete the $82 million capital campaign for the Memorial.

For more information on the Memorial and ways to contribute to its endowment, visit www.avdlm.org or call 800-331-7590

Editor:

Lois Berrodin Pope (born June 7, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is one of America's leading philanthropists. She is the widow of National Enquirer founder, Generoso Pope Jr. Pope attended Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, which later presented her with an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in recognition of her philanthropic work.

In the field of medical research, the Lois Pope LIFE Foundation is the driving force behind the Lois Pope LIFE Center in Florida, the top neurological research facility in the world.

In the area of humanitarian relief, Pope's charitable organizations have sponsored a clean water project in hurricane-ravaged Guatemala, grants to start summer camps for disadvantaged youths, programs to honor disabled veterans, and HealthCorps.

As a patron of the arts, Pope has supported the Florida Philharmonic, the Palm Beach Opera and the Montgomery Armory Arts Center.

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