Since we started V2VF in 2007, much has changed, but our mission remains intact. Each year we remember our fallen service members, their families know we have not forgotten them, and veterans know we care and support them.
Our initial focus was to honor SPC Ross A McGinnis. He laid on a grenade that landed inside a Humvee. The four soldier inside did not hear his screams to evacuate, so he used his body to shield the blast and save the others. We started our Pay A Good Deed Forward token program in honor of Ross. Our biggest event was to go to Washington, DC each Memorial Weekend. We set up a tent and talked with thousands of people passing by. We handed out tokens and accepted donations.
We started hearing from others to honor their loved one who had fallen in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. We created five other token programs. We are a small all volunteer non-profit that ensures your donations go toward our mission.
Soon we had enough donations to find other ways to continue our fallen hero’s legacy. We started endowed scholarships. Each year, a veteran student was selected to receive a minimum of $500 to be used as they needed. Most of them needed the money to pay for classes. Some were able to purchase books or other items they needed for classes, such as a massage table or stethoscope.
Eight teen years later we are managing 5 scholarships located in PA, MA, KS, OH, and NY. What has changed though, is the many years since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars ended. We needed to understand to continue their legacy we would have to include others who embrace our Pay A Good Deed Forward mission. That change included how we selected a school and who could qualify as a recipient.
Our newest scholarship is being held at a high school. It is designed to go to a family member of a veteran first and foremost. The name of the scholarship is the SSG Juan Campos Pay A Good Deed Forward. For scholarships at high schools, the school will select a student who is going to either enter military service or go into training to be a first responder. This could be a fire fighter, police officer, EMT, nurse, doctor, etc.
