Friends of the Fallen receives $5,000 donation

  • Published
  • By Christin Michaud
  • AFMAO Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Ron Winter, former Secretary of the Air Force, Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and the Honorable Craig W. Deuhring, former Assistant SAF/MR, presented the Friends of the Fallen with a check for $5,000 on behalf of the A.J. and Lynda Scribante Charitable Foundation June 25.

The Friends of the Fallen is a group of volunteers whose mission is to help lift the families of the fallen.

"We are a volunteer organization which takes care of families as they come to witness the dignified transfer of their loved ones," said Amy Dean, Friends of the Fallen president.

More than 35 volunteers come together to serve the families. The volunteers take care of hospitality to make family members feel as much as home as they can, considering the circumstances.

"It is important for (families) to be given a comforting smile or a cup of coffee or something to let them know that we do care and we do want to give them a sense of honor," said Dean. "It is important for us as a community to take part in this mission. We want to show the families that we do care about what happens and we let them know they have truly given the ultimate sacrifice and it does make a difference."

Private donations like this one from the Scribante Foundation enable the Friends of the Fallen to be able to offer additional comfort items ranging from refreshments to necessities they may have forgotten, such as diapers for an infant or even baby food.

"We have a good friend that we met in office," said Winter. "A.J. Scribante is a self-made millionaire. He and his wife are just very warm gracious people - they are real people."

The Scribante Foundation donated money in the past to support an active-duty Airmen from explosive ordnance disposal who was injured severely in the line of duty.
"A.J. called me a couple weeks ago and said, Ron, we want to help again," explained Winter.

After discussing some options, the Scribantes sent three checks to Winter. One was a donation for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, the second for Bugles Across America and finally, a donation for the Freinds of the Fallen organization.

"Ever since the policy changed ... it is not just escort officers coming through, it is families coming through too," Winter said of the mission at Dover.

Winter and Deuhring presented the Friends of the Fallen with the donation on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Scribante.

"From the Scribantes, thank you for your service," said Winter. "What you do matters."
The volunteer group will use the donation for hospitality items and other items for families to help them through the grieving process, according to Dean. They plan on buying more items for the child care room.

"We also have a room for the teenagers so we have a place for them to detach from the seriousness of what is going on but can still get back and be close to their family," she said. "We want to give (families) as comfortable an experience as we can."

The volunteers help families begin the process of putting their lives back together. Each volunteer goes through an orientation program to prepare them for their role. Regardless of the time of day, a volunteer is always available to support the family.

"What you are doing here today, the volunteers, is you're continuing the tradition that this generation started, unlike anything we have seen since perhaps World War II," said Deuhring. "You are allowing people to express themselves, to give their support, to say we care, we feel your pain. It is a wonderful, wonderful work that you are doing."

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can contact Wendy Fish, volunteer coordinator at info@friendsofthefallenvolunteers.org.