Mostly Game

There is a terrific post over on the blog Something… and Half of Something about Project Valour-IT. For one thing, it has a little more background info on the start of this fundraiser:

Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles “Chuck” Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog. Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss’ fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.

A fellow who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of creating libraries of laptops with voice-controlled software that could be brought to the bedsides of wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers’ Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.

I’m always interested by the way technology works in our society. I frequently look at IT-related problems with a binary, Is this a social problem or a technical problem? rubric, so it’s pretty cool that Project Valour-IT is providing technological solutions to sociological and psychological problems, and that it is effective and appreciated. On top of that, as the son of a soldier, you just can’t beat doing something good for the troops.

Please consider donating to the cause — regardless of which team you support, we’re all ultimately on the same team.

I’m doing something new for the next two weeks — I’m participating in a fundraiser run by the organization Soldiers’ Angels.

As a volunteer-led nonprofit with 200,000 volunteers, we have over 30 different teams supporting all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Through special projects, dedicated teams and individuals supporting our troops, we make a visible difference in the lives of our service members and their families.

Each year they have a fundraiser called Project Valour-IT, which I learned about from an old high school friend via Facebook (where I spend far, far more time than I ever anticipated, but that’s another story).

Project Valour-IT helps provide voice-controlled/adaptive laptop computers and other technology to support Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries.

The fundraisers are divided into teams to kick up a little competition, with teams for Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy. Although my Dad was in the Army, I have joined the Marine team since my friend Sonya is married to one, and because I like to support the underdog (the Marines are the smallest branch here, since there isn’t a Coast Guard team).

The Marine team leader’s blog is over at Villainous Company (nice name!). I may post additional stories from Valour-IT over the next two weeks of the fundraising competition, but meanwhile, why not hit the progress thermometer over in the right side of this page and donate to this great cause? I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a hand (or any part of my body for that matter) or be afraid to leave the house because of short term memory loss; the equipment and programs sponsored by Valour-IT help injured servicemen (and women, I imagine) cope with debilitating injuries like these and more. Even a small donation from you will have a direct positive impact on their lives.

Thanks!