The Young Marines National Foundation By YM/Pvt Jayden Rodriguez Chicago’s Own (IL) On November 4, 2017 Rainbow Hospice hosted a Veterans Expo at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago's Own Young Marine unit was asked to provide a color guard and presentation of the Armed Forces Colors. Prior to the ceremony of colors, we es- corted veterans to the hall and were able to speak with them individually. They told us about their experiences serving our country. There many veteran’s service organizations in attendance, to help all who had questions and problems. In the photo at right, members of Rain- bow Hospice, Guardian Corps of America representatives and Chicago's Own unit are pictured. By Chicago's Own YM Pvt Jayden Rodriguez Chicago’s Own: Proud to Present the Colors and Armed Forces Colors By Mike Kessler, National Executive Directior Emeritus and Board Chairman, Young Marines National Foundation Many of you have probably heard that the Young Marines now has a National Foundation to support the mission of your pro- gram. The Foundation is not a new idea and in fact was started by Lu Caldera in 1992. It lost momentum and was de-activated until the concept was revived in early 2000. But it did not get the traction it needed until 2015, when a temporary board was established, Articles of Incorporation filed and the charter formally recognized. By pure coincidence, the charter was signed on October 17th, the same date as we have on the Charter of the Young Marines. The mission of the Foundation is: to financially support the mission, values, and programs of the Young Marines by the solicitation, preservation, and distribution of gifts, grants, and matching funds from individuals, corporations, and foundations committed to the development of boys and girls into responsible citizens who enjoy and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. The Board of Directors is chaired by Mike Kessler, and its Executive Director is Mike Zeliff. Our board is made up of those kinds of individuals who have a passion for the Young Marines and who have given of their time and effort to help this great program. As many of you know, we rely on annual funding from Congress now for several years. These funds require a special vote each year. Our goal is simple, to build an endowment capable of ensuring the funding of the Young Marines program far into the future. Everything the board does is completely transparent. In fact, a member of the Young Marines board is represented at all board meetings. Further, we have estab- lished and Executive Council that consists of the two Executive Directors and the two board chairs. This is still in the embryonic stages of development, but we strongly feel that the right pieces are in place to achieve mission accomplishment. Our goals are lofty, but we are excited at the enthusiasm displayed by the members and our partners. 16 YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT ONLINE