[Nancy]

This thread is dedicated to the victims of Agent Orange and their children and grandchildren.

We as a group have pledged to keep the Frank Sinatra musical flame burning. It is important that we try to keep his charitable legacy as well.

The fund that is named for Brandie is a perfect way to begin.

Brandie's father, Hank, will explain the purpose of the Fund itself.

Thank you all in advance for your help in this very serious effort.

[chadham]

This is an excellent idea and I am ready to help. Please let us know what we can do. chad

[June]

We need an address for donations..

June...

Much of this has been posted in other threads, but here is a thumbnail sketch of what this is about.

The Brandie Schieb Children's Fund was started by the Agent Orange Victim's International group back in 1984 primarily to help fund the 20-odd surgeries Brandie needed that were not covered by insurance or any government agency. Later if you'd like I will post some pictures of Brandie as she progressed through those times. Because of the huge donations made by Robert Dinero and Ed Harris (they met her while making the movie Jacknife here) most of Brandie's bills were paid. Brandie then suggested the fund become available to any AO affected kids.
AOVI administered the fund, helping many kids with surgery and other AO related expenses not covered elsewhere.

After the so-called 'settlement' of the AO issue, AOVI dissolved, yet the fund--tax-deductible, registered charity---was passed to a Veteran's group in Pa to be administered by Mike Milne. As time went by, the fund was slowly depleted and no fund raising was done. Then that vet group in Pa. dissolved and The Veteran's Who Care group in Naugatuck took over the fund. I am on the board of directors for VWCC, and I've always felt a bit funny about helping administer a fund named after my daughter. However, we did some fund-raising and kept helping AO kids as best as we could.
Since VWCC is a small local group of aging veterans, with other agenda's to peruse, the BSCF was not actively worked. We made monthly donations from our other fund-raising activities to the BSCF, and continued with assistance to local (in Ct.) kids only.
Now with urging from Nancy, and offers of donations from the SFF members, I brought up the issue at our last board of directors meeting, wanting to once again get AO in the news, while expanding our assistance to AO kids. By-laws were changed to allow accepting funds from out-of-state and also to allow assistance to be given to out-of-state kids. I was elected director of the BSCF, now a division of VWCC, and with an assistant, I will be running the Brandie Schieb Children's Fund/Agent Orange Assistance Fund, as it is officially now called. As a part of this fund, I have also been put in charge of the Brandie Schieb Scholarship Fund, which VWCC has been doing for 7 years. We've seen a desperate need for scholarship assistance for AO kids.....and we offer aid in that area also.

I am not sure just how to go about doing the publicity part of my job, both for fund-raising and for advertising that we offer assistance to AO affected kids. I am also positive we will get more requests than donations, but Nancy, Brandie and I need to start somewhere. Nancy was sweet enough to use this Forum to help get it started, and I hope we can get it going again.
Just 2 weeks ago, we supplied an electric wheelchair to a college kid, AO affected, so he could navigate the school and make classes on time. It seems he just didn't qualify for help elsewhere...every charitable group has it's own guidelines, and they are so afraid of overlapping that many, MANY AO kids just don't qualify for help! Of course, the government does NOTHING for AO kids, so we helped.

Now with the changes in our by-laws, I can finally accept donations from out-of-state! So now I will post the name and address to send donations to for those of you who offered and still want to help. Remember, these are tax-deductible!! We are a registered non-profit charitable organization. And I can promise that 100% of the donated money will be spent on kids, since I will absorb any expenses incurred.
Make the checks out to"
Veteran's Who Care Committee or VWCC
Put in the memo area "For BSCF/AO Assistance Fund"
Send it to VWCC
P.O Box 987
Naugatuck, Ct. 06770

I will acknowledge every donation and I will use every cent to help AO kids and get this issue in the public eye where it belongs.
AO and it's effects will be with us for generations! It needs to addressed.

I will post here any new developments. I also will welcome ANY suggestions and ideas on how to do what I am trying to do. Please help me get this going again. I have some good tools, good people and a good cause, but need guidance.

[sabaue]

Hank,
Please if you have a chance post some pictures of Brandie.

[June]

Thank You !

For my mother 'Betty' in her name I will mail my first donation to:

"Veteran's who care committee."VWCC

[brooklynbabe]

Hank, have you considered a website for the organization? Among your contacts and supporters, perhaps there is someone knowedgeable about starting a website. The agency I work for has a webmaster who charges $100 per month to create and maintain our website. Maybe you could find somebody out there who would do it for you for less, or maybe even donate their time. It might be worth investigating.

[Rhodalee]

Great -- my check will be in the mail. I hope everyone here donates.

Rhodalee

[chadham]

Hank: Thank you again for the information and the address. chad

[Ace917]

Please if you have a chance post some pictures of Brandie.

For the time being, you can go to the Rolling Thunder 2005 thread in the Veteran's Room. There are a couple of photos about halfway thru the list.

She's a very remarkable young woman.

[Savatri]

I'm with you Hank.

Joan

Yes, I have considered a website, and it may come to be in the future. Right now I am concerned that donations will fall far short of needs and a website will probably bring more requests than donations.
It breaks my heart every time I get a request for help and do not have the funds to assist

We have helped so many, some only a little. These kids are suffering for things they didn't do. I can't turn away, but I have to be able to help those I know about before I look for more to help.

Does anyone realize that the hearing aid Brandie wears cost over $2,000? And because it is a mechanical thing attached to her skullbone, it lasts only a couple of years before it is worn out. Most AO kids have the same hearing loss. Soon I will post a list of the more common defects these kids have, just to give an idea of the help needed.

[Canela]

Count me in..
and my best to Brandie!

Elba

[Kris]

This is quite exciting! Thanks for getting this started

[Nancy]

Hank

Robert and I are in the process of building a room on my website, nancysinatra.com and once we have it in place we will move it over to you and put you in charge of the administrating. Don't worry. It won't be difficult to learn.

Never, never, never quit.

Heck...I just finally learned how to tie my shoes. It was difficult because I wear boots.
I have much to learn, what's one more straw?

I'm excited about getting this going again. Brandie is visiting this weekend and we are going to talk more about AO and what needs to be made public.

[MikeHOU]

Count me in too!

My best to Brandie and all the others!

[Nancy]

It's going to be A-O KAY!

[June]

Good Luck Hank!

I am rootin for you......

June...

I will look for and scan some pics of Brandie growing up this weekend.

She has done well. But so many don't, mostly for a lack of support.