USO fundraising to give military families the Christmas they deserve

WTMJ-4
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WEST BEND — This Christmas will be especially hard for military families.

The United Service Organizations, or USO, is trying to make the holidays less isolating for families who have a loved one based far from home. They have found a unique way to fundraise this year.

West Bend mothers Mary and Becky lean on the USO while both husbands are deployed to the Middle East. Their husbands are both helicopter pilots for the National Guard.

“The support they (USO) give is unwavering. It’s always there. It’s constant, which feels great,” said mother of two, Mary.

“The USO makes us feel just as important and generous to the families,” said mother of four, Becky.

While they do not want to share their last names, Becky did want to share what the USO means to fellow military moms in need, “I don’t think that there would be gifts under the tree if they did not receive donations off the wishlist that they had requested.”

Making sure that wish list is complete looks different for Executive Director of USO Wisconsin, Josh Sova. “Typically, we have community groups and companies that do huge collection drives for us and those don’t exist this year.” So, they are asking for you to log on to their Amazon wishlist, created by military families.

The donations will be shipped to the the USO Wisconsin office. Becky adds, “To know that was on the child’s list and they are receiving it, that’s pretty cool.”

They also plan to host a socially-distanced crafts event to make sure military families have the Christmas they all deserve.

You can also donate money directly to USO Wisconsin.

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