Bob Barker donates $2 million to help injured members of U.S. armed forces
Semper Fi Fund
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A $2 million donation from television personality Bob Barker to the Semper Fi Fund will be used to provide assistance to injured members of the U.S. armed forces and their families, it was announced today.
Barker, who was a U.S. Navy fighter pilot during World War II, said he hopes his donation will inspire others to make sure that no young military members or their families are in need during their long-term recoveries.
"The men and women we put in harm's way to maintain our freedom deserve the best care and support we can provide when they are injured,'' he said.
"We also have an obligation to their families.''
Barker, 87, said he was "impressed with Semper Fi Fund's record of service and its streamlined structure that keeps overhead very low. Close to 95 percent of the funds it raises goes directly to the service it provides.''
Barker previously contributed $3 million to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to help build the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, an advanced facility dedicated to research, diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injuries suffered by U.S. military personnel. The center is located in
Bethesda, Md., adjacent to the new Walter Reed National Military Center.
Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Mike Myatt, a member of the Semper Fi Fund Board of Directors, called Barker's donation "an incredible gift,'' adding that "the severely wounded need assistance in ways not even imagined when the Semper Fi Fund was founded in 2004.''
The Semper Fi Fund provides financial assistance and quality-of-life solutions for post 9/11 members of the military who are injured while serving in support of Marine forces. The fund provides relief to service members and their families for immediate financial needs that arise during hospitalization and recovery, as well as customized transportation and specialized equipment.
Since its creation in 2004, the fund has issued more than 26,000 grants totaling more than $46 million to injured service personnel and their families.
Its administrators said the need continues to grow due in large measure to the level of severe trauma sustained by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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