"No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks." - James Allen
STEP was founded because we know the sacrifices our young soldiers and sailors make to ensure our safety and freedoms. We don't want them worried about how their family will manage during a world pandemic, we need them 100% focused on the job in front of them.
As the world works together to help stop the spread of COVID-19, a reminder that our Unites States Armed Forces trains and works year-round to support our civilians and partners worldwide. From "pandemic response plans" to joint initiatives with the CDC and National Institute of Health working on a COVID-19 vaccine.
This pandemic is creating significant stress for us civilians to provide for and protect our families – that's the same for the 100,000 Southern California Military Families who are not home with a network of support. They volunteered to move around this country to be where they are needed.
Their situations are further complicated by:
- 39% of spouses say they have no one in the local community to talk to.
- 28% already rely regularly on food support agencies to feed their families
- 63% experience stress due to the current financial situation
We know the global economic markets are changing and there is great uncertainty right now. We also know these challenges our military families currently face will only increase as the nation and world come calling and request for our services will grow significantly.
Just like many of you have for years, please keep STEP at the top of your philanthropic list this year as we navigate the upcoming challenges. We must not forget about the less than 0.3% of Americans who are currently volunteering to the full-time service of our country, and how these upcoming challenges will only add to their list of sacrifices. On behalf of my staff and the thousands of families we serve, thank you for your generous support.
Tony Teravainen
CEO & Co-Founder
Retired U.S. Navy Submariner and Military Child
P.S. The STEP office will move to working virtually through the remainder of March. Please see our website for more details on how we will continue to serve our families in crisis.