High school student Heidi Murr needed to complete a project to fulfill a graduation requirement. Though she knew she wanted her project to benefit the community in some way, she wasn’t sure how.
Heidi soon realized helping military families would be a great way to satisfy the requirements for her project and help the community. With Heidi’s father being a veteran, helping military families is something very close to her heart.
After some research, she decided to organize a fundraiser for VFW’s Unmet Needs program after learning about it on VFW’s website. With the program providing emergency financial assistance to military families, it was a perfect fit for Heidi’s project.
“The state our country is in economically…it is evident that they would be struggling financially in these challenging times,” explained Heidi.
After much planning, the benefit took place at VFW Post 418. Money was raised through the sale of dinner and raffle tickets. With nearly 150 people attending the event, Heidi was able to raise $1,800 for the Unmet Needs program, far more than she anticipated.
Following the dinner, Heidi led several fellow dance students in performing a program she organized herself. The dance program was Heidi’s way of giving back to the guests who kindly donated their time and money to help the cause.
Heidi feels the event was a wonderful success and is proud of what she was able to accomplish. “Everyone…felt good going home knowing that they helped such a great cause,” she said. “I'm only 17 years old, and this was such a huge task to throw on myself. Nevertheless, I am so happy I did it,” she continued.
Heidi is grateful she had this opportunity to make a difference for military families in need. “My grade on this project doesn't even matter knowing that I was able to make a real change in this world.”
To learn more about VFW’s UnmetNeeds program and other VFW National Military Services programs, click here.