Armed Forces Foundation

Last updated
Armed Forces Foundation
Formation2001;21 years ago (2001)
DissolvedOctober 15, 2016;5 years ago (2016-10-15)
75-3070368
Legal statusNon-Profit registered 501c(3) Foundation
Focus
Region served
United States
LeaderBrian Cooke
Main organ
Board of Directors
Website armedforcesfoundation.org

The Armed Forces Foundation was an American non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., which was founded in 2002 by Jim Gorab, a former Navy Seabee, to promote the morale, welfare and quality of life of the military community with a special emphasis on military families. [1] In 2003, new leadership assumed management of the organization, however, due to issues related to an audit, the operations of the Armed Forces Foundation ceased on October 15, 2016. [2]

Contents

Armed Forces Foundation ceases operation

On October 15, 2016, the Armed Forces Foundation made an announcement that they were ceasing operations after performing an audit of operations as a result of Patricia Driscoll’s resignation on June 14, 2015 and the subsequent indictment of the former President on federal charges stemming from a scheme in which she allegedly stole from the non-profit charity, defrauded donors, and lied to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the public about her salary and benefits. [2] [3]

Programs

Congressman C.W Bill Young of Florida with his wife Beverly speak at the 2008 Armed Forces Foundation's Congressional Gala. BillandBeverlyYoung.JPG
Congressman C.W Bill Young of Florida with his wife Beverly speak at the 2008 Armed Forces Foundation's Congressional Gala.

The Honorable C.W Bill Young Financial Assistance Fund, named after former Congressman Bill Young, once provided direct financial assistance to service members and their families facing financial hardship through injury and other service related situations. [4]

The Armed Forces Foundation, in partnership with Southwest Airlines, once paid for the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team's travel expenses during the season. [5] The team consists of 29 veterans and active duty soldiers with a variety of injuries. [6]

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings with a child during the Armed Forces Foundation's Operation Caring Classroom SecretarySpellingsOCC.JPG
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings with a child during the Armed Forces Foundation's Operation Caring Classroom

Operation Caring Classroom was the foundation's annual Veterans Day education initiative to help increase understanding and support among children for military families across the United States. [7]

Started in 2009, the NASCAR Troops to the Track program (T2T), presented by Bank of America in partnership with the Armed Forces Foundation, is a year-round recreational group therapy program that honors service men and women, veterans, and military families at races throughout the country by taking them to races and behind-the-scenes events. [8]

Starting in 2012, Kurt Busch and the Armed Forces Foundation dedicated races in memory or in honor service members and veterans. [9] On November 7, 2014 the program was suspended due to allegations of assault by Busch against Patricia Driscoll, who at the time was the President of the AFF and his former girlfriend. [10] On March 5, 2015, it was announced by the Delaware District Attorney that no criminal charges would be filed against Busch, citing a lack of evidence. [11]

Controversies

Misappropriation of funds allegations

Patricia Driscoll served as President of the Armed Forces Foundation from 2003 to 2015. [12]

According to the ESPN's OTL, Patricia Driscoll, the former girlfriend of NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, resigned as executive director of the Armed Forces Foundation on June 14, 2015 in the wake of allegations that she mishandled foundation money, according to ESPN’s Outside the Lines [13] and Kickin' The Tires [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASCAR Xfinity Series</span> Second tier division of NASCAR

The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a Cup Series event scheduled for that weekend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASCAR Camping World Truck Series</span> Pickup truck racing series

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of three national divisions of NASCAR, ranking as the third tier behind the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series and the top level NASCAR Cup Series. Stanley Black & Decker will take over series sponsorship in 2023, after Camping World sponsored the series from 2009 to 2022. Craftsman was the original sponsor, serving in that role from 1996 through 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Busch</span> American racing driver

Kurt Thomas Busch is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion, 2017 Daytona 500 winner. He is the older brother of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Busch</span> American racing driver and team owner

Kyle Thomas Busch is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing and part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 51 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports. KBM runs multiple trucks in the Truck Series. Busch is the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and the 2015 and 2019 Cup Series champion. Busch is also a one time WWE 24/7 Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RFK Racing</span> NASCAR racing team

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, doing business as RFK Racing, is an American professional stock car organization that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. One of NASCAR's largest racing teams in the 2000s and early 2010s, Roush formerly ran teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Racing Series, Trans-Am Series and IMSA Camel GT. The team currently fields the No. 6 Ford Mustang GT full-time for driver/co-owner Brad Keselowski and the No. 17 Mustang full-time for Chris Buescher and Zane Smith.

Shane Hmiel is an American former racecar driver, who competed in all three of NASCAR's national series. Hmiel's controversial stock car career, marred by accidents from his aggressive driving style, ended in 2006 after he failed a third substance abuse test and was banned from competing in NASCAR for life. After rebuilding his career in open wheel racing, primarily in United States Auto Club sanctioned dirt track racing, Hmiel was paralyzed in a near fatal racing accident on October 9, 2010, in Terre Haute, Indiana. Prior to the accident, Hmiel had become the first driver to win the Hoosier Hundred, Rich Vogler Classic, and the Pat O'Connor Memorial, the three premier USAC midget-car races, in the same season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Keselowski</span> American stock car racing driver

Bradley Aaron Keselowski is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and entrepreneur. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 6 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing, a team he also co-owns. He was the owner of Brad Keselowski Racing, which fielded two full-time trucks in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Buschwhacker Term for top tier NASCAR drivers who compete in lower tier division races

Buschwhacker is a term for NASCAR drivers who are regulars in the top-level NASCAR Cup Series but who also compete on a regular basis in the second-tier Xfinity Series. The original coinage of the term "Buschwhacker" refers to Anheuser-Busch's longtime title sponsorship of the second-tier series through their Busch beer brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Gibbs Racing</span> NASCAR racing team

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, which first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991. His son, J. D. Gibbs, ran the team with him until his death in 2019. Headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina, roughly 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Charlotte Motor Speedway, the team has amassed five Cup Series championships since the year 2000.

Furniture Row Racing (FRR) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2005 to 2018. The team was owned and sponsored by Furniture Row, a U.S. furniture store chain, and was based in Furniture Row's home city of Denver, Colorado, being the only NASCAR team headquartered west of the Mississippi River. FRR most recently fielded the No. 78 Toyota Camry full-time for Martin Truex Jr. FRR won their first championship in 2017 with Truex, becoming the first winner of the Cup Series under Monster Energy sponsorship. The team was also the first single-car team ever to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which it did in 2013 with Kurt Busch and again in 2015, 2016, and 2018 with Truex.

NASCAR on Fox, also known as Fox NASCAR, is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races produced by Fox Sports and have aired on the Fox television network in the United States since 2001. Speed, a motorsports-focused cable channel owned by Fox, began broadcasting NASCAR-related events in February 2002, with its successor Fox Sports 1 taking over Fox Sports' cable event coverage rights when that network replaced Speed in August 2013. Throughout its run, Fox's coverage of NASCAR has won thirteen Emmy Awards.

<i>NASCAR on ESPN</i> US television program

NASCAR on ESPN is the now-defunct former package and branding of coverage of NASCAR races on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. ABC, and later the ESPN family of networks, carried NASCAR events from the sanctioning body's top three divisions at various points from the early 1960s until 2002, after the Truck Series rights were lost. However, ESPN resumed coverage of NASCAR with the Nationwide Series race at Daytona in February 2007 and the then-Nextel Cup Series at Indianapolis in July 2007. ESPN's final race was the Ford EcoBoost 400 at the Homestead–Miami Speedway on November 16, 2014, with Kevin Harvick winning that year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

The television and radio rights to broadcast NASCAR on television and radio are one of the most expensive rights of any American sport, with the current television contract with Fox Sports and NBC Sports being worth around US$8 billion.

Double Duty Auto racing endurance challenge

Double Duty also referred to as the Indy-Charlotte Double or Memorial Day Double, is an auto racing term centered around two events held on Memorial Day weekend in most years. The two events are the annual Indianapolis 500, which is the most important Indycar Series race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, and the annual Coca-Cola 600, which is a NASCAR Cup Series race held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. These two events are regarded as significant events for their respective series, as the Indianapolis 500 is the most prestigious race for Indycar while the Coca-Cola 600 has for years been considered one of NASCAR's most important races, as it is the longest event on the schedule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Busch Motorsports</span> American stock car racing team

Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series. They formerly competed in the CARS Tour, ARCA/CRA Super Series, and Southern Super Series, and is also the parent company of Super Late Model chassis constructor Rowdy Manufacturing. The team currently fields three full-time Toyota Tundras: the No. 4 for John Hunter Nemechek, the No. 18 for Chandler Smith, and the No. 51, which is driven each year by the team owner Kyle Busch along with multiple Toyota development drivers. The team also fields the No. 18 Toyota Camry full-time for Drew Dollar and Sammy Smith.

The 2012 Budweiser Shootout was the first exhibition stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 34th annual running of the Budweiser Shootout, it was held on February 18, 2012 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a crowd of 82,000 people. Kyle Busch of the Joe Gibbs Racing team won the 82-lap race. It was Busch's first victory in the event; Stewart-Haas Racing driver Tony Stewart finished second with Richard Petty Motorsports racer Marcos Ambrose third.

2012 Toyota/Save Mart 350 Motor car race

The 2012 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on June 24, 2012, at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. Contested over 110 laps, it was the sixteenth race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the first of two road course competitions on the schedule. Clint Bowyer of Michael Waltrip Racing took his first win of the season, while Tony Stewart finished second and Kurt Busch finished third.

2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 67th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 67th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 44th modern-era Cup season. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Sprint Unlimited exhibition race, the Budweiser Duels, and the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kyle Busch won the championship, despite missing the first third of the season due to severe leg injuries suffered in an Xfinity Series race at Daytona. Busch also became the first Toyota driver to win a Cup championship. Despite not running the full season, Brett Moffitt was named Rookie of the Year.

Semper Fi Fund US non-profit organization

Semper Fi Fund is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides a variety of programs to assist wounded veterans in all branches of the United States Armed Forces. The organization describes its mission as "providing urgently needed resources and support for post-9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families." As of November 2019, the Semper Fi Fund has issued 209,000 grants totaling $210 million in assistance to 24,000 service members and their families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">23XI Racing</span> NASCAR team

23XI Racing is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. It is owned and operated by Hall of Fame basketball player Michael Jordan, with current Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin as a minority partner. The organization fields the No. 23 and 45 Toyota teams for drivers Bubba Wallace and Kurt Busch, with a technical alliance with JGR.

References

  1. ↑ "Congressional Record" (PDF). Gpo.gov. May 5, 2004. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Armed Forces Foundation". Archived from the original on 2015-03-24. Retrieved 2015-04-28.
  3. ↑ "FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MILITARY CHARITY INDICTED FOR FRAUD AND TAX EVASION". Justice.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Rep. Issa Statement on the Passing of Rep. Bill Young". house.gov. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
  5. ↑ Beth Quimby (10 August 2014). "Wounded but not weak, amputee veterans win a softball fundraiser". Portland Press Herald .
  6. ↑ "Wounded Warriors play the way they fought -- hard". Woundedwarrioramputeesoftballteam.org. 22 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "8th Annual Operation Caring Classroom Begins November 11th". Downeast News.
  8. ↑ "Troops to the Track celebrates fifth anniversary". nascar.com.
  9. ↑ Kurt Busch Talks about the AFF Race Dedication Program on NASCAR on FOX. YouTube. 17 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  10. ↑ Fox Sports. "Kurt Busch was investigated by the Dover Police for alleged domestic violence". FOX Sports.
  11. ↑ Jill Martin (5 March 2015). "NASCAR's Busch won't face charges". Cnn.com.
  12. ↑ "NASCAR driver Kurt Busch's ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll resigns as leader of Armed Forces Foundation". ESPN.com. 15 July 2015.
  13. ↑ "Kurt Busch's ex-girlfriend out as charity leader". Espn.go.com. 15 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "He said, she said – NASCAR driver's attorney proclaims client's innocence". 10 January 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.