Dennis Leonard - Independence Fund 501(c)3

Since 9/11, nearly 60,000 service members have been wounded fighting the Global War on Terror. When factoring in serious non-hostile injuries and training mishaps, that number more than doubles. 1600 of these veterans are amputees, 40 of which have lost three limbs and four who are quadruple amputees. Many others are equally injured in different ways. A common theme for them is that may survive because of the advances in battlefield trauma care but fall into a system of post traumatic care that has not seen the same level of advancement and does not know how to properly meet the long-term needs. This is where non-profits like the Independence Fund help fill the gaps. Since its inception nearly five years ago, the all-volunteer Independence Fund has raised and distributed nearly $1.75 million on goods and services to deserving veterans and their families. More than money though, the Independence Fund and its volunteers have discovered that the healing process is most effectively acquired through the active engagement of the community.