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FOLDS OF HONOR
THE ORIGIN STORY
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By Lt Col Dan Rooney, Founder, Folds of Honor
The origin of Folds of Honor began when I was on a commercial flight to Grand Rapids, Michigan.
It was near midnight, and I was coming home on a late flight from my second tour of duty in Iraq. As an F-16 fighter pilot, I knew one aspect of war, but right then I became painfully aware of the realities families face when a loved one in uniform is fallen or disabled.
As my flight landed, the pilot announced they were carrying the remains of Corporal Brock Bucklin on board. I watched as Corporal Bucklin’s twin brother Brad, who had been seated in first class, walked somberly alongside the flag-covered casket to meet his family on the tarmac on, what, must have been the darkest night of their lives.
Among them was the deceased Corporal’s young son, Jacob. Despite the pilot of the flight asking that passengers remain seated while the casket was unloaded from the plane, many on the flight stood and began
THE ORIGIN STORY
deboarding. Right then I knew I wanted to find a better way to honor the sacrifice of that soldier and all those like him.
Folds was born and is named for the creases in an American Flag. Since that night, me, my wife Jacqy, our family and a dedicated team have committed our lives – through Folds of Honor – to provide scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members.
Jacob became the first Folds of Honor scholarship recipient in 2007.
The mission of Folds of Honor was, and still is, to Honor Their Sacrifice. Educate Their Legacy.
Today, Folds has provided over 35,000 academic scholarships totaling about $160 million to deserving and qualified spouses and children of military members who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Among the students served, 41 percent are minorities. The educational scholarships support private school tuition g
or tutoring in grades K-12, as well as two- or four-year college/ university, technical or trade school. Just this year scholarships for post-graduate work, including a master’s degree, doctorate, or professional program were added. Applications for a second bachelor’s degree or trade/technical program certification are accepted.
In my best-selling book, Fly Into The Wind, one key topic I discuss is volition, which is the power of choice. Volition has truly altered my life. It is the most powerful tool human beings have. But engaging our volition isn’t always easy because, at its core, it’s about something much deeper than just making a choice. It’s about making an absolute commitment to a code of living. It’s the path from “I won’t” to “I will.” The commitment to “I will” means a pledge to stay on that path no matter what, to open yourself up to all the joys, challenges, and unexpected surprises that are part of your ascent to greatness. The world is full of noise and excuses but armed with the power of volition you can break through it to become anything and to change anything. Your choices will culminate to write the legacy of your life.
I encourage you to visit our web site www.foldsofhonor.org and follow us on our social channels. You can also follow me on www.danrooney.com.
With your help, and the Lord’s blessings, we can make this journey together, and make it one we can be proud of.
RIVERNORTH IS PROUD TO INTRODUCE “FLDZ”
A FIRST OF ITS KIND CHARITABLE ETF
By Patrick Galley, CEO & CIO of RiverNorth Capital Management Freedom isn’t free. It has a heavy price that is paid by our service men and woman, and most notably, by their families. Honor their sacrifice. Educate their legacy. That is the battle cry of Folds of Honor, a charitable organization founded by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney. Its mission is to provide educational scholarships to the families of military men and women who have fallen or been disabled while on active duty in the United States armed forces.
My true indoctrination to the Folds of Honor came through a visit to the Patriot Golf Club, where Taps is played each day at 1300 hours followed by the Folds of Honor bell ringing 13 times in reference to 13 folds in a flag.
At this emotional moment, ALL activity stops to give honor to our fallen heroes. Experiencing first-hand the dedication and clarity of vision that the leadership team at Folds of Honor has for its mission and learning of Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney’s vow to leave no family behind, left me deeply moved. Inspired, I knew that we had to find a way for RiverNorth to make a lasting impact to support this honorable cause. Our response to their call to action was the creation of the RiverNorth Patriot ETF (NYSE ticker: FLDZ), a first of its kind, non-profit impact ETF. This is RiverNorth’s way of giving back and leveraging our platform, so that together we can go further than we could alone.
The Fund is designed to provide an alternative approach to charitable giving, with the majority of advisory fees and all profits from managing FLDZ donated directly to the Folds of Honor. To ensure that a beneficial impact is being made with every dollar that is invested in FLDZ, RiverNorth is donating at least 50% of the Fund’s 70 basis point expense ratio. As the Fund’s assets under management (AUM) grows so will its corresponding donations. To illustrate this real impact, when the Fund’s AUM reaches $100 million, the resulting contribution would be at least $350 thousand per year. When the Fund reaches $1 billion, the estimated contribution would be more than $5 million per year donated to this unifying, patriotic cause.
FLDZ is an actively managed ETF that invests in mid to large cap companies domiciled in the United States. Companies selected for the portfolio must have an operational concentration within the U.S. and generate at least 90% of their revenues domestically. At its heart, this U.S.-centric fund provides true impact investing, with real, ongoing dollars donated to help educate the families of our fallen and wounded soldiers.
As investors we know that an equity allocation is a fundamental component in most portfolios. Many equity allocations are benchmarked similarly and could be seamlessly interchanged. Two-fold by design, FLDZ is positioned to deliver core domestic equity exposure while providing the opportunity to make a lasting beneficial impact for the families of our nation’s fallen heroes. We encourage each of you to consider FLDZ as part of your equity exposure. Volition is the power of choice, hear the call, please join us by investing in the FLDZ mission!
For more information on FLDZ and Folds of Honor:
RNpatriotfund.com, RNpatriotfund.com, Contact RiverNorth at: info@rivernorth.com
