With the fifth largest military presence in the country, North Carolina has more than 100,000 active duty members and approximately 725,000 military veterans. So it’s not surprising that our state has a number of nonprofits that address the needs of veterans and their families. One notable organization is based in Mooresville—The Patriot Military Family Foundation (PMFF). David Laws has been involved with PMFF for ten years. He began as a volunteer, then a board member, became treasurer, and will take on role of executive director starting in April.
Personal connection to military With a longstanding connection to the military, Laws graduated from the Naval Academy and spent 11 years as a Naval officer. After that, he went into private industry—providing services to the Department of Defense, before transitioning into the field of program management for mission essential systems. In 2016, Laws began working with the American Red Cross as Director of Service to the Armed Forces and International Services for the Greater Carolinas. He oversees services to service members, veterans, and their families in the areas of emergency communications, mental health, VA hospital support, and financial support. Although he’ll be retiring at the end of March, he will continue his association with the Red Cross as a volunteer.
benefiting service members and veterans. “We’ve been told that people feel good about donating to PMFF, not only because of our direct programs, but because we know the other best organizations and how their use their money.” He says that PMFF itself spends 92 percent on programs and support, with only 8 percent going to overhead expenses.
PMFF mission Through their work, they support the emotional, physical, and financial needs of veterans. This includes areas of mental, emotional, and physical health challenges, scholarships for children of veterans, homes for veterans, and service dogs for disabled veterans. PMFF also has a holiday program, where families are given to them by different military units. They collect a list of what a family needs and collect the items or the funds to purchase them from donors to satisfy each family’s specific needs. In 2021, they were able to make a difference in the lives of more than 90 families.
Because the PMFF has always operated with a board, but not with an official director, Laws took on many of the responsibilities that an executive director would normally oversee. While officially the treasurer, he wore many hats, stepping in to do whatever was needed. “I did the best I could, while having a full-time job— making sure operations were running correctly and that events took place, as well as keeping track of finances,” he says.
Cooperating to help veterans “There are a lot of organizations that support veterans and community within the Carolinas, but I’d say we are one of the premier organizations, along with NCServes and Veterans Bridge Home,” says Laws. Not only does the Patriot Military Family Foundation have its own active programs, they constantly support the efforts of other military/veterans nonprofits throughout the Carolinas. A few examples of projects they’ve provided funding to are Eagle Rock Camp, sponsoring a scholarship each year at the Community Culinary School of Charlotte, and helping over 40 Afghan refugees with patriation to the United States. “We’ve also helped Gold Star families in several ways, from housing to cars.” Helping Gold Star families is important to PMFF and Laws says that they “go out of our way to help a Gold Star family whenever we can.” Laws explains that PMFF keeps in touch with organizations they support and uses that knowledge to ascertain which ones are best
ANNUAL EVENTS Although Covid put a damper on events, this year PMFF will be holding all of their in-person events. On March 15, they’ll have their Bag Lady Brunch at 10:30 a.m. at Trump National Charlotte. The keynote speaker will be Captain Tammie Jo Shults, one of the Navy’s first female fighter pilots. Other events will include a Casino night this summer, a Patriot Clay Challenge in the fall, and their Gala in November.
Patriot Military Family Foundation 129 Fast Lane Suite 200 Mooresville 704.401.2066 www.patriotmilitaryfamilyfoundation.org www.LNCurrents.com | MARCH 2022
49
