Friday, March 11, 2011

Team Allen Fund

Since I love to work with non-profits, I know how important it is that donors know where their money is going. The fund was originally started by our awesome friends so I could pay for all of my plane tickets. Well Hero Miles is now paying for all of those. So the next thing would be for our expenses while in DC. The Army is taking care of Chaz's needs, but you can imagine there are many things that we will still need. We do not have a timeline for how long we will be here. We should get one when Chaz gets to the outpatient stage. But we will still be here in DC for the outpatient phase.

When we finally get to come home we will have to build a new home. Our currently home is two stories. All of our bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs. Although Chaz will be getting his "Lt. Dan" legs his life will be easier if we have a one story home. Therefore we will be building a new one in Clarksville. Chaz has 13 years in the Army and we have decided to finish out  his 20 with the Army. The Army is allowing to choose where we want to go and we have decided to return to Ft Campbell. Chaz should be reclassing (Civilians this is where he changes jobs) to something else besides Infantry. He will not deploy again (I don't care what I have to do) so I have zero problems with him staying in the Army. Plus I want him to stay in because I think he'll have better opportunities for advancements for amputees. The Army is working on some amazing things and Active Duty will be first in line for these things and I want the best for him. We've already done 13 years, what's a few more?! What happened to Chaz is not the Army's fault. It is just one of those things that we don't understand why it happens, but we will make the best out of it.

Now back to this house. I have never built a house, much less a ADA compliant home. I have no idea how much this will cost but the more money we can apply to it will be less we have to finance. Any funds from the Allen Fund will go to the construction of this home. I have just begun to skim the surface on this one. I am saving and working to put back as much money as possible for this home. I am aware of some of the grants, but I am a planner and I have to do everything by myself, therefore I am planning to save and save to afford our new home. If we are approved for the grants, then great we can put money towards our our other idea.

Any funds left from the Allen Fund will go to begin our non-profit. We've already discussed how we can pay this forward. We're thinking about a scholarship fund to start with. Then we'd like to open some type of center to help people. I love teaching people about finances and how to better themselves. Most importantly I like to put the power back in their hands and take it out of the companies who try to steal your money. Chaz loves computers. He is so incredible with them. He loves sharing this gift. He also likes to help people take back the power rather than being taken advantage of my big companies. We both love to help people and love to teach the things we are good at. We could better the world by sharing these skills.

Again thank you for your support. Your support helps us keep going. Chaz and I talk about the incredible support we have received every day. We are so thankful for each and every one of you. Your words, cards, prayers, all of it makes everyday easier. We hope you know that we are thrilled about the T-shirts. We think it's pretty cool, but we are at a loss for words. All we can say is thank you. You cannot imagine what it's like in our shoes. We could choose to dwell on the drama or celebrate the miracle. We appreciate each and every one of you and that you are lifting us up. God is going to see us through all of this. He hears each and every one of us and has the Allen family in his hands. We are happy to have each of you on our team to keep moving this miracle moving forward.
Thanks again!=) Jessica

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