Jack Daniel's Continues to Help Service Members Get Home for the Holidays Through "Operation Ride Home"
Join Jack Daniel’s and ASYMCA to Provide Travel Assistance for Service Members and Families During the Holiday Season
November 20, 2014 /3BL Media/ - For the fourth year in a row, Jack Daniel’s and the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) have launched “Operation Ride Home” (ORH) to help junior-enlisted service members and their families travel to their homes from across the country this holiday season.
Since its beginning in 2011, Operation Ride Home has assisted 1,164 service members and their families, a total of 2,777 individuals, travel from their bases to homes across the country to celebrate the holidays. Troops from every branch of service have been assisted and travelled to 47 of the 50 states.
Through vouchers for plane tickets and pre-paid debit cards to assist those who are driving, ORH helps fund travel for those junior-enlisted service members and families in most need of financial aid. Jack Daniel’s has once again donated $100,000 for the effort and is asking friends to visit www.jdoperationridehome.com to help our troops. And for the first time, visitors to the site will also have the opportunity to donate airline miles from select airlines. All donations are 100% tax deductible.
“No one understands more deeply than a service member what it means to be home for the holidays,” said Jeff Arnett, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller. “From grandparents getting to see their grandchild for the first time to assisting a soon-to-be-deployed Marine travel home so he could get married, the stories of ORH are heartwarming. We hope that all our friends will join us this year as we reunite even more service members with their families.”
“Our service members and their families sacrifice so much so that we can enjoy all of our freedoms as Americans, including spending the holidays at home with family and loved ones.” said Mike Landers, ASYMCA President and CEO. “We can’t think of a more deserving group of American Heroes to receive this gift.”
Participating ASYMCA branches work in coordination with their military commands to identify and prioritize participants based on their need. ORH is open to active duty E-4 and below, both single and married, who might not otherwise financially be able to travel home for the holidays. The option to drive or fly is an individual decision.
Plane ticket vouchers are limited to $400 per person flying and for those choosing to drive, the pre-paid debit cards are $100 per family member for gas, lodging and food. For additional information on eligibility and participating installations, please visit https://www.asymca.org/programs/operation-ride-home/.
About Jack Daniel’s
Officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866 and based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Jack Daniel’s is the maker of the world-famous Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey and Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails.
Celebrate Joyfully. Drink Responsibly.
About the Armed Services YMCA
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) is a nonprofit organization which has been dedicated to making military life easier for more than 150 years. Impacting over 500,000 families annually, the ASYMCA offers low and no cost programs through 200 service centers at 32 branch and affiliate locations serving 45 of the largest military installations nationwide. Of the 1.2M active duty military stationed in the US, approximately 82% are located where the ASYMCA has a branch or affiliate nearby to help make military life easier. The ASYMCA does not receive government funding, and does not charge dues or membership fees for their programs. .Eighty-nine cents of every dollar donated goes directly to support programs. In 2013 the ASYMCA was designated as a top-rated charity by CharityWatch and for the 8th consecutive year received the highest (4-star) rating from Charity Navigator. Your tax deductible donation (Tax ID #36-3274346) to the ASYMCA will make a significant impact on the lives of junior enlisted service members and their families. Please visit asymca.org to learn more.
