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WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 2, 2008) - Gift cards can make a stay away
from home while a loved one recovers easier for servicemembers and
their families.
The Fisher House Foundation, which provides living quarters at
or near major military medical facilities for families visiting
hospitalized servicemembers, frequently provides its residents with
such cards, using donated money to purchase them.
"We have purchased American Express, (Army and Airforce Exchange
Service), CertifiChecks, Target, Wal-Mart, Giant and Safeway
[cards]," said Jim Weiskopf, executive vice president of
communications for Fisher House Foundation. "As you know, some of
these gift cards have fees associated with them."
This fact meant that a portion of the donations used to purchase
gift cards was used to cover fees that can run about $4.95 for a
$100 card.
"We wanted either a Visa or a MasterCard debit card for
universal use and found no way to avoid the service fees," Weiskopf
said.
In fact, the foundation capitalized on an American Express
special platinum card, which waived processing fees. The foundation
purchased a large quantity of the cards, saving a substantial
amount of money. But specials like that don't happen frequently
enough to truly benefit organizations like the Fisher House,
Weiskopf said.
Now, Bank of America's Military Segment is helping fix that
problem for the Fisher House Foundation.
As part of its continued support of the foundation, the bank has
agreed to cover the cost of processing fees, setup charges and
shipping fees on cards purchased by the Fisher House
Foundation.
"The key point is that for donors, a dollar donated is worth a
dollar given to a servicemember or his or her family," Weiskopf
said. "There are no administrative fees."
Through the partnership, the Fisher House Foundation initially
provided the four Fisher Houses at Brooke Army Medical Center on
Fort Sam Houston, Texas, with 400 gift cards, each worth $50. Since
that distribution, the Fisher House Foundation has bought an
additional $220,000 worth of Bank of America gift cards and is in
the process of distributing them.
"We continually look for ways to assist our military
servicemembers and their families, and this is just one example of
our continued commitment," said Pat Rainey, Bank of America's
senior Military Segment executive.
The Fisher House Foundation is a supporter of America Supports
You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies
with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
Bank of America is a corporate supporter of the Defense Department
program.
Editor's Note: Military families can also avail
themselves of the Defense Department's America Supports You
program, which highlights home-front groups across the nation that
are providing a variety of services and support to troops and their
families. A listing of these groups and information about their
efforts is available at www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil.
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