Kim Foley Joins Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund Board of Directors
General Alfred M. Gray, Jr., 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps and Chairman of the Board of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, recently welcomed Kim Foley to the Board of Directors of the organization. Mr. Foley is Chairman of the Board of Foley, Incorporated, the Caterpillar dealership serving northern New Jersey, Staten Island, and Bermuda.
Mr. Foley served in the United States Marine Corps as an officer from 1967 to 1971. While in Vietnam, he was a platoon commander, and company commander for various units of the 1st Marine Division. Since 2004, Mr. Foley has been visiting wounded Marines at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Foley states, “Meeting these wonderful young men and women had been an inspiring experience. In every case these young Marines and Sailors are eager to return to their units, and active duty. Most of the wounded I have visited have been under 25 years old and on their 2nd, if not 3rd, deployment.” Mr. Foley’s basic officer’s class, which started in June of 1968, initially donated special Marine warm-up suits to patients at the hospital, in memory of their fellow classmates killed in Vietnam. Foley, Inc. has since provided over 3000 additional suits. In addition, both Foley, Inc. and the Foley family foundation sponsor Team Semper Fi which is a group of wounded Marines who compete in endurance athletic contests.
The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund (IMSFF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization set up to provide immediate financial support for injured members of U.S. Armed Forces and their families. They direct urgently needed resources to Marines and Sailors, as well as members of the Army, Air Force or Coast Guard who serve in support of Marine forces. They have fulltime staff at Bethesda, Walter Read, Brooke Medical Center and Balboa. The Fund had its genesis in April 2003, at the Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton, California when a registered nurse and spouse of an active duty Marine saw firsthand the challenges faced by wounded Marines and sailors as they returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom. She, along with a dedicated group of military spouses and hospital employees, began to organize Welcome Home activities at the hospital. By May 2004, the IMSFF was incorporated in California. Since establishment, the organization has issued more than 23,000 grants totaling more than $43 million to thousands of soldiers and their families.
While the program has been very successful, the level of severe trauma sustained in areas like Afghanistan and Iraq are increasing challenges. If you would like to make a donation to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, or learn more about the organization, please visit www.semperfifund.org/donate or simply mail your tax-deductible contribution to:
Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund
825 College Blvd
Suite 102 - PMB 609
Oceanside, CA 92057
