The Bob Woodruff Foundation Activates Natural Disaster Fund to Aid Military Families Displaced by Tennessee Tornadoes
The fund provides three local organizations with critical support to help Fort Campbell families recover
The Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) has activated its Natural Disaster Fund, established with support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, to help veterans and active-duty military families impacted by the devastating string of tornadoes that struck Tennessee on December 9. The tornadoes caused widespread damage across the state, including to Fort Campbell and nearby areas, leaving many military families without homes, essential supplies, and access to basic necessities.
The fund will provide urgent and immediate support to three local organizations: Operation Stand Down Tennessee, Armed Services YMCA, and Army Emergency Relief. Recovery assistance for the families impacted by the tornadoes includes:
- Assistance with hotel stays and other temporary shelter
- Assistance with food while displaced
- Assistance with basic supplies, such as baby formula and diapers
- Access to cleaning supplies
“As soon as we heard about the tornadoes impacting Fort Campbell, our team acted efficiently and decisively to identify partners in the area with the surge capacity to aid affected veterans and military families” said Anne Marie Dougherty, Chief Executive Officer of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. “I am proud of our team and grateful to our partners who are on the ground making these recovery efforts possible. We will continue to support the Fort Campbell community as they rebuild.”
The Natural Disaster Fund, established in November with support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, allows BWF to respond quickly and effectively when a natural disaster strikes – providing support to veteran families who are suddenly without the essentials to live. Since 2020, BWF and Craig Newmark Philanthropies have partnered to support 199 veteran and military family organizations and directly impacted more than 1.6 million veterans, service members, spouses, and military children.
“I will continue to be loud about the debt we owe our veterans and their families. They and their families give so much to protect our nation,” said Craig Newmark. “With service members from Fort Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division deployed overseas, they and their families don’t need the additional stress of wondering how they will rebuild after the recent tornadoes. This is why the Natural Disaster Fund was created—to ensure that BWF can respond immediately when disaster strikes.”
The Bob Woodruff Foundation is an ongoing supporter of the Fort Campbell community – most notably through its Got Your 6 VetFest event. Launched in 2022, the annual celebration unites – and is free to – service members, National Guard and Reserve members, veterans, and their families for a day of community building and connection. VetFest also gathers local organizations to educate attendees on resources and programs available for veterans and military families in the Nashville area and features performances from country music stars.
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About the Bob Woodruff Foundation
The Bob Woodruff Foundation was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was wounded by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq. Since then, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has raised awareness about the tough challenges veterans and military families are facing, and invested in solutions to help support them in the next chapter of their lives. To date, the Bob Woodruff Foundation has invested over $146 million to ensure that our nation’s veterans, service members and their families — those who stood for us — have stable and successful futures. Visit. www.BobWoodruffFoundation.org for more information.
About Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Craig Newmark is a Web pioneer and philanthropist, best known for creating the online classified ads service craigslist. Craig’s full-time philanthropic work focuses on organizations on the frontlines of protecting America’s security and democracy. He has given more than $300 million in support of veterans and military families, trustworthy journalism and civic engagement campaigns, cyber security education programs, hunger relief, and pigeon rescue. Craig was influenced by his Sunday School teachers who escaped the Holocaust, set his moral compass, and taught him to treat people like you want to be treated – and how to know when enough is enough. He stepped away from the day-to-running of craigslist almost two decades ago, but he still occasionally volunteers as a customer service representative.
