Frequently Asked Questions
Donations & Fundraising
You may be entitled to a tax deduction for your contribution, subject to general limitations depending upon circumstances, including whether or not you itemize deductions. Please consult your tax advisor to determine if you are entitled to a tax deduction.
Yes! Donate with PayPal Giving Fund to the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Simply login here
You can login to your account and update your recurring donation amount directly.
Receipts can be printed from your donation account portal.
Please contact the development team with your fundraising ideas.
Visit start a fundraiser for everything you need to launch your campaign.
Vehicle donations can be made through the CARS Foundation.
Bequests are donations that are made through a will or a living trust. You can name the Gary Sinise Foundation as a beneficiary in your will/estate for a specific amount or a percentage (see form below) or designate the foundation as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy. The Gary Sinise Foundation suggests consulting a legal professional before drafting a will or trust.
The Gary Sinise Foundation must be named as the owner and beneficiary of the insurance policy for it to be tax-deductible.
The following are examples of sample bequest language:
"I bequeath $X.00 to the Gary Sinise Foundation directed towards the organization's area of greatest need."
"I bequeath X% of my estate to the Gary Sinise Foundation for the R.I.S.E. program."
Please email donor@garysinisefoundation.org or call (888) 708-7757 to receive stock transfer instructions. In order to receive a gift acknowledgment for tax purposes you must share with the Foundation:
The donor's name
The donor's mailing address
The name of the stock gift
The amount of stock donated
Please fill out our donation form (click here) and send your gift to:
Gary Sinise Foundation
PO Box 40726
Nashville, TN 37204
Simply login to your online donation account to update your credit card details.
Simply login to your online donation account to cancel your monthly donation.
You can print each donation separately via your online donation account , or you can contact the development team for a cumulative tax letter.
Memorial donations can be made online. Donations sent via check can be mailed to our P.O. Box with a note or a mention in the memo line. Should you have any further questions, contact the development team.
Absolutely! When you donate online, select “Apply Your Gift to” and then designate a program for your donation. You can also send a check to our P.O. Box and include the program you would like your donation designated towards on the memo line.
You can sign up to receive email updates from the Gary Sinise Foundation.
No. We will never sell or disclose your information.
We send one annual holiday mailer per year. Please note this does not include tax/thank you letters.
At this time we do not have a direct deposit donation option. Donations can be made via credit card, check, wire transfer, stock, and cash.
Soaring Valor
We are continually scheduling chartered and individual trips. We would be happy to take your information for future opportunities. Please visit our contact page.
Veterans and guardians are selected using the guidelines and standards of similar organizations.
The Gary Sinise Foundation and the National WWII Museum anticipate additional flights in the future. For inquiries, please email tom.gibbs@nationalww2museum.org.
In order to have as many WWII veterans experience this program as possible, we ask only one guardian accompany each veteran. The guardian must be able to attend to any needs of the veteran during the trip.
Visit GarySiniseFoundation.org to support Soaring Valor and all of the other programs that honor and support our veterans, first responders, and their families.
Go to the National WWII Museum for more information. The National WWII Museum is particularly seeking additions to their archive of personal stories and wartime letters, diaries, and photographs.
The museum maintains a lengthy database of oral history candidates. While there are no guarantees that we can get to you/your loved one, all information is stored in our permanent veteran database.
Oral history applications should be submitted to joey.balfour@nationalww2museum.org. Please include as much information as you can about the veteran and their service.
Veteran’s Name
Address
Phone Number
Date they entered the service
Branch of Service
Unit (as specific as possible)
Job/MOS
Dates of overseas service
Was he/she wounded (if yes, please provide details as to how, when, and where)
Campaigns/Battles participated in
Date of discharge
Rank at time of discharge
Any additional information
The museum accepts written, video, and audio accounts of WWII veterans.
All personal accounts become part of the museum’s collection. They may be used in future exhibits, for research by museum historians, or for outside research by students, scholars, and historians. Many of our video oral histories can currently be viewed at ww2online.org with new accounts being added every few months.
Snowball Express
The Snowball Express program serves the children (and surviving spouse or guardian) of fallen military heroes and first responders, who served on or after September 11, 2001, with a service-related death occurring on or after September 11, 2001.
Military: The child(ren) must be listed on the fallen hero’s DD1300 or VA DIC paperwork. Biological, stepchildren, and adopted children are eligible for the program.
The surviving spouse/parent must also appear on the DD1300 or VA DIC paperwork. Legal guardians will be required to submit guardianship paperwork.
First Responder: Documentation Requirements:
Proof of employment in a recognized First Responder Agency.
Proof of dependency for each child (birth – high school senior). This must show that each child qualified as a dependent (biological, stepchildren, adopted children) of the Fallen First Responder and the surviving parent/guardian. Legal guardians will be required to submit guardianship paperwork.
Birth Certificate, Adoption Paperwork or Guardianship Appointment.
Benefits documentation from employer showing dependency.
Proof of Loss while employed by the First Responder Agency (One of the following):
Paystub (from time of loss)
Death Certificate (coinciding with dates of employment)
Benefits documentation
The Snowball Express program is focused on providing hope and new memories for the children of fallen military and first responder heroes. Over the years, the program has expanded to offer specific events that focus on the surviving spouse/guardian, however their eligibility for these events is tied to their membership within the Snowball Express program.
While we honor your loss, we do not have the resources to allow program participation to anyone other than approved families with children of fallen military or first responder heroes who meet the program’s stated requirements.
Please log into the Snowball Express family database to select and edit the appropriate family member’s profile.
If you need assistance, please submit a Support Request within the Snowball Express family database (TYPE: Request change to user account), describing the update(s) that you need to make.
Please log into the Snowball Express family database and submit a Support Request (TYPE: Request change to user account), describing the update(s) that you need to make. You will need to upload legal documents that support the change request.
We are sorry to hear that you are struggling financially. Our dedicated Outreach team reviews financial assistance requests on a case-by-case basis. To apply, please log into the Snowball Express family database and submit a Support Request (TYPE: Request financial assistance). Please be sure to include all detailed information about your monthly income and expenses, to include amounts, and upload supporting documentation for the bill(s) you are requesting that we support.
We have increased access to our Resource Room organizations! Starting in April 2022, we began hosting virtual Resource Room events. Be on the lookout for notifications about these events. If you need to be connected to a resource at other times throughout the year, please email us at SBEFamilies@garysinisefoundation.org and describe your need.
Please consider joining our Alumni Program! Alumni Program members are asked to give 4 hours a month to help strengthen our community. Alumni Program members are also eligible to serve in a special capacity as volunteers at events, engaging with Snowball Express families and encouraging them to connect with one another. Adults (surviving spouse/guardian) and Young Adults who have attended at least one in-person event are eligible to apply for the Alumni Program.
Alumni Program members are asked to serve for one calendar year, with applications accepted from mid-November to mid-December.
No. Our privacy policy is to share your personal information only with your informed consent. We will not release your information to any outside party unless you have indicated your consent to do so. Families will sign media releases and other liability waivers on an event-by-event basis.
Yes! Think of event registration as your personalized RSVP for the event – it prompts us to “count you in!” for all event planning purposes. Depending on the event, this may include booking airfare, hotel rooms, event tickets, meals, entertainment, and more.
Each event registration invitation will include a registration window during which you can RSVP to attend. Once the registration window closes, we cannot offer extensions – we're already hard at work finalizing details for our event attendees.
Mostly, no. Thanks to the generosity of the American public, our partners, donors, and volunteers, there are minimal costs associated with participating in Snowball Express events. Example costs include:
Families are responsible for travel to Community Events.
Families are responsible for travel costs to/from their departure airport for an event involving flights.
Families are responsible for airport parking fees and checked luggage fees, unless otherwise notified.
Yes!
For the Disney in December Event, the letters will be emailed to confirmed participants in October.
For all other events, please reach out to SBEFamilies@garysinisefoundation.org with the following information:
The event you are attending
The type of absence letter you need (work or school)
Thank you!
You will need to designate a Chaperone to attend in your place and submit the notarized Medical Power of Attorney. This document can be found on our website at: https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/snowball-express
When you register to attend the event, select that you will have a Chaperone attend in your place. You will be prompted to provide legal information about the Chaperone and upload the notarized Medical Power of Attorney.
The Chaperone/Medical Power of Attorney is valid on an event-by-event basis. You will have to follow this process for each event that you will elect to have a Chaperone attend in your place.
It is an event for Snowball Express families within the local community and surrounding (driving distance) area. These events are planned continuously throughout the year and are hosted all over the United States. Our goal is to reach as many Snowball Express families as possible through Community Events.
We are committed to creating new memories as our families move forward, which often includes love after loss. Community Events are a wonderful way to honor moving forward and are open to all household family members.
The best way to learn about Community Events is by keeping your address current in the Snowball Express family database. If there is an event being held in your area, you will be included in the invitation – but only if we know that you live there.
The next best way to learn about Community Events is to read the monthly newsletter, sent to you automatically via email. We aim to distribute the third week of each month and always use the subject line starter GSF Snowball Express Family Newsletter to help with recognition. This newsletter is packed with details on upcoming events and opportunities for you to get involved. If you see an event in your area that you haven’t heard about, please reach out to SBEFamilies@garysinisefoundation.org and let’s chat.
The Disney Event is a five-day experience for Snowball Express children and the surviving spouse/guardian to honor their fallen hero and lean on their peers for support – blended with fun entertainment and inspiring programs. We recognize that the holidays can be especially challenging for grieving families, so we host the Disney Event each December.
Snowball Express families with children aged 5 through high school senior will be eligible to attend the in-person December Event on a rotating basis to maximize the number of families that can experience this event.
Current Snowball Express families will be notified via email in fall 2023 of their next eligibility year to attend.
No. The minimum age of 5 and the maximum age of high school graduation applies to all families who attend the Disney in December Event. We welcome and encourage you to bring these children to Community Events. We also hope your children who have graduated from high school will participate in our Young Adult Program.
No. You cannot bring additional family members to the December Event, which is exclusively for our Snowball Express family members. We welcome and encourage you to bring household family members to Community Events.
Families that have children with documented special needs may be approved for an additional helper on a case-by-case basis.
Prior to the Disney in December Event, we will conduct a survey to gather information on families in need of a helper. Families will be required to submit a doctor’s note that includes an explanation of your child’s special needs. Families will also be asked to identify if they have a helper (and who this is) or if they will need one provided for them.
If a helper is provided, they will have a valid background check and are usually affiliated with service groups such as civic organizations, military organizations, or are employees of major donors/sponsors who have asked to help. The helper can remain with you at all venues or at selected venues as you see fit.
The Gary Sinise Foundation reserves the right to deny an additional helper.
Families will be flown to the December Event primarily by our official airline, American Airlines, via charter and commercial flights. Families are requested to begin their flights at major airports if one is located within a 3-hour drive.
Families that live within a 5-hour driving distance from the Disney Event are requested to drive so we can maximize the number of attendees. Families who drive to the event will receive reimbursement for their mileage.
Travel via airfare or mileage reimbursement for self-drive, lodging, local transportation, and meals are all free to our participants thanks to our donors and sponsors.
Families will have access to their travel itinerary for the December Event approximately two weeks prior to the event. Travel itineraries will be visible in the Snowball Express family database. Once travel itineraries are ready, we will send out notifications!
We have a medical team and transportation available 24 hours a day to ensure that our families can get to appropriate facilities for care.