Support the Troops
Thrifty Vintage Chic has a soft spot for our troops & has recently partnered with a nonprofit to bring aid to wounded troops & their families.
Since June 2011, the Thrifty Vintage Chic community has donated more than $1,000 to Cooking With The Troops which provides comfort and morale-boosting services to troops hospitalized and recovering, as well as culinary training for new civilian careers.
This nonprofit also looks after the home front by providing the troops’ families nutritional education programs, as well as basic cooking classes for children.
Donate now to help meet the goal of raising $16,500.
… The ‘Back’ Story
“Funny” could describe how the other day, when I was scouting for hidden thrift stores, I hear the words of Navy SEAL Instructor Jack Walston ring through my head: “I can’t teach you mental toughness.”
Most people wouldn’t equate mental toughness with the realm of fashion — but that’s what it takes to start your own business, to be a single mom, to survive a brain injury.
I did the Navy SEAL PT Course at the end of June and learned the depths of my mental toughness. The five-day course proved that I can push my physical self beyond what my brain told me I could do. 
I went beyond impossible to a place where I could create anything as possible while getting dirty in true Navy SEAL style.
And, boy did we get dirty (somehow doing low crawls for 45 minutes through sand will do that to a person)!
I learned another important lesson while getting dirty. I discovered that anything is possible in community. When you have a community focused on the same goal, you can achieve the impossible and make a real difference in the world.
Now, I’m using my willingness to “get dirty Navy SEAL style” as opportunity to make a real difference for people who have an extreme level of mental toughness — our wounded US & Allied troops.
Serendipitously, I met Blake Powers at a recent social media event, where he generously shared his heart with me about his goals for Cooking With The Troops. The nonprofit is dedicated to providing hope, comfort and culinary career opportunities to wounded soldiers and their families.
Get my insights on November 2010's SEAL PT Course and surviving a TBI. CLICK to WATCH
With so many of our troops coming home wounded and with TBI, I can relate personally to some of the struggles they face.
Although it’s been a year-and-a-half since my subdural hematomas, I still am dealing with TBI-related issues — even as of Saturday.
However, I am extremely lucky to be able to do as much as I can, both physically and mentally, while some troops will not be as fortunate as I.
For those troops in the recovery process, the hospital stays can be long and tedious, making family visits and distracting fun — a chance to feel normal again, like a human, not a hospital “lab rat” — absolutely crucial for positive healing.
To this end, Cooking With The Troops has two BBQ’s planned right now: one it Walter Reed, another in Germany. For both events, $16,500 is needed to offset the cost of food, napkins, travel and transportation — you know, all the good stuff required for a really good family cook-out!
Now, this is where you get to be a part of the community and make this possible. Go to www.cwtt.org and click “Donate”.
CLICK to DONATE
Oh, I almost forgot! Donate to Cooking With The Troops and you’ll get some cool swag, too! Give $50 to $99 and you’ll get a fridge magnet to remind you of the healing power of good food. $100 donors get a CWTT flying fork pin — a stylish accessory for any outfit.
Anyone donating $250-$499 will receive a CWTT hat; $500-$999, a metal travel coffee mug. Now wait for it, give $1,000 or more, and you will be coined.
We are working on other fabulous goodies for generous donors … Could possible swag from Thrifty Vintage Chic such as yours truly as a vintage pin-up?!? Hmm … I wonder, how much could that be worth?
Stay tuned … and, please, spread the word by posting this post on Twitter, Facebook or anywhere and everywhere else!
With Good Old Fashioned Love,
Robin Wallace
