Veterans Salute 2025 | Page 7

monticellotimes. com Salute to Veterans • Thursday, November 6, 2025 Page 7 HOLIDAY SALUTE | DO YOUR PART Year-End Giving

Americans donate more than $ 2.5 billion annually to more than 40,000 militaryrelated charities every year, Charity Navigator says.
Charity Navigator is a free site that gives you access to data and tools to guide your charitable giving. Here are some military and veterans organizations it gives a gold star to.
DAV( DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS) CHARITABLE SERVICE TRUST
Charity Navigator gives this group four stars and a top score of 100 out of 100. Based in Kentucky, this organization supports physical and psychological rehabilitation programs that provide direct service to ill, injured or wounded veterans. These programs typically include providing food, shelter and other necessary items to homeless or at-risk veterans; accessibility or mobility items for veterans with vision or hearing impairments; therapeutic activities; physical and psychological activities for rehabilitation; and other services.
GARY SINISE FOUNDATION Based in Los Angeles, the actor’ s foundation gets a 98.23 out of 100 and four stars from
Charity Navigator. Its outreach efforts support active duty military, first responders and their loved ones. The foundation has nine key programs to show support for these groups through entertainment, family support and acts of appreciation.
K9S FOR WARRIORS
This Florida-based group scores a 97.27 out of 100 and gets four stars. It is the nation’ s largest provider of service dogs
to disabled American veterans, focusing on mitigating symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, military sex trauma and preventing military suicide. The organization provides a certified service dog, equipment, training, seminars, legal instruction, veterinary care, housing, meals and wrap-around services at no cost to the servicemember. About 90 % of their service dogs come from shelters or
owner surrenders.
SEMPER FI & AMERICA’ S FUND
The Quantico, Virginia-based group gets 97.28 out of 100 and four stars. It supports all branches of injured servicemembers, veterans and military families through direct financial assistance, programming for injured service members and families, education support and career assistance, and health and wellness services
and resources.
© ADOBE STOCK
SPIRIT OF AMERICA
Another Virginia-based group, Spirit of America, gets a 95.57 out of 100 and four stars from Charity Navigator. It works with troops and diplomats to save and improve lives, promote values shared by Americans and America’ s allies, strengthen relationships with those allies, and demonstrate that the U. S. is a friend of those who seek to live a better life.