2023 in the rearview

Here we are, looking at 2023 in our rearview mirror trying to make sense of it. in the past year, we had a RECORD high 378 law enforcement officers shot in the line of duty. Of the 378 shot, 46 were killed. There was a total of 126 LEO’s killed in the line of duty in all of 2023. Gunfire was the leading cause of death. Automobile crashes, the number two cause of death, accounted for 22 LEO deaths.

In 2022, 247 officers died in the line of duty in the U.S. - 61 by gunfire. Some were ambushed. Others were murdered during traffic stops. Fourteen were killed in “vehicular assaults.” It I should come as no surprise that being a police officer can be a difficult and dangerous job.

100% of all the money we raised in 2023 was used to help those critically injured in the line of duty and the families of those officers killed trying to keep their communities safe. To date, 7 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty.

in 2023, we lost 81 firefighters. that number is down from 96 in 2022. The number of EMS deaths in 2023, according to one source we found, was at 17.

We take our mission, to help those who’ve been killed or injured in the line of duty, very serioulsy. it is our hope and prayer that, one day, we can help every single hero killed or injured. To do that, we need your continued support. if you’re reading this and haven’t signed up for one of the two monthly giving plans, we ask that you consider joining our monthly gift family. Maybe a one time donation better suits your budget. We are a 501c3 foundation. Your donations are tax deductible. Maybe you’d be interested in some of the Got Ur 6 swag we carry. We have stickers, t-shirts, patches, limited edition challenge coins and now, we have hats. if any of those sound good, check out our on-line store. However you choose to help, whether monetarily or prayerfully, we truly appreciate you.

THANK YOU - A debt that can never be repaid

Today we take off our hats, extend open hands and say, from the bottom of our hearts…..

Thank you for your service!

To everyone who signed their name, put their life on the line and committed themselves to this nation and it’s people.

Thank you for your service!

Whatever branch, whatever rank, whatever war, conflict or mission.

Thank you for your service!

To all of America’s veterans, past and present, we sincerely thank each and every one of you for fighting to uphold freedom and democracy at home, and across the globe.

Join us in honoring these brave men and women by reaching out to the veterans in your life.

What's happening in this country?

I know that it’s been nearly a year since we’ve update the blog. I’ve sat down to write a new one at least a thousand times. The problem is that every time I sit down, I learn of another law enforcement officer (LEO) that has been killed in the line of duty. Many of the officers were ambushed. They never had time to react. if we simply look at 2022, we are at 133 lives taken so far this year. That is 133 LEO’s who’ve died in 184 days so far. The break down by month is as follows,

January - 44

February - 31

March - 22

April - 7

May - 10

June - 18

July - 1 (so far)

As a medically retired LEO, every time I hear of another LEO dying, it makes me sick to my stomach. I stop what I am doing a say a little prayer. Then, I do my best to try and find contact Information for the family. We want to try and give a check directly to them. it is also my responsibility to raise money so we can provide some assistance to the family. if you’re reading this, I pray that you’ll consider one of our monthly subscription plans, a one time donation or purchasing some of our merchandise. Every. Single. Dollar. we raise goes directly to help the families of our nation’s heroes who are dealing with the tragic loss or injury. we do NOT have a payroll and what overhead we do have, my wife and I cover.

This past week, the deaths hit a little closer to home. 3 officers/deputies were killed and 5 others injured while serving an order of protection here in Kentucky. this happened in Floyd county. the deaths and injuries have wiped out the city of Prestonsburg’s police department.

Then, a deputy in Yavapai county, Arizona was killed while trying to detain a person suspected of a theft. I got my start in law enforcement with this department. I have friends, close friends, that live in this county. I grew up spending time at my grandparent’s place in Yavapai county. My ties to this place go way back and to think that a deputy from this department was killed just……well it make me want to vomit. Deputy Richard Lopez was by all accounts a great human being. Rest easy Deputy Lopez, we will hold the line from here.

What has happened to this country? When did it become “acceptable” to kill LEO’s simply because they wore a badge? One thing I always found to be a bit funny was that people would hate me (or strongly dislike me) simply because I wore a badge. There has always been some of that, but now its cool to hate cops. Has the killing of cops happened so much that the rest of the county has just become numb to it? is that even possible? Sadly, it seems the answer is yes.

When we look at firefighters, so far year to date, they’ve had 30 deaths that have been considered line of duty. THIRTY! I’ve not been able to track the number of EMT/Paramedics with any reliability or confidence. The U.S. military doesn’t update the year to data until the end of the year. However in 2021 our military had 1,009 deaths. 310 of them were accidents, 13 were as a result of '“hostile actions”, 31 homicides, 235 illness related, 65 are pending and 20 are undetermined.

All in, we have lost 163 heroes (not counting the number of EMT/Paramedics or military in that number.) We, as a country, cannot expect this to be sustainable. Filling open slots in the law enforcement agencies is harder to do right than any other time in our nation’s history. When I entered law enforcement, there were 6-10 applicants for every job posted. we MUST keep fighting the good fight. we MUST “do the right thing”. and insure that the families of these hero’s who’ve given everything, are blessed with help and assistance that insure that they want for nothing. There is no substitute.

I pray that you’ll join us in our commitment that insures the families of these 1st responders will be taken care of. it is honestly that simple. GotUr6org is a 501c3. all donations are tax deductible. Please join our fight. Make a difference in the lives of those family members today.

God Bless

John Pruitt

Founder/President

GotUr6.org

John 15:13

Your help is desperately needed! Facebook rejected our ad!

Recently we tried to “boost” a post our the GotUr6.org FaceBook page but ut was rejected for “because it mentions politicians or is about sensitive social issues that could influence public opinion, how people vote and may impact the outcome of an election or pending legislation.”

(This was the exact quote from FaceBook as their reason for rejecting it)

Below is the ad.

Our hearts ache at the number of LEO heroes who’ve been killed in the line of duty this past week. We are trying to insure we can provide assistance to the families of these heroes. Please consider joining our GotUr6 Blue line monthly gift. 100% of all the money raised goes to the families of these heroes! 100%!!

Go to www.GotUr6.org/shop to join or GotUr6.org/donate for a one time donation!

We don’t see any of the issues listed above in the ad.

We would appreciate it greatly if you’d go to our page and share it with your friends and ask them to share it with their friends. Our prayer is that by doing this, we will spread the word via a grass roots effort.

Thank you! God Bless!

...the doer of deeds

Memorial Day recently passed while Independence Day is just over the horizon. We have had more than our fair share of turmoil, violence, threats and disappointment from our elected officials and even friends or family. During my military career I learned that we should only stress on items that we have full control... that any other problems are nothing but a distraction from our own success. Easier said than done...but words worth considering.

We learn from failure and challenge...never from success and prosperity so what is the best recourse in a world full of chaos and deception surrounded by despair and heartbreak? I am not sure it is quantifiable...but belief in yourself, belief in your values and a willingness to help your fellow man I believe are a hell of a foundation to build upon.

Sun Tzu once stated, “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity” My hope is that our opportunity is to reach more like-minded Americans and share compassion, empathy, love and understanding...but to also show strength, integrity, decisiveness and dedication to our paths in life.

Lets take this coming year to reflect inward as to our own needs and shortcomings so we can learn and be the light and change the world desperately needs. Whether you do that through meditation, prayer or action....it is your path, your life, your legacy.

The road will be challenging and sometimes even treacherous...it may cause doubt and weakness but press forward, always forward and you will emerge victorious in the end. Another time in my military career, after washing out of a Special Operations course after an injury coupled with self-doubt...I found a quote from Theodore Roosevelt that became my mantra, my manifesto, my reminder to always do my best...always without fail...and good things would come. It is the Man in the Arena speech he gave on one of his trips abroad. A junior officer I worked with in military had a beautiful version done and framed for me upon retirement that hangs in my office still. Words to remember, to embrace, to live by...

Here is an excerpt of that speech, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910

This Independence Day...remember the sacrifice, the failure, the heartbreak, the never give up attitude of our founders....and how if not for their intestinal fortitude...we would be bowing to the Queen or worse some dictator. Give thanks, give honor, give it your all!

God Bless,

Ron Herman Jr.

VP GotUr6.org

National Police Week

I know it has been way too long since we’ve updated the blog. I apologize for that. It has been a crazy busy year so far…

This week is National Police Week. This week has also been a deadly one for our brothers and sisters in blue. We lost 4 LEO’s in three separate incidents. Two in California and two in Texas. There was a deputy critically injured in the Texas tragedy and another NYPD officer who was critically injured after being shot 3 times. Sadly, this seems to be the norm.

According to the latest numbers available to us, 125 law enforcement officer have been killed in the line of duty so far this year.the break down is this:

January - 48

February - 31

March - 22

April - 19

May - 5 (to date)

Texas has lost 21 LEO’s so far this year.

in 2020, a staggering 362 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty. that was a 96% increase compared to 2019.

As a medically retired police officer, as an American, it truly hurts my heart to see one LEO' lost in the line of duty. 362 is….nothing short of tragic.

Got Ur6 is dedicated to helping our nation’s 1st responders and active duty military who’ve been critically injured in the line of duty and the families of those heroes who’ve been killed serving this great nation. the trouble we have is raising enough money to help all of these families.

In 2020 and year to date 2021, we’ve been able to help the families of 5 police officers who were killed in the line of duty and two active duty military families who lost their hero in service to this nation. We want to help EVERY family who has been affected by tragedy. EVERY dollar we raise goes to support these families! 100%! our stickers, t-shirts, challenge coins and other items are all donated along with all of the overhead expenses. We have no payroll! All of our labor is volunteered. Not many other foundations can boast the same. We promise to be good stewards of your gift!

Please consider becoming a part of our monthly giving program. We have two levels. One is our Honoring Heroes program. For $13.50 a month, you’ll help us come closer to meeting our goal of helping these heroes and their families who’ve been affected by the loss of their hero or the critical injured.

Our new “GotUr6 Blue Line” plan is $19.99/month and goes directly to a fund that aids law enforcement officer’s families who have been lost their hero due to a line of duty death. Please check out our store to learn more about that amazing new program!

Lastly, when you see a first responder or member of our military, thank them for what they do to keep this country safe each and every day!

God Bless,

John

Merry Christmas 2020

Today is Christmas Eve! We wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a very happy holiday season! 2020 has been a tough one all the way around. We’ve lost a number of our Home Town Heroes this year. That, combined with the cancellation of our donor events this year has left us with little left in the checkbook. Our board has stepped up and filled the gaps to make sure we do all we can for the families of the heroes who’ve suffered through tragedy this year. Recently, our home state of North Carolina has had a string of law enforcement officer shootings leaving two officers dead and three critically injured. Its harder being a first responder now than at any time in recent history. We have several items for sale in our store. Every dollar raised from the sale of these items supports the programs we have honoring the sacrifice of these men and women. We have a monthly gift option at our “Honoring Heroes” page. Again, every dollar raised by these offerings supports the men and women who’ve sacrificed to keep our nation safe. Please take a look at these items and learn more about what GotUr6 is all about!

God Bless!

John

Founder/President

GotUr6, inc

Web site help needed

We are looking for someone to help us with our web site and develop an app to help us grow. We would love to find someone that works 1-2 hours a month to help grow our web and social media presence. If you are interested or know someone who is, please contact us at info@GotUr6.org

Thank you!

John

Founder/President

The Annual GotUr6 Charity Auction

Here we are just over a week into September 2020 and the wild and crazy still rolls on. Sadly, it has affected just about any gathering of more than 10 people nationwide. This has had a major impact on our organization. When GotUr6 first started, a few of us got together and donated some great items to be auctioned off. Over the past 4 years, the auction grew and grew. This single event generates about 50% of our annual budget. Sadly, that has been cancelled out of an abundance of caution due to the pandemic.

We are trying to come up with workable solutions to help get us through but we need your help. We were able to create a monthly donation program. For just $13.50/month, you’ll be a part of the Honoring Hero’s team at GotUr6. You’ll get an exclusive t-shirt and a sticker that shows your support for those that keep this nation safe. We are also a part of Amazon’s “Amazon Smiles” program. All you have to do is select GotUr6.org as your charity and Amazon will donate a small percentage of your purchase to GotUr6.

As always, we have our stickers, challenge coins and t-shirts. every dollar made from the sale of these items goes to fund our mission. I can’t tell you how much we rely on the sale of these items. You can purchase them via our on-line store here, or via our Ebay store. Just search for GotUr6.org.

I know you have a lot of choices when it comes to charities. Here at GotUr6, every penny raised goes to fund the mission. We have no payroll, we are staffed completely by volunteers. Our board covers the costs associated with running the website and ordering our trademarked logo items. From the very beginning, we thought it was important that at least 90% of our revenue support our mission. To date, I am proud to tell you that its been 100%! Find another non-profit that can say that!

Lastly, I cannot thank you enough for the support you’ve shown us our the past 3 1/2 years. We have sent our items to almost every state in the union! If you have one of our stickers or t-shirts, please send in a picture of it. We will post them on our website and FaceBook page.

God Bless and always remember, we’ve GotUr6!

John

Founder/President

New monthly Subscription Plan

We’ve had many requests to develop a monthly subscription program from our supporters and board members. So, we are pleased to announce our new Honoring Our Heroes monthly plan.

For $13.50 a month, you will receive a limited edition Honoring our Hero’s T-shirt and sticker. We choose $13.50 because our nations flag has thirteen stripes and fifty stars.

You can check this program out in our store. There is no obligation. You can stop your monthly support at any time!

We truly appreciate you taking the time to learn more about who we are and what we do. As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

God Bless,

John Dove-Pruitt

Founder/President

I believe.....

What an interesting and challenging year 2020 has been and continues to be. Life definitely doesn’t look the way it did this time last year. There is so much uncertainty right now, there is no way of telling how long we will be adjusting our ways of life going forward. America has always been resilient and right now, we need to be mindful of the fact that, throughout our history, the American citizen has always paved the way and set the example for everyone else.

Tim Schmidt, the president and editor of a gun rights organization and its magazine, and his colleagues write, “The outlaw didn’t make this nation:he hindered its development. It was not the outlaw who tilled the land or felled the timber or plumber the cities. it was not the outlaw who rang the school bells, or manned the fire brigades or paved the streets. It was not the outlaw who healed the sick or raised the children.

It was the responsible women and men of this country - who often had to go about armed in defense against the outlaw - who made this country what it is today, and in that sense little has changed. In the face of those who did nothing but victimize and take, the responsible woman and man protected and gave. The fundamentally civilized rose up against and responded to the fundamentally uncivilized.

Never forget that we, The United States of America, are a unique, civilized nation of law-abiding individuals.”

indeed, we are.

I BELIEVE

I believe that most people are inherently good.

I believe, when given a chance, most people will do the right thing.

I believe that most Americans will do anything for their family.

I believe that true Americans love their country.

I believe in GOD

I believe that opportunity is usually disguised as hard work.

I believe that the free enterprise system is a gift from God.

I believe that the ability to forgive and forget will set you free.

I believe that the harder you work, the luckier you get.

I believe in Liberty

I believe in choosing to be happy.

I believe in accepting responsibility for everything that happens to me.

I believe that every challenge or obstacle is and opportunity to become a better person.

I believe that life can be tough, but at the end of the day, life is what you make of it.

I believe in my family.

I believe that evil exists, it just does.

I believe it is my responsibility to protect all that is good from all that is bad.

I believe in preparing for the worst while expecting the best.

I believe in the natural-born and inalienable right to self protection.

I believe that the man or woman who shirks his or her duty to defend and protect simply doesn’t understand his or her true responsibility as a God-fearing and freedom-loving American.

I believe in myself

I believe that a gun cannot be good or bad, it is simply a tool.

I believe that the Founders of our country liberated themselves, their families and their country from tyranny with these tools we call guns and thus started the greatest experiment in freedom the world has ever seen.

I believe the statistics that tell us responsibly armed, law-abiding Americans use guns every day to defend themselves and their loved ones.

I believe in being peaceful and avoiding conflict at all costs.

But when that conflict comes after me and pushes me into a corner, I believe in fighting as if the lives of my children and loved ones depend on it…because they do.

This is what I believe.

borrowed from Tim Schmidt.

2020.....the halfway point

As we close in on the halfway point in 2020, I can’t imagine anybody would’ve predicted the type of year it’s been. We’ve seen a pandemic reek havoc on this nation in many ways. Wholesale closure of just about every business in the country. Some will never reopen. Imagine putting your life savings into a dream to open a business only to have it closed because of a situation totally out of your control, losing everything you’ve worked for.

Then, we have riots to protest inequality. Our constitution says “All men are created EQUAL”. the Bible tells us to love one another as ourselves. A bad situation in Minnesota echos throughout the country. Protests turn to full scale riots. entire blocks are burned to the ground. More dreams go up in flames. Communities call for “defunding” of law enforcement. In the blink of an eye, we went from thanking our first responders and hospitals workers for stepping up during this pandemic, to wanting to close every law enforcement agency you can imagine.

Since the civil unrest began, over 700 law enforcement officers have been injured. As of today, eight officers have been killed. To us here at GotUr6, their lives mattered. We try to help the families of these officers the best we can. We are still a young organization. We do our best to raise money to help the families of our Military and first responders who have been killed or critically injured in the line of duty. At the rate we are going, we are going to have to step it up to help those that truly need whatever help we can give.

For the next 30 days, if you buy one of our GotUr6 t-shirts or challenge coins, we will include one our our 4x6 stickers. just let us know if you would like to have our military or Law Enforcement pinup. Every dime we raise, goes back out to help these families.

If you’re a family member of a 1st responder who has been injured in the line of duty, please fill out the contact form.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about GotUr6. We hope that we are a foundation you can support. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Memorial Day Weekend 2020

Memorial Day. is The day set aside to remember those who gave their lives in defense of this country. It is a day of somber remembrance and reverence. The term “Happy Memorial Day” doesn’t really apply here, especially to a Gold Star family. A Gold Star Family is a family that has lost a loved one in military service. For them, this holiday is a solemn one and not just another holiday weekend.

2020….This is the year that how we honor those brave souls will be different than any other. There won’t be parades, or groups coming together to place a flag on each headstone in our national cemeteries. The group that helps keep this organization heading in the right direction had planned to ride to D.C. to honor those warriors laid to rest in Arlington. The new rules on social gatherings made that an impossibility. Many small town America events have been cancelled. Some of these have become a favorite place for my wife and I to go to honor the fallen but honor them, we will!

We feel it is important to remember those who fought to preserve and protect the freedoms we, as Americans, have come to depend and rely on. So, if only for a 60 second moment of silence or some other acknowledgment of the sacrifice made, please take the time to do so.

Thank you 2019

We wanted to take a moment and just say THANK YOU for an amazing year. 2019 was our best year ever and it’s all because of the fantastic support we have from good people that believe in supporting our military and first responders for the amazing job they do. in 2019 we were able to help the widow of a USAF Combat Controller who died in a training accident, a gold star family, the family of a few fallen officers and a member of the U.S. Army special forces who was killed in Afghanistan.

As we’ve said before, not a dime of the money we are entrusted with goes to salaries, overhead or anything but to support those who hold the line for us.

please take a moment to check out our store. we have new items listed both here and coming to our Ebay store. all the net proceeds of these items as well as the cash and other donations are how we support the mission of GotUr6.

With sincere thanks and a deep appreciation,

God Bless,

John Dove-Pruitt

President/Founder, GotUr6, inc

info@GotUr6.org 

2019......What a year!

2019 has been a challenging year for GotUr6. Our founder and president was critically injured in February of this year and is just now getting back up to speed. A few important relationships we had been working on did come to be because he was unable to meet with them for several months. Life, as in business, is about relationships. we have strong relationships with a few different groups and people. They organize fundraisers, continue to donate to the foundation and help spread the word about who we are and what we do. But for us to grow, we are always looking for corporate sponsors!

One of the most important things we do is to help those that keep our country and our communities safe. Some of the thank you cards we get will seriously bring tears to your eyes. Something has changed the way this country views and treats those that have chosen to wear a badge and protect their community from the “bad guys”. We’ve seen our brothers in blue doused with water and mocked. The mayor of that city chose to do nothing. We have had officers assassinated as they respond to calls. Our goal is to help the families of these officers and others that have been killed or seriously injured in the line of duty. Many times it is difficult to contact the officers or their families. Fortunately, as word of our mission has spread, its been easier for us to contact them. Many of you help spread the word about Got Ur6. You buy our t-shirts, stickers and other items. Other people see them on your car or motorcycle and then reach out to us when they are in need. Your help, more than our website or most other things, spreads the word of GotUr6. For that, we are eternally grateful.

As this year comes to an end, and you’re looking for a foundation to support, please consider us. As we end our 2nd year, we can proudly say that not one single dime of the donations have been used to support our mission. All the money we receive via donations and profits from our sales, go to those in need, The board members pay for the administrative costs to keep us going. Our goal was 90% of donations would go to support our heroes in need. Right now, we are running at about 95%.

Thanks for all you do to support GotUr6. We would not have been able to do so with you!

Our deepest and sincere thanks for your help and support!

The board members of GotUr6.

Easy Rider Bike Show Weekend in Charlotte!

This past weekend, we spent the weekend in our 1st vendor booth for GotUr6. We spent Saturday and Sunday telling over 5,000 people who GotUr6 is, what we do, and how we do it. We sold about $650 worth of our new t-shirts, stickers and challenge coins. We made some tremendous contacts and plan to announce our attendance at another show as soon as we hear if they have room for us. We had a great deal of interest in our mission. We learned what some of our most popular items are as well as some things we need to go back and rethink. Before I go on any further, we need to give a big shout-out and round of applause to a big supporter of ours, Sean Boudreau. He loan us 3 beautiful bikes, including a 1946 Chief. Suzie and I brought out RoadBomber, and board member, Jeff Glace rounded out the 4 era’s of Indian a possibility with his Gilroy Indian.

overall, I am so proud of what our startup organization is becoming. was very positive. Our original Pin up, Suzie Q, was very popular. We spent some of the time talking about collaborative relationships with organizations that provide a specific service to a portion of our target demographic. We learned what needs to change before our next show and what needs to be closely focused on in the future.

Overall, we had a successful weekend. We hope some of the conversations we had convert to sales from our web site. There is so much good,coming soon, so please, check in regularly for updates about up coming shows, rides and other things that will help us continue to grow.

As alway, let us know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thank you for the love and support that you’ve shown us so far.

God Bless,

John

Looking ahead

As we sit here and look forward to lots

of new things happening in 2019, we have to first give a nod to the great things that came our way in 2018.

2018 was our first full year of operations. We had our decals printed and ready, New Challenge Coins minted and looking great and several promising conversations with a couple of nice sized corporations about partnering with us to help spread the message of our mission here at GotUr6. We added a few new board members to add balance out our already well rounded board and received trademark protection on our name and logos.

We were able to help several heroes in uniform. We helped one new bride get to her husband who was seriously injured husband while he was stabilized. We sent several checks to too many families of our hero’s in blue who had lost their lives serving their communities. We helped add to the college fund of a 2 year old child who had lost his hero father.

All of this was possible because of good people like you who supported our foundation. You donated money, you bought stickers, Challenge Coins and some fantastic items from Indian Motorcycle and several other generous donors to our annual auction. The bottom line is that we couldn’t do what we do without great people like you. Our commitment to never waste a penny of the money you trust to us runs strong and true. We continue to seek new ways to raise money to help those that protect us at home and abroad. We have added t-shirts to our store as well as a really cool patch to our store items. Please take a moment to browse our store and buy a sticker or t-shirt, the more we raise, the more hero’s and their families we can help.

We look forward to our best year yet in 2019. Thank you for all of your help in 2018. Please continue to check in to get the latest news and information on what we at GotUr6 is working on next.

If your heading to the Easy Riders Motorcycle show in Charlotte, NC at the end of the month, please check out our booth. We will have our new patches and T-shirts available at our booth as well as all of our stickers and Callenge Coins!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Thankfully,

John

Founder/President

GotUr6, INC

The latest and greatest from GotUr6

2018 has been a big and challenging year for us here at GotUr6. we are growing a little more each month as word gets out about who we are and what we are about. We had our annual board of directors meeting last weekend. we had a charity auction for the foundation and our 2nd annual Carolina Reaper Challenge.

First things first. during the past year, we’ve helped 5 families of our brothers in blue who died in the line of duty. we helped get adult children home in time to bury their father who gave his life while trying to save another. We helped the wife and 2 year old son of a brother killed during his physical agility exam. We also helped the young wife of a soldier who was critically injured in Afghanistan, get to him while he was in Germany for an extended period of time. these are just a few of the examples of those we’ve helped. We try not to turn anyone away. We have worked with other organizations to make sure the person or family got the help they were seeking. we truly are good stewards of the money you entrust to us. 90% of every dollar in goes out to help our hero’s in uniform.

Our charity auction this year raised over $1100. We had an Indian Motorcycle Racing Flag that had been autographed by the Indian Motorcycle Racing “Wrecking Crew” it was THE most popular item of the night. Our good friends at Indian Motorcycle of Charlotte paid a pretty penny to make sure they could hang it on their wall.

At the same time we were having the silent auction, we had our 2nd annual Carolina Reaper Challenge. This was started last year by our then board secretary. He chewed on a Carolina Reaper hot pepper for 2 full minutes, then went 5 minutes before drinking anything! He raised a bit over $500. This year, our Board President showed that his heart truly is invested in this organization when he stood up to the Reaper. Thankfully, one of our new board members stepped up along side and the 2 of them met the Reaper Challenge raising over $600!

Ladies and gentleman, I am here to tell you, this board fully supports the mission at GotUr6. For those not familiar with what a Carolina Reaper is, it is a hot pepper, the hottest in the world at 1.5 million Scoville Units. (it has since been surpassed by another pepper at 2 million Scoville Units, but we will stick with what we have.) We have a limited addition challenge coin that is available in our store. new stickers and a clothing line coming by Christmas.

Please come back often. We couldn't do what we do, with out the great people supporting us. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have a suggestion or if you or someone you know is a hero in uniform and needs our help.

I will announce our board members and their roles in next weeks blog! Thanks for tuning in.