On October 17^th, 2012, the ABGPrint.com team attended the Seventh Annual Reserve Aid Gala at the iconic Grand Hyatt hotel in Midtown. The event marked Reserve Aid’s seventh year anniversary since its inception in 2005, and showcased the vision and dedication of the young charity. ABGPrint.com was happy to donate graphic design, printing, and binding for the event and continues to support Reserve Aid in its campaign of generosity and service for America’s heroes in need.

“Reserve Aid Gala” by K. Beard of ABGPrint.com

The evening began with a silent auction organized by Mori Gonzalez of JP Morgan that featured stunning items like a signed Warren Bennis jersey, jewelry designed by David Yurman, and Caribbean vacations. After the cocktail hour, guests were invited into the main ballroom for dinner and were greeted by Reserve Aid’s Chairman and Founder, Mr. Lucas Detor of Morgan Stanley. Lucas shared a few words in which he expressed his passion and commitment for the work being done by Reserve Aid to provide financial assistance to the families of Reservists and National Guard service members who are serving or have recently served in full time deployment. While he celebrated the determined efforts of the charity and its benefactors over the last several years, Lucas was also careful to point out the growing needs of service members throughout the country and abroad. One heartbreaking statistic that Lucas mentioned compared the number of United States combat casualties to the number of post-deployment suicides that have occurred over the last seven years. According to the numbers, there have been just over 3,600 deaths in Iraq since the war began, compared to a staggering 2,700 suicides over the same period of time. “Seventy percent of veterans suffer from some form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and there have been almost as many deaths from suicide as from combat,” he said.

“Reserve Aid Cocktail Hour” by K. Beard of ABGPrint.com

The chairman’s sobering remarks were followed by a presentation from Reserve Aid’s board member, Mr. John Withrow of Macquarie, who showed guests a video testimonial of Sergeant Justin Garcia. In over twenty years of military service Sergeant Garcia had served two deployments in Iraq. During one of these deployments, Garcia was severely injured by a roadside bomb and suffered a traumatic brain injury along with PTSD. Upon returning home, he was unable to return to his job as a city bus driver and found himself in unforgiving circumstances. It was through the help of Reserve Aid and its financial support that Sergeant Garcia was able to pull himself back onto his feet and overcome his PTSD. Garcia’s testimonial was followed by footage of the most recent Iron Man Championship Triathlon in New York – one of many fundraisers that Reserve Aid has participated in to help raise money for its cause.

The evening culminated with a beautiful speech from the featured guest, Vice Admiral Robin Braun of the United States Navy. Vice Adm. Braun has been a naval aviator since 1981 and has been awarded the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Battle Efficiency Award, and CNO Safety Award. In August 2012, Vice Adm. Braun became the Chief of Navy Reserve on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C..  The Vice Admiral expressed her tremendous gratitude toward Reserve Aid, and noted that Reserve Aid is the only organization that provides grants and financial support to Navy Reserve service members. In her own words, “The immediate financial assistance that you all provide, with childcare medical bills, you name it, it goes so much farther and means so much more than the numbers on the check, it means someone cares.”

“ABGPrint at Reserve Aid Gala”

After the Vice Admiral’s speech, Executive Director Polly Weidenkopf presented Miss Robin Braun with a United States flag that had been planted in the summit of the historic Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, along with sand from “Black Beach”, where marines had landed in 1945. As the evening drew to a close, Colin M. Adams of the Board of Directors gave a few closing remarks in which he recalled his friend Lucas Detor’s vision for Reserve Aid at its founding. Seven years later, Reserve Aid continues to dramatically affect the lives of the men and women who have voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way to protect our freedom. In its continued support of local humanitarian institutions, ABGPrint.com congratulates Reserve Aid on its seven-year anniversary and the far-reaching success of its compassion and generosity.