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Associated Press
30-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
U.S. Bank Supports Military Members, Their Families, Through Life-Changing Donations
Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog This May, during Military Appreciation Month, U.S. Bank held several events to honor and recognize military and veteran customers, employees and community members. A New Home U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Stuart Fuke was given the keys to a new mortgage-free home May 7 in West Fargo, North Dakota. Fuke, who said he was inspired to join the military by his mother and other dedicated family members, started his service in Great Lakes, Illinois. The Hawaii native, who currently resides in San Diego, California, will continue to pursue a career in culinary arts following his move to the Fargo area. 'This house will actually help me start living life again,' said Fuke. 'It's a good push toward trying to heal again. I'm just honored that Freedom Alliance, U.S. Bank and Thomsen Homes were able to give me that feeling I've never had before.' The life-changing gift is made possible through the bank's Housing Opportunities after Military Engagement (H.O.M.E.) program, in conjunction with Freedom Alliance's Heroes to Homeowners program. Including this donation, U.S. Bank has donated 31 homes valued over $8 million to military families in communities across the country since 2013. Freedom Alliance provides mortgage-free homes to wounded combat veterans through its Heroes to Homeowners program. Delivering care packages Earlier this year, U.S. Bank employees in Minneapolis assembled care packages in partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO), a non-profit founded in 1941 to support members of the armed forces and their families, to be delivered to airmen at the Minot Air Force Base in Minot, North Dakota. The care packages were delivered to the Minot Air Force Base in May to honor and recognize the service and sacrifice these men and women make every day. In addition to the care packages, U.S. Bank supported 50 expecting mothers by donating diapers and wipes during a baby shower event on base. U.S. Bank also supported military spouses by making paracord bracelets, which include a strong, durable cord that can be used for various purposes, that were gifted during a spouse appreciation event. The paracord bracelets were assembled by a group of U.S. Bank employees in Fargo. A Gold Star moment U.S. Bank recently donated new, payment-free vehicles to two Gold Star students at the Bluegrass Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky. Gold Star families are those who have lost an immediate family member in the line of duty while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Parker Madden, a Gold Star son, lost his father, U.S. Army Specialist Russell Madden, who was killed in action in Afghanistan from a rocket-propelled grenade attack on his convoy in 2010. Micaela Trimble, a Gold Star daughter, lost her father, U.S. Army Private First Class Chad Trimble, in 2008 also in Afghanistan. Parker Madden is a student at Western Kentucky University and Michaela Trimble is a recent graduate of Belmont University. These donations are part of the Driven to Serve program, an initiative between Freedom Alliance and U.S. Bank that pairs available vehicles with military families and service members in need and demonstrates the commitment of each organization to support the nation's heroes. In addition to the vehicles, a group of U.S. Bank employees also partnered with the Freedom Alliance earlier this year to assemble care packages that will be given to other Gold Star students who, like Madden and Trimble, received scholarships from Freedom Alliance because of their parents' sacrifice. The vehicles were donated May 13, which was also national Children of Fallen Patriots Day. 'I really feel like Freedom Alliance and U.S. Bank provided for me in a way that my dad wishes he could have provided for me,' said Trimble. A new vehicle U.S. Bank also provided a payment free vehicle to U.S. Army Sergeant John Moore, who grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. While serving in the Army, Moore was an Artillery Forward Observer. Moore was severely injured during his second deployment in Baghdad. After two years of recovery at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Moore now lives in Charlotte, Tennessee, with his wife and children. This is the bank's 91st payment free vehicle donation since 2018 and the 57th in partnership with Freedom Alliance. 'We are honored to support John, a true American hero whose courage and sacrifice inspire us all,' said Freedom Alliance President Tom Kilgannon. 'This donation is more than a gesture of gratitude—it's a step toward restoring the independence and quality of life John fought to protect. Freedom Alliance is proud to support this remarkable family, and we are grateful to U.S. Bank for helping make this gift possible.' Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from US Bank
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fallen military heroes' children gifted cars in Owensboro
OWENSBORO, Ky. (WEHT) — On Tuesday, two young minds in Owensboro received the surprise of a lifetime: brand new cars. It's in honor of the sacrifice their families made for our ahead of Memorial Day, two gold star students are driving forward with something their late fathers would have wanted for them safety, freedom and stability. Evansville woman beaten and robbed Monday afternoon Micaela Trimble and Parker Madden were honored with new payment-free vehicles, thanks to Freedom Alliance and U.S. Bank's Driven to Serve program. Trimble is a Belmont University graduate working in event planning. 'I feel like [my dad] is watching over me to be able to be the one to get selected,' says Trimble. ''I was sharing a car with my sister, so I was basically begging to use her car whenever she didn't need it.' Madden will be a sophomore at Western Kentucky University this fall. With no team bus, he says he often takes his mothers car to transport to lacrosse competitions out-of-state. 'When I was driving down for my freshman year, pieces of my car were flying off the highway,' says Madden. Their fathers made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan: their life. Both were living without their father by the time they were 5-years-old. Pair that with being apart of Freedom Alliance's scholarship program and officials say they've more than earned these stylish wheels. Madden was gifted a 2025 Chevy Equinox. Trimble was gifted a 2025 Buick Encore GX. 'Providing safe, reliable transportation is something their dads would be doing for them if they were here. So, we sort of consider it part of our responsibility as their fellow Americans to help them take care of their kids,' says Tom Kilgannon, the President of Freedom Alliance. Trimble's father, Private First Class Chad Trimble, died in May 2008. He was just 2 months into his deployment. Parker Madden's father U.S. Army Specialist Russell Madden was killed in 2010 when a rocket propelled grenade attacked his convoy. Madden says his first pit stop in his new car will be special. He'll go for a drive to Memorial Parkway. 'There's a road back home dedicated to my dad. It has his name on it. So, I would definitely take the car to that road first,' says Madden. 'I'd love to take my mom, my sister and my dog to the lake,' says Trimble. They say its something they'll remember forever, just like their fathers' legacies. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
