Greetings, I’ve recently returned from Trinidad and Tobago, a beautiful but deceptively violent dual-island nation in the Caribbean. Despite its appearance as a relaxed seaside paradise, T&T contains widespread gang violence and an alarmingly high rate of ISIS recruitment. Meeting with our troops, we discussed how the driving factor for ISIS recruitment is not religion, … Continued
Dear supporters, As many of you know, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is an annual opportunity for federal employees (civilian, military, etc.) to support eligible nonprofits. The campaign runs from Sept. 1 to Dec. 15 each year. Spirit of America is a CFC approved charity (#52009). Any federal employee may contribute to SoA through the … Continued
Greetings, Last week, Spirit of America’s Founder and CEO Jim Hake joined Alexa Courtney, CEO of Frontier Design Group, and SoA Advisory Board Member Ambassador Rick Barton for a panel discussion on how entrepreneurship and American ingenuity can help stabilize violent conflict. Hosted at the George Washington University’s Elliott School by Young Professionals in Foreign … Continued
Dear supporters, In the face of violent extremist organizations like al Shabaab and ISIS, our troops have made significant progress in helping local partners take back ground held by these terrorist groups in Somalia. One of the biggest threats to US troops in the region, however, are improvised explosive devices, strategically placed by violent extremists … Continued
Bonjour from Niger! I am on the tail end of a multi-week trip, following up on several SoA projects and getting the ball rolling on a few new initiatives. On these trips, I am always amazed by how hard our deployed US service members work despite harsh and austere conditions, how professional our local partners … Continued
Dear supporters, I recently returned from a trip to Asia, where I was able to meet with US partners in three different countries, and add a significant chunk of miles to my frequent flyer program. My first stop was Okinawa, where I met with members of the US Army Civil Affairs and Special Forces soldiers … Continued