"Operation Ride Home” Helping Reunite Service Members and Families Over Holidays for Third Year

Lynchburg, TN, November 25, 2013 /3BL Media/ – The Jack Daniel Distillery and Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) announced today the 2013 kick-off of “Operation Ride Home” to help junior-enlisted service members and their families travel to their homes across the country this holiday season.

Operation Ride Home has assisted 820 service members and their families, a total of 2,040 individuals, travel from their bases to homes across the country to celebrate the holidays the last two years.  Troops from every branch of service have been assisted and travelled to 44 of the 50 states. 

The famed distillery has once again kicked off the effort with a $100,000 donation and is asking its friends to visit www.jdoperationridehome.com and contribute what they can to help with the campaign.  The top-rated charity Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) will partner with military commands and committed volunteers to identify those junior-enlisted service members and families in most need of financial aid and assist them with travel.  All donations are 100% tax deductible.

Vouchers for plane tickets (averaging $300-400 per person) or $100 pre-paid debit cards to help with gas, lodging and food for each identified service member and dependent will be provided through the campaign based on the service member and his or her family’s individual circumstances. 

“For the past two years, we have seen a tremendous outpouring of support to help our nation’s heroes and their families make it home for the holidays,” said Phil Epps, Group Brand Director for Jack Daniel’s.  “Every donation, no matter how big or small, helps us reunite these families over the holiday season.  For those troops who haven’t seen their families for years, or grandparents who haven’t seen their new grandchildren, there can be no greater present.  That’s what Operation Ride Home is all about.”

“The Armed Services YMCA is proud to partner with the Jack Daniel Distillery for our third annual Operation Ride Home campaign to reunite deserving military with their families for the holidays,” said Capt. Mike Landers USN (Ret), CEO of the ASYMCA. “It started out as a local effort by Jack Daniel’s at our Fort Campbell ASYMCA branch three years ago, and last year, thanks to the generosity of Jack Daniel’s and their friends, we were able to make military life easier for over one thousand troops to reunite with their loved ones nationwide.  We would love to be able to send more junior military members and their families home in 2013 with renewed community support, and our staff and volunteers nationwide stand ready to assist.”

Landers is encouraging interested troops and their families to visit ASYMCA’s website (www.asymca.org) for more information on the program, including how to sign up and qualification requirements for potential travel benefits.

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Please visit www.jdoperationridehomemedia.com for hi-res photos and broadcast quality video of the ORH campaign.

About Jack Daniel’s
Officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866 and based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Jack Daniel’s is the maker of the world-famous Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey-Based Ready-to-Drink Beverages and Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails. 

Jack Daniel’s encourages its friends to drink responsibly.

About the Armed Services YMCA 
The non-profit Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) provides no and low-cost programs to make military life easier for nearly 500,000 active-duty enlisted military and their families each year at 31 branches and affiliates nationwide. Innovative, direct services are tailored to the needs of local military installations nationwide with the help of 13,000 volunteers in addition to community and military support. The ASYMCA was rated in the top 2% of charities nationwide by Charity Navigator in 2012. Of the 1.2M Active Duty military stationed in the US, approximately 82% are located where the ASYMCA has a Branch or Affiliate nearby to help make military life easier.  The ASYMCA does not receive government funding, and does not charge dues or membership fees for their programs.  Your tax deductible donation (Tax ID #36-3274346) to the ASYMCA, a top-rated non-profit, will make a significant difference impact on the lives of enlisted service members and their families. Please visit asymca.org to learn more.

Contacts: Mark L. Day (615) 780-3345
mark.day@dvl.com 
Brittany Catton, ASYMCA (703) 455-3986
bcatton@asymca.org

Read more about Corporate Responsibility at Brown-Forman