"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost."
– Arthur Ashe
There is no greater sacrifice than serving your country. It's the ultimate act of service. The type of service that is saluted. We are grateful to those who give of themselves to protect the freedoms of our country. Multiplying Good extends its deepest gratitude to all veterans for their acts of service and bravery.
As we celebrate Veterans Day, we are highlighting heroic members of the Multiplying Good community, as well as those who directly give back to our veterans. These exceptional individuals have dedicated their lives to serving those who have dedicated so much to our country.
Rob and Brittany Bergquist - 2011 Award Recipient
Samuel S. Beard Award for Outstanding Public Service 35 Years or Younger
Brittany and Robbie Bergquist founded and operate Cell Phones for Soldiers. In 2004, when they heard of a soldier paying almost $8,000 for a phone bill to call his family from Iraq, the brother and sister duo, then 12 and 13, started Cell Phones for Soldiers. The organization turns old cell phones into minutes of prepaid calling cards for U.S. troops stationed overseas. Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a way to show their family’s appreciation for the men and women who sacrifice the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. military.
Max Cleland - 1977 Award Recipient
Samuel S. Beard Award for Outstanding Public Service 35 Years or Younger
Photo by Gary Cameron/Reuters.
Max Cleland served as a US Army captain in the Vietnam War and sustained serious injuries that left him a triple amputee. He was later was the recipient of both the Silver Star and Bronze Star for valorous actions in combat. Following his military career, Max devoted his life to public service. In 1970, he was elected as a Georgia State Senator – Georgia’s youngest-ever member of the senate at the age of 28. During his time at a state senator, he developed a friendship with President Jimmy Carter and was later appointed by the President as the Director of the Veterans Affairs in 1977. In 1982, he went on to serve as Georgia’s Secretary of State until 1996 when he was elected as a United States Senator. Following his term from the Senate, President Barack Obama appointed him in 2009 to serve as Secretary of American Battle Monuments commission which oversees military cemeteries and memorials abroad. He served in that role until 2017.
On November 9, 2021 Max Cleland passed away at the age of 79. Multiplying Good sends our deepest condolences to his family and friends and honors his legacy through his service.
Jeff Klare - 2018 Award Recipient
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting the Local Community
Jeff Klare works with heroes who face a stark reality when they return from the battlefield. That’s why he founded “Be a Hero, Hire a Hero,” a nonprofit he started after 9/11 as a way to offer job resources to unemployed veterans and those with disabilities. His work has led to more than 11,000 people finding jobs over the last 15 years. Klare says the program provides additional resources to communities he feels are sometimes overlooked in the job market. Those who know Klare say that he lives every day driven by his passion for service.
Robert Nevins - 2013 Award Recipient
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting the Local Community
As a Vietnam veteran, Robert knew all too well the devasting effects of suicide and trauma all veterans were living with each day. He wanted to make a difference in their lives and after a 24-career in the service, he founded Saratoga War Horse program with Melody Squier and now runs Alliance 180 that aims to prevent suicide for fellow Veterans and First Responders facing the effects of trauma. They have since expanded to include First Responders and Frontline Healthcare Workers. Through this work, they can work with to overcome the trauma experienced serving our country.
Kelsi and Rachel Okun - 2012 Award Recipient
Outstanding Public Service 25 Years or Younger
Founded by sisters Rachel and Kelsi Okun, ThanksUSA is a charitable effort to mobilize Americans of all ages to "thank" the men and women of the United States military by providing need-based college scholarships for their children and spouses. ThanksUSA offers two interconnected programs: the National Treasure Hunt and the Military Family Scholarship Program. The treasure hunt raises awareness, excitement, and funds for the scholarship program in an educational, family-friendly way. Since it’s beginning in 2005, ThanksUSA has awarded nearly $16.4 million in scholarships to 5,000 families across all 50 states and to all branches of the armed services.
Jan Scruggs - 1983 Award Recipient
Samuel S. Beard Award for Outstanding Public Service 35 Years or Younger
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
As a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, Jan Scruggs came up with the idea of building a memorial in Washington D.C. to honor veterans who served in Vietnam. He felt a memorial would serve as a healing device for a different kind of wound—that inflicted on our national psyche by the long and controversial Asian war. What started as a dream in 1979 has turned into one of the most visited memorials in the nation’s capital. After launching the effort with $2,800 of his own money and support of other Vietnam Veterans, Scruggs founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Inc. - a nonprofit organization created to build and maintain the Memorial. Raising nearly $8.4 million the Memorial was completed in just two years and was dedicated on November 13, 1982, during a week-long national salute to Vietnam veterans in the nation’s capital.
