“I have always felt that people have several heroes in life, but instead of superheroes, mine have always been real-life heroes. By brother, Phillip Lawson, was one—as well as the donors of The Army Distaff Foundation.” - Shannon Corder
The Army Distaff Foundation’s Knollwood: A Military Retirement Residence The Army Distaff Foundation was formed in 1959 as a nonprofit organization. By 1962, thousands of Army wives worldwide had raised the necessary funds to open Army Distaff Hall as a residence for displaced Army widows. In 1962, the foundation established a Benevolent Fund to ensure that no eligible resident would ever be turned away. The Benevolent Fund is a legally restricted fund that provides financial assistance to those who would otherwise be eligible for admission but cannot afford to pay. From this date to the present, these funds have provided financial assistance in the form of partial or total payment of admission fees, monthly service charge, dining room charge and essential medical expenses. In 1989, eligibility for residency was extended to couples and retired male and female officers of all branches of the uniformed services and the Distaff Hall was renamed Knollwood. Since its inception,
Knollwood has expanded to include four levels of care: independent living, assisted living, a skilled nursing facility, and the Special Care Center for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Today, more than 300 male and female residents representing every branch of the service are proud to call Knollwood home. To fulfill the mission, vision and goals of the Army Distaff Foundation set forth by the founders, the foundation fundraises and reaches out to philanthropists, corporations, foundations and other organizations to preserve the mission and honor the sacrifice of service for a lifetime. With your support, we will continue to serve the American military family. For more information about the Army Distaff Foundation, contact Ashleigh Hughes, administrator of philanthropy, at 202-541-0492 or visit armydistaff.org. -Submitted by the Army Distaff Foundation
“My family, for generations, has been proud to serve in our armed forces—starting from my great-grandfather to my nieces and nephews currently involved in ROTC. As a family, we were raised in a small town in South Dakota, and by the time I was 21, both of my parents had passed and I became the guardian of my 14-year-old brother and 12-year-old sister. My baby brother was always the first to dive into activities, so it was no surprise when he came home and announced he had joined the Army. “Col. Phillip Lawson excelled in every aspect of Army life. Phillip was deployed twice to Vietnam. It was less than two days into his second deployment; his unit was attacked. Phillip sustained a head injury from the attack. After the initial brain surgery to relieve swelling, Phillip contracted pneumonia and other combat injury complications during his two-month fight to recover, and the complications of his injuries eventually took his life. “It was my brother’s service to the armed forces that allowed my sister the opportunity to make her home at Knollwood. “It was the charitable mission of the Army Distaff Foundation and their Benevolent Fund that gave my sister the opportunity to remain in her home at Knollwood. As my sister aged, she developed medical issues, which required additional health care and personal care services, costs her insurance and savings simply could not cover. The foundation’s Benevolent Fund made a significant difference in my sister’s life. ” -Shannon Corder
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Honoring Our Veterans - Advertising Supplement
November 2012