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Tag: USO

  • Idina Menzel Teaming Up With the USO to Help Make Military Families’ Holiday Wishes Come True

    Idina Menzel is teaming up with the USO to help make holiday wishes come true for American military personnel and their families.

    The USO Wishbook is a catalogue of goods and services “designed to support our deployed troops, military families, wounded warriors and their families and caregivers, troops in transition and families of the fallen.”

    “This time of year is complicated and can be hard when families are not able to be together,” said the Tony Award-winning actress. “I recently had the chance to tell some military families how much I appreciate the sacrifices they make, and the USO Wishbook is an affordable and powerful way for America to be able to do the same.”

    The Frozen actress was referring to a USO meet and greet event held during the 2014 Bloomingdale’s Holiday Concert & Window Unveiling in New York City. At the event, she performed selections from her new album, Holiday Wishes.

    The USO Wishbook offers items priced from $15 up to $6,000. Some of the items include “Build a Bike for a Wounded Warrior” and “Comfort Food Packages,” which are full of troops’ favorite salty snacks and other comforts of home. Other items include a “Growing Up Kit for Kids” to help “a military child cope with the stresses of military life”, or “Phone Calls Home,” which help members of military families stay connected when separated during deployment.

    For more information, visit USOwishbook.org.

  • Microsoft To Donate Hundreds of Xbox Kinect Bundles To Soldiers

    Microsoft is looking to give soldiers a little bit of a holiday morale boost by making a pretty big donation to dozens of USO centers around the world.

    They plan to deliver 380 Xbox Kinect gaming systems to bases around the globe. Forty-two USO facilities will be getting the systems. These USO facilities provide soldiers services like phones, PCs, Wi-Fi, TVs and gaming stations. The 42 facilities that are receiving the 380 Kinect bundles support over 5 million troops and their families.

    Of course, the system will be used for gaming – but Microsoft explains that the Kinect provides an opportunity for other worthwhile activities – like rehabilitation and diagnosis.

    What’s more, U.S. soldiers are starting to see the benefits of the explosion of creativity we’ve seen since releasing the Kinect Software Development Kit. Four Wounded Warrior Facilities in Afghanistan will use Kinect in rehabilitative programs in forward bases where medical equipment is scarce. New Kinect applications will help medical staff determine when troops who have suffered from brain injuries, such as concussions, are able to go back into the field. The USO will work with the local groups to develop an analysis of the results from using Kinect as a tool for cognitive and memory reinforcement.

    In Fort Campbell, KY, a brand new 8,500 sq. ft. USO center just opened with one particularly impressive feature: The giant UH-1 Huey helicopter sitting right in the middle of the space. They turned this old vehicle into a gaming center – equipped with three flat screens, Xbox 360s, and gaming chairs (pictured above).

    The Kinects will arrive as part of their annual “Christmas Convoys,” which contain things like beanbag chairs, snacks, phone cards, and other essentials. The Kinect system’s practical use for military bases can be seen in some frames of the video below – mainly the hands free x-ray browsing and the rehabilitation games.