Victoria Noe

Award-winning Author, Speaker, Activist

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Military Outreach USA

'Tis the Season for Writing and Giving

'Tis the Season for Writing and Giving
Nov 30, 2016 by Victoria Noe
It’s that time of year for shopping and digging a little deeper to support worthy causes.

The appeals are relentless: junk mail, phone calls, emails, tweets and Facebook posts. Every day, starting in earnest at Thanksgiving and not letting up until New Year’s Eve. As a former fundraiser, I’ve learned over the years to ignore most of those appeals.

But the truth is, most people really do want to help. And every donation helps.

Early on in the writing of the Friend Grief series, I knew I wanted to designate a charity partner for at least one of the books. I researched organizations, met with a few of their founders. One decision came easily.

The second book –Friend Grief and AIDS: Thirty Years of...

Friend Grief and Grantchester

Friend Grief and Grantchester
Jun 28, 2016 by Victoria Noe
pbs.org

I’m a big fan of British period mysteries, and given the harsh reality of the news the past two weeks, I admit to a bit of escapism.

Grantchester is a traditional mystery series – based on the novels by James Runcie – set in the real-life town of Grantchester in Cambridgeshire eight years after the end of World War II. The stories revolve around the vicar, Sidney Chambers (played by James Norton) and his mate, grumpy police inspector Geordie Keating (played by Robson Green). They are supported by a memorable group of characters – Sidney’s assistant, his housekeeper, the girl-who-got-away, and others. The richness of the characters is what has kept me a fan through its three...

Memorial Day and Friend Grief

Memorial Day and Friend Grief
May 24, 2016 by Victoria Noe
Next Monday is Memorial Day. You know what that means: social media filled with pictures of military cemeteries awash in tiny flags. You’ll be asked to like, share and retweet for the entire 3-day weekend. Big sales at the mall. Politicians who routinely vote against veterans’ interests will shower the military with praise, only to forget about them the next day

There are, unfortunately, a lot of fundraising scams out there and many are veteran-related. When I wrote Friend Grief and the Military: Band of Friends I wanted to have a charity partner: a reputable nonprofit that would benefit from sales of the book.

I found one in Military Outreach USA.  Their mission is to empower a Military Caring Network to serve...