What started in November 2025 as a small idea in my garage has grown into something far bigger than I ever expected. I founded Cards for Military Kids after deciding to use about 30,000 cards from my own collection to do something meaningful for children growing up in military families. As a Marine veteran, that mission felt personal to me. During my Marine Corps deployment to Iraq in 2005, I remember receiving care packages from home and wondering what was being done for the children back home dealing with a parent being deployed. That thought stayed with me for more than 20 years and became part of the reason I started Cards for Military Kids. I packed the cards into small packs and donated them to a school near Camp Lejeune, where teachers began using them as classroom incentives and rewards. The kids loved them, and I kept going.

Since then, collectors have started sending cards, and what began with 30,000 cards has grown into millions of donated sports and trading cards. Now schools and military communities from around the country are reaching out asking how they can participate. I have been running this largely out of my garage with help from friends, but we have reached the point where staying an informal grassroots project is holding back what we can accomplish.

Right now, my two-car garage is filling up with donated cards, packing supplies, and outgoing boxes. I am still sorting and packing cards, answering messages from teachers and collectors, and trying to figure out how to afford shipping what needs to go out. It is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Every time I hear from a teacher about how excited the kids were to earn their packs, it reminds me why this matters so much and why I want to build it the right way.

For me, becoming a nonprofit is not just about paperwork. It is a tool that can help this mission grow. I believe 501(c)(3) status can open doors to grants, corporate partnerships, companies that require nonprofit status before providing support, a larger volunteer network, and potential partners who can help with our two biggest challenges right now: shipping and space. It will not solve everything overnight, but I do not want the organization itself to become the thing that slows down getting cards into the hands of military-connected kids.

This fundraiser will cover the $2,700 my CPA will charge to professionally establish Cards for Military Kids as a nonprofit and complete the necessary paperwork and filing fees to pursue 501(c)(3) status. I know there are cheaper ways to file paperwork online, but I have chosen to work with a CPA I personally know and trust because I want the organization built correctly from the beginning. Her fee includes her professional work, the necessary paperwork, and filing fees.

As soon as this fundraiser is fully funded, I plan to have my CPA begin the nonprofit process. I also want to be completely transparent: Cards for Military Kids is not currently a 501(c)(3), and contributions to this fundraiser should not be considered tax-deductible. If you are able to give or share this fundraiser, you will be helping me take the next step in building something lasting for military-connected kids. Thank you for believing in this mission and for helping me move it forward.