At iPods for Wounded Veterans, we serve wounded American servicemen and servicewomen from the Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Our mission is to make injured veterans’ long months of rehabilitation easier and less repetitive. Our all-volunteer teams hand-deliver gifts of electronics, headphones, magazines and letters of encouragement.
iPods for Wounded Veterans was founded by United States Military Veterans in 2011. When Paul Cardello and John Parker learned that wounded veterans recovering in military hospitals wanted one thing to make their days brighter — music — they immediately began putting together a collection of iPods.
Not long after, on their first trip to the Walter Reed Military Medical Center, they arrived with 32 iPods. And right away they realized that it wasn’t nearly enough. They came back to Boston and started raising money for another trip. Several weeks later, they went back with enough iPods and gifts for every wounded soldier they met.
Today, iPods for Wounded Veterans continues to provide MP3 players, tablets, headphones magazines, letters and more to improve the quality of life for our wounded Veterans. The intensive rehabilitation they require can take months, even years. These materials provide a diversion, easing the boredom and repeition of the rehabilitation and recovery process. Our Class A security clearance allows us to personally deliver these gifts to Military and Veterans hospitals, where we interact with veterans and their families one-on- one.
iPods for Wounded Veterans is made up entirely of volunteers – there are NO paid employees. Over 80% of all funds raised go directly back to the wounded veterans, with the only expenditures being those necessary to travel to and from hospitals. We serve our wounded servicemen and servicewomen from the Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan wars.