Actor Gary Sinise told Newsmax on Tuesday that one of his foundation's programs will help not only the children and spouses of fallen military veterans, but also those of fallen first responders as well.
In 2017, the Gary Sinise Foundation launched the Snowball Express, a year-round campaign of support programs that culminates in a five-day trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Originally, the event included only children and spouses of fallen military veterans, but Sinise, 68, told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" that it will now also include the families of fallen first responders.
"There are thousands of children, as we know, of fallen military heroes," Sinise explained. "We try to take care of as many as possible. When we started to think about it, our first responder outreach was a big part of our foundation from the beginning.
"I started supporting members of the FDNY after Sept. 11, 2001, and doing various things to support programs that they were involved in and trying to help them through difficult times.
"When I started my foundation in 2011, we made first-responder outreach part of the foundation and taking care of them in various ways … and now we're expanding our Snowball Express … to the children of our fallen first responders as well," he added. "It's just an extension and expansion of what we've been doing for a long time, trying to serve and honor the needs of these families."
Sinise has a lot of military veterans in his family and said he has been supporting Vietnam veterans since the 1980s. When he played Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan Taylor, a double amputee, in "Forest Gump" (for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination), he said he began to support disabled Vietnam veterans as well. He said after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he did whatever he could do to support the families of first responders and active-duty military in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"It's something I believe very passionately about, taking care of our defenders and their families," Sinise said. "I don't think we can ever do enough for the men and women who volunteered to go out there and do the dangerous work to keep us free and safe.
"We have thousands of donors that go to the Gary Sinise Foundation website. So many corporate supporters. We are serving thousands across the country and overseas in various ways. And it's just a full-time mission.
"It makes the good luck and blessing that I've had in the career in the movie business all worth it."
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