With a $1 million goal in mind by the end of this year, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Governor Sonny Perdue are charging Georgia citizens and businesses to support The Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation's fund for families of the more than 12,000 members of the Georgia National Guard, including 4,000 who are on the frontlines overseas supporting the global war on terror.

The Governor's Office and the Chamber announced the initiative at a press conference in November.

"Many of our troops have expressed that they're getting the support they need to fight the war overseas," said Brig. Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver, Commander, 48th Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard. "However, they're concerned about the well being of their families while they're away from home."

While overseas, many of the troop's families experience emotional and financial hardships and have to depend on the support of others to get through tough times. The Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation has stepped in on numerous occasions to assist families to handle unexpected family expenses that arise, such as hospital bills, funeral expenses, sick child needs as well as essential transportation and home-related needs.

"With an increasing number of Georgia troops being deployed to fight the war overseas, it goes without saying that the number of families in need of financial assistance is likely to rise as well," said George Israel, president of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. "The Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation depends on the generosity of our state citizens and businesses to help them continue to provide the financial resources that families of our servicemen and women need when emergency crises come up."

The Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c)3 tax exempt organization that provides assistance to the families of Georgia's guardsmen, our State's reservists and qualified active duty service members that live here in Georgia.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is the unified voice of the business community, aggressively advocating the business viewpoint in the shaping of public policy, encouraging ethical business practices and ensuring the state's future as economically prosperous, educationally competitive and environmentally responsible. Now in its 88th year, the Georgia Chamber represents its diverse membership of more than 3,900 in the policy-making arenas of state government to bring the grassroots issues of its membership into the legislative process through the implementation of strong economic development partnerships.