I started the Red Circle Foundation (RCF) in 2012 because I wanted to put my money where my mouth was, and make a positive impact in the military non-profit world. I had no idea what I was getting into, and how hard the job would be.

After losing my friend Glen Doherty in Libya, I saw the US Government stall and then fail to deliver funds to with his memorial service. I saw first hand, how this caused massive stress with all involved. I was shocked, and angry about our government leaving him hanging but knew I had to do something about it.

This impact steered me on a clear path to give back where it was needed, and we became a rapid funding military charity.

A lot of larger, well funded military charities do great things but because of the inherent bureaucracy with large organizations with lots of money, it takes weeks or months to often deploy funds. When tragedy strikes families need help immediately. I wanted RCF to be able to rapidly deploy funds to Special Operations warriors and their families without all the red tape. Today, RCF is able to act within minutes if needed.

My sister Maryke (Mah-Rike-Kah..or Rika to me) runs the day-to-day operations as the Executive Director, and we have an incredible and engaged Board of Directors who donate their time to the cause.

I asked Maryke to take the position because RCF is so close to my heart, and my life story which I wrote about in The Red Circle. She was someone I could trust implicitly, and running a non-profit is about 360 degree trust. She’s done, and continues to do, an incredible job, and does so under the harshest of conditions.

Running a military non-profit is incredibly stressful and drama filled. It sure as hell isn’t rainbows and butterflies as Maryke has come to appreciate. You’re dealing with financial hardship, grief, and death on a daily basis. These are emotionally charged circumstances that understandably don’t always bring out the best in people, and my sister has been steadfast through it all. This includes the 1am tear filled phone calls we’ve shared together, I couldn’t be more proud of her as she continues to help us grow and mature as a Foundation. She’s given herself to the cause, put up with my crap (and a lot of others), and played a big part in when we decided to become one of the first military charities adopt a 100% model.

People who contribute their hard earned money to RCF, now know, that all of it will go 100% towards our mission.  We’re able to do this because of our annual gala, and because businesses of all sizes contribute to the Foundation’s overhead as an RCF mission partner.  It’s an amazing model.