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Travis Manion Foundation

Founding

The Travis Manion Foundation (founded 2007)[1] is a non-profit organization founded by the Manion family in honor of the loss of the foundation's name-sake, 1st Lt. Travis Manion. The foundation was originally founded by Travis's mother, Janet Manion, who originally created it as a means to raise funds and make donations in Travis's name. Since its inception, the foundation has experienced rapid growth and expansion, and now offers transitional help to veterans and survivors of war, as well as offering leadership classes and guidance to younger generations. Following the loss of Janet, the foundation is now chaired by Travis's sister, Ryan Manion, who has run the organization since (whenever she started).

Travis Manion

Travis Joseph Lemma Manion was born Nov. 19, 1980 in Camp Lejeune, NC, to an active duty Marine family. After settling in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Travis went on to LaSalle College High School where his strong leadership qualities set him apart, both athletically and academically. He was an all-league standout in wrestling, football, and lacrosse, a member of five championship teams, and an All-American wrestler. Travis was best known as a motivating and popular figure to his classmates. It was for these traits Travis was awarded the Hal Selvey,Jr. Memorial Award for Unselfish Dedication and Leadership. This combination of leadership, athleticism, and academic achievement opened the door to his appointment to the United States Naval Academy.^[1]

Following Travis's graduation from the Naval Academy, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his father and pursue a future in the Marines. At The Basic School, Travis finished top of his class and was consequently awarded a commission into the Marine Corps. He was then assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.

Travis deployed two times under the Marines, once to Fallujah, Iraq in September of 2006 as part of a military transition team (MiT), and once in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during the Iraq War in December of 2006. It was during his second tour that Travis gave his life in an ambush on April 29, 2007. His actions allowed every member of his patrol to survive. Travis was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star with Valor for his sacrifice.

Organization

Veteran Services

The Travis Manion Foundation provides support to both Veterans and Survivors from current and previous wars through one of its Veteran Services branch. The foundation provides opportunities, such as Veteran transition workshops that help Veterans transition into the civilian work force, and supports the United States Department of Veteran Affairs in providing care and aid to Veterans in multiple different facets beyond transition.

Character Does Matter

The foundation also looks to provide educational and experiential benefits to the younger generations through their Character Does Matter Program branch. The program, which is presented by Johnson and Johnson, is directed at young adults in order to help them develop values, activate them in the community through service, and inspire them to be leaders.[2] There are three components of the Character Does Matter Program, including: Presentations, Leadership Courses, and Service Projects.

Presentations

Veterans are trained in by Travis Manion Foundation staff to lead and give presentations to student bodies, outside organizations, and large groups. The presentations are intended to inspire young adults to live with character and to think about what the foundation's mantra, 'If Not Me, Then Who...' means to them. According to Character does Matter's website, "Presenters share their personal stories of character with more than 30,000 students per year." [3]

Leadership Courses

The Foundation provides Leadership Courses to young adults in an effort to develop values-based leaders. The courses, which started in late 2014, are led by CDM trained mentors, all post 9/11 veterans, guiding high school students to exercise and develop character skills and to practically apply leadership to their lives. The goal of the courses is to empower students to develop their own character strengths and hone their leadership skills to serve their communities in the future. The courses are not exclusively meant for perspective armed forces students or JROTC, but are open to anyone.

Service Projects

In an effort to continue providing opportunities to Veterans and members of the community, the Foundation directs and cooperates with other organizations creating service projects to engage members in their communities. There are large scale service projects headed by the Foundation throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southern California regions bi-annually in April and November.

Further Information

The foundation has grown and spread since its start, beginning in Doylestown, PA and now holds offices in Philadelphia, Washington DC, and San Diego. Further expansion is being looked into.

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[1]