Camp Pendleton, CA – We are pleased to announce that Karen Guenther, Founder and President of the Semper Fi Fund, has been nominated for “2011 Military Spouse of the Year” through Military Spouse Magazine!

For the fourth straight year, Military Spouse magazine will name the “Military Spouse of the Year” (MSOY) before Military Spouse Appreciation Day which, each year, falls on the Friday before Mother’s Day. Military Spouse Appreciation Day for 2011 will fall on May 13th.

The award seeks to recognize those military spouses who “represent sacrifice, patriotism, professionalism and altruism that embody the community of 1.1 million current military spouses.” According to their web site, they are “looking for the best that the military has to offer. The leaders, the volunteers, the spouse who commits her time or his voice to our causes. Anyone who is making a difference and making the community a better place for others should be considered.”

Karen was nominated by Lance Corporal Josh Bleill, who, in October of 2006, lost both of his legs in Iraq from a roadside bomb. His nomination letter is listed below.

Selection for Military Spouse of the Year is based on the number of votes a nominee receives. Please help us thank Karen for her heart and dedication to our nation’s wounded and help raise awareness of our important mission by voting for her at:

https://msoy.militaryspouse.com/

Once you register out MilSpouse.com, you will find Karen’s nomination under the Marine Corps’ logo.

You can cast one vote per hour, every day until the end of the campaign in December! So please vote as often as you can!

Please spread the word of this nomination and ask your family and friends to join in and vote! Your support is greatly appreciated!

Nomination of Karen by LCpl. Joshua Bleill:

“I would like to nominate Marine spouse Karen G. She founded the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund in 2004 because she saw a need to help our injured Marines and their families. That has been Karen’s attitude in everything that she encounters: She sees a need and then gives here whole self in filling it.

Karen’s vision of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund was to come to the aid of those service members injured serving our great country. Since the non-profit organization’s founding in 2004, the Semper Fi Fund has given over 22,000 grants totaling over $42 million. I could speak all day and night about the accomplishments of Karen, but I want to explain how she came to the rescue of me, a 29-year-old injured Marine.

While serving in Fallujah, Iraq, I was severely injured including the loss of both my legs. My fellow Marines got me to the hospital in time to save my life but it had been changed forever. The Marines immediately returned to duty and I was left to recover in a hospital. That is when not only the Semper Fi Fund came to my family and my rescue, but Karen, herself, became our guardian angel.

Karen quickly bought plane tickets for my family to meet me in Bethesda Naval Hospital, Md., as soon as I landed. Karen didn’t ask for anything in return, she just gave. As my family was in disarray and I was still fighting for my life, Karen took care of all the details so my family could concentrate on me. Karen’s generosity and amazing heart didn’t stop there. She personally would call to make sure that my family was taken care of and made sure they had everything they needed, from travel plans to lodging.

In the 22 months of recovery, Karen and the Semper Fi fund has paid for trips for my family and my wife. Karen presented me with a brand-new handicap accessible SUV and presented me with a check for $50,000 to make adaptations on my house. She has continued to support my family and me financially and emotionally.

She is an amazing woman whose perseverance and dedication to making the lives of those serve better and has changed my life more than words can describe. Karen supports thousands of Marines, service members and their families in the exact same way and surrounds everyone she meets with her love and devotion.

Karen dedicates her life to filling the needs of this nation with her amazing spirit and her passion for helping others. She is a wife of a Marine, mother, leader, and to so many, a lifesaver.”