When Patti's son Brandon was deployed to Iraq, she began sending daily care packages to him.

Soon she was recruiting friends and family to send packages to the troops, which eventually led to her start a nonprofit, "Soldier Angels,"
(www.soldiersangels.org) in 2003. Since then, the group's 100,000 members have sent tens of thousands of care packages and hundreds of thousands of letters to make sure no soldier is forgotten while serving.

The great-niece of General George Patton, Patti's commitment to supporting the troops runs deep. Volunteers who adopt a soldier through her program must commit to sending one card or letter each week and at least one or two care packages a month. Soldiers Angels not only helps the deployed, but also assists their families, veteran's hospitals and nursing homes. The web site enables "Angels" to post and respond to specific requests

(i.e., a service member needs help covering funeral expenses for her father, or help with medical bills). The group has spun off a number of programs. Among them is Operation Outreach, which provides moral and material support for military families, including providing gifts for birthdays and the holidays, support for wives expecting babies, and connecting local military families for peer support groups or as "e-pals."

Another group, the Sewing Team, sews "Blankets of Hope," scarves, mittens and booties for wounded soldiers. And Project Valour-IT provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded troops recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at military hospitals. Patti's leadership makes this all possible. She not only oversees this sprawling operation, she drives it forward with her passion, her gratitude and encouragement.