OpsLens Deck of 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders
In 2018, as a spin-off and salute to the original 2003 deck of 52 Most Wanted playing cards, let’s honor post 9/11 frontline leaders here at home. Once a week, for 52 weeks this year, OpsLens will post a card highlighting one of the 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders. You’ll learn the top facts about their business or organization, as well as why they made the list, which comes down to impact, scalability, health, and unique value proposition.
I encourage you to look for these weekly updates, share the card with your network, and support or buy the products and services they offer. See the 52 Most Wanted Post 9/11 Frontline Leaders launch story here.
7 of Hearts| Lamia Afghan Foundation
Jan Bradley said she always wanted to join the Peace Corps. Her husband, John, also needed a new sense of purpose in 2008 when he retired from an illustrious career as a U.S. Air Force general officer that spanned more than three decades of worldwide service. The Bradleys had already served and given so much to their nation—but after John returned from his final combat deployment with the story of an Afghan girl named Lamia, they knew the most important service to their country moving forward was a commitment to this little girl in a country halfway around the world. The two cofounded the Lamia Afghan Foundation in 2008 and have effectively become a beacon for what a post 9/11 Marshall Plan could look like today. The foundation is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping the children and disadvantaged people of Afghanistan by providing humanitarian aid, educational opportunities, and vocational training that will help the next generation of Afghans have opportunities unattained by their parents.
The Bradleys fondly refer to the foundation as a mom-and-pop effort, yet make no mistake—their laser-focused passion has made a life-altering ripple for thousands. They have helped construct seven schools for girls, shipped more than three and a half million pounds of humanitarian cargo through the use of the Denton Airlift Program, and partnered with dozens of organizations to do everything from assist with food distribution and provide prosthetics for Afghans with lost limbs, to securing aid for major relief efforts. The Bradleys have always believed the hope for the future of Afghanistan lies in the education of its youth. Multiple trips to the region have reinforced their determination: they have observed firsthand that war has been a constant in the lives of most children in Afghanistan, and education has been absent, particularly for girls. Their work now leaves a legacy that unequivocally parallels the impact of the Peace Corps and U.S. military combined.
The Lamia Afghan Foundation is a frontline leader that should be on your list of most-wanted charities to support in 2018.
Frontline Leaders (Cofounders): John and Jan Bradley.
Name of Company/Organization: The Lamia Afghan Foundation, founded 2008.
Location: HQ in Nashville, Tennessee.
Post 9/11 Service Connection: U.S. Air Force, service member and spouse.
Tours of Duty: Worldwide, not to mention regular trips to Afghanistan for their foundation work.
One sentence tagline &/or mission statement: The hope for the future of Afghanistan lies in the education of its youth.
Website: https://www.lamia-afghanfoundation.org/
