On October 27, 2024, I will be running the 49th Annual Marine Corps Marathon in honor of my husband CTRSN Jason Springer (U.S. Navy) and to honor God for how he has sustained me.  Jason went overboard from the USS Kinkaid on March 5, 1997 and was lost at sea.  I was devastated.  As a 24 year-old widow, married only 73 days, there was no one I knew who could understand what I was going through, until I found the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). TAPS provides services and programs to help families who have been impacted by a death in the military regardless of geography or circumstance.  My first phone call was a God send.  I finally met other widows who were surviving and even thriving after their losses.  Not only did I receive support that grounded me and helped me take each painful step forward, it ultimately became my life's work, creating meaning from Jason's death by helping others who are grieving the loss of their military loved one.  Jason's memory and legacy lives on because of TAPS!

I will be raising funds for TAPS programs, services, and resources which support military families. TAPS provides these services at no charge to survivors from all branches of the service, including Reserves and National Guard. In 2023 alone, 9,611 new survivors came to TAPS for support. In 2024, 28 people every day will find us for the first time.  The support we provide stabilizes families and gives them hope in their darkest time.  Please join me in the work we do to support the families of those who have served.  Partnering with TAPS through your donations helps us ensure that every military family is wrapped in care as they navigate all the unique challenges and transitions that come with a military death. Together, you will help us make a difference and strengthen families who will continue to serve their communities and nation as legacies of their loved ones who served.  No donation is too big or too small.  Thank you for being a part of healing these wounds for military families. 

With gratitude!

Audri