Spirit of America @SpiritAmerica

Benjamin York, Spirit of America’s Regional Program Manager for Africa, recently returned from a trip to southern Gabon. He was on the ground with embassy partners and hospital staff as Spirit of America delivered medical resources to Bongolo Hospital. Gabon's location on the Gulf of Guinea makes it an important partner in promoting maritime security and protecting critical trade routes. The country is also home to the world's second-largest rainforest, a globally significant resource whose health influences climate resilience, economic development, and security outcomes far beyond Central Africa. 🔗 Learn more about Ben's trip and our work in #Gabon here: spiritofamerica.org/creating-stron…

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Last week brought our entire team together in Arlington, a rare and meaningful opportunity for a globally distributed organization to connect in person. 💙 Spirit of America's Team Week is designed to align our priorities, reflect on projects over the last year, and sharpen how we collaborate to deliver impact where it matters most. Just as important, it gives us the time and space to bond and build relationships — the kind that strengthen trust, collaboration, and our ability to move quickly in support of those we serve. We’re especially grateful to our speakers who helped challenge and inspire us throughout the week. @MSE Founder & CEO @TedLeonsis joined the team to talk about entrepreneurship, and shared nuggets of wisdom like "bet on the jockey, not the horse" and "if you're not growing in an inflationary world, you're shrinking". Esther Choy, author and CEO of the @LeaderStoryLab, led an amazing workshop on how to effectively tell stories about our work that are engaging, moving, and inspire others to get involved. Team Week isn’t just about coming together physically — it’s about leaving more connected, focused, and committed to the mission that drives us forward every day. #MissionDriven #StrongerTogether #Impact

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These simple but impactful contributions improve interoperability with Libyan and international forces, and reinforce long-term partnership and cooperation. More broadly, they signal that the United States is a reliable partner in supporting Libya’s path toward stability through practical, targeted assistance. 🔗 spiritofamerica.org/strengthening-…

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As a country at the crossroads of key migration routes, global energy supply, and transnational terrorist networks, #Libya has immense global strategic and economic importance, but continues to face political division. Despite this, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has expanded security cooperation to support Libyan reunification, including by hosting part of the U.S.-led Exercise Flintlock — a premier annual Special Operations training across Africa — in Libya for the first time. To support this initiative, Spirit of America provided 85 standardized first aid kit carrying cases to a Libyan security unit to elevate their medical capabilities. As one U.S. Army partner explained, these kits enhance readiness and ensure each soldier can quickly access critical equipment when it matters most.

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Throughout history, both Lithuania and Ukraine have had to fight for their right to exist. Russia has long oppressed both nations through imperial, Soviet, and modern policies aimed at destroying national identity and blocking independence. Civil defense organizations reflect a deliberate choice to strengthen readiness at the societal level by training citizens so that in times of crisis, response is instinctive, coordinated, and resilient under pressure. Spirit of America is proud to play a direct role in this effort by equipping citizen-led partners like the LRU with the training and lifesaving resources they need to build readiness and capacity. 🔗: spiritofamerica.org/security-start…

In January, when Spirit of America donated nearly $80K in Tactical Combat Casualty Care supplies to the Lithuania Riflemen’s Union (LRU) — an all-volunteer civil defense organization trained by U.S. military partners — Europe team Program Manager Grant Peehler and Marketing Manager Adriana Teluk got to shadow the unit as they trained on the new equipment. “I spent two days in the Lithuanian woods, in unforgiving single-digit temperatures,” Adriana said. “This visit underscored a larger truth: Lithuania has been watching Ukraine closely, learning from its experience. And preparing its citizens accordingly.” #LithuaniaRiflemensUnion #CivilDefense #MedicalTraining

Walking among the rows of headstones is a powerful reminder: every name represents a life lived in service, and a powerful legacy of duty and commitment we are left to carry forward. Today, we pause to honor all those who have paid the ultimate price in the name of freedom. 🇺🇸❤️ spiritofamerica.org/honoring-the-f… #MemorialDay #HonorTheFallen

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On Memorial Day, we pause to remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. 🕊️ Last week, members of the Spirit of America team visited @ArlingtonNatl — a place where more than 43,000 U.S. service members are buried — to lay flowers, honor the lives of the fallen, and recommit ourselves to the values they gave their lives defending.

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Kyiv is in mourning today. 💔 Ukrainian officials report that after yesterday’s attack on the capital, 24 people — including three children — are confirmed dead, and at least 48 have been injured. Another strike on homes and civilian infrastructure, and one of the deadliest since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Ukrainians are left to grieve and rebuild again, unable to count on an end to these horrific attacks. At Spirit of America, we refuse to look away, and we won’t stop showing up. In partnership with the U.S. military, we’ve delivered over $73 million in protective, nonlethal aid to Ukrainians defending their country. If you’re looking for a real way to help today, start here: spiritofamerica.org/project/help-u… Share this post, give what you can. Thank you for standing with Ukraine. 🇺🇦

At our @UkraineHouseDC event, “Learning Under Fire: How Education Supports Long-Term Recovery”, we had the privilege of coming together with our partners at savED and incredible youth leaders from the #UActive program — Ukrainian students who are protecting education, finding community, and rebuilding hope in the middle of war. Their message was powerful and inspiring: young people will not wait for someone else to shape their futures. They’re taking matters into their own hands. Preserving education during war is an investment not only in Ukraine’s future, but in global safety, stability, and democratic values. Thank you to everyone who joins us to stand with Ukraine’s youth. Together, we can help children reclaim their education, their childhoods, and the Ukraine they love. 🇺🇦🕊️ Read more about the event here: spiritofamerica.org/investing-in-u… #StandWithUkraine #EducationMatters #YouthLeadership

Featuring another amazing project that came out of @savedschools 2025 #UActive cohort, courtesy of Team 380V! ⤵️ Teens in Lotskyne saw an opportunity to create something their community was missing: a shared space for creativity, collaboration, and storytelling. So they created a new theater in their school, where anyone from the village can come to enjoy cinema and learn more about film. 🎬 The coolest thing about this project was that the space they created became the catalyst for something much bigger. Team 380V felt inspired to film, produce, edit, and premiere their own short film, “The Last Takeoff”, honoring a fallen Ukrainian soldier who had diverted a plane away from the village at the cost of his own life soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Their story is a powerful reminder of what young people can create when they’re given the tools and the trust to tell their own stories. 💛💙

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For years, counterterrorism in the Sahel has focused overwhelmingly on military force alone, with limited long-term success. What we're doing in Benin is different: community-centered civ-mil that improves trust, intelligence & operational effectiveness in vulnerable areas.

Spirit of America @SpiritAmerica

a month ago

Over the last year, Spirit of America has been working alongside our U.S. military partners, @StratStability, and the Beninese Army (FAB) in Benin to facilitate trust with the local population through #OperationMirador. Civil-military cooperation helps to chip away at the

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Over the last year, Spirit of America has been working alongside our U.S. military partners, @StratStability, and the Beninese Army (FAB) in Benin to facilitate trust with the local population through #OperationMirador. Civil-military cooperation helps to chip away at the foundations that terrorist groups depend on to operate and survive: social grievances, disenfranchisement, and economic isolation. Providing solutions to the needs identified jointly by the community and military improves coordination — and more importantly, trust — between civilians and the state, and encourages civic engagement and joint governance in fragile areas. In Cobly, a town in northwest Benin, we funded the roof rehabilitation for a 3-room schoolhouse benefitting 150 students, and the construction of a borehole at the Tapoga health center, increasing access to clean water for the nearly 7,000 patients the center serves annually, as well as the full population of the village. 🔨🚰 As this activity was implemented by the military, it helped restore the image of the government in the people's eyes while also directly addressing some of their most urgent needs quickly. Projects like these have given the FAB a long-term platform for collaboration and coordination directly with civilian populations, helping to stop the spread of extremism in West Africa and debunk false narratives that armed groups spread.

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We’re proud to spotlight the #partners and #sponsors whose support fuels this dynamic event, happening May 5-8 at Florida International University in #Miami! We extend our sincere appreciation to the #sponsors and #supporters helping us convene 🌍#global #leaders

Opportunities to meet more intimately like this deepens our human connections and allows trust to flourish. The result is a ripple effect of community and solidarity that lasts far beyond any single event. We are grateful for every opportunity to make our partnership with savED and UActive more personal, because that’s how our shared impact becomes sustainable and long-lasting. 🇺🇸🇺🇦

Meeting Taras, Kseniia, Angelina and Marharyta — 4 young Ukrainians who have created community and modeled resilience amidst devastation and war — was a deeply moving reminder that the work we do in the U.S. has real, human impact. For the #UActive students, connecting with Spirit of America staff was a poignant reminder that they have not been forgotten. There are so many people around the world who believe in them and will continue to invest in that future they are fighting for.

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The day before our event at Ukraine House last week, our team had the opportunity to welcome savED co‑founder Anna Novosad, her team, and four extraordinary teens from the #UActive program to Spirit of America HQ. Our teams work together often, but we’re usually separated by time zones, borders, and screens. This visit gave us something rare and powerful: the chance to sit together, share stories, and connect as people, not just partners. 🤝

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“If Lebanon is to have a better future, it lies in one institution and that is the Lebanese Armed Forces…” – Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Spirit of America Advisory Board Following the attacks in Iran and across the Middle East, our U.S. military partners identified a gap in assistance for #LebaneseArmedForces (LAF) families, including food, water, and essential hygiene supplies. 🚰📦 To help fill that gap, we delivered over $95,000 in humanitarian assistance to 6,000 displaced family members of LAF personnel affected by the recent escalation. This support ensures @LebarmyOfficial personnel can remain focused on their operational responsibilities and reinforces the resilience of one of Lebanon’s most critical and widely respected institutions. #MiddleEast #HumanitarianAssistance #MilitaryFamilies

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