John Coogan, president of the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation and The Folded Flag Foundation and a West Point graduate like Bill Foley, owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, says many military families who lose loved ones suffer in silence rather than ask for help. The Folded Flag Foundation provides educational scholarships and support for children and spouses of military and government personnel killed in the line of duty.

Financial aid includes K-12 private schools for kids having a hard time dealing with anger, grief and isolation; after-school programs; tutoring; counseling; summer camp; and college and trade school tuition for kids under 26 as well as surviving spouses who need to establish a career so they can enter the workplace. Four of Bill Foley’s companies underwrite FFF’s costs. FFF projects spending $5 million a year on recipients for up to 20 years, which is $100 million.

Coogan says a folded flag has 13 folds, but The Folded Flag Foundation, which operates in 36 states, added a 14th fold by starting the Fourteenth Fold Society, where people who pledge $1,000 or more stay connected with Gold Star families and participate in community events.

Recipients say The Folded Flag Foundation means more to them than just receiving a check; it is the foundation’s belief in the families they are serving that means so much.