SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Please replace the photo PDF with the accompanying corrected PDF in release dated April 21, 2020.
The release reads:
TRUE HERO FUND LAUNCHED TO PROVIDE CRITICAL RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO MEDICAL HEROES
While nations around the world struggle to deliver PPE and other critical resources to doctors, nurses, paramedics and other frontline medical professionals fighting the COVID-19 war, private citizens are stepping up to help. Venture capitalist Todd Chaffee and his wife Kat have created the True Hero Foundation to manage and distribute much needed aid through a new fund called the True Hero Fund.
“When Kat and I saw the tremendous sacrifice being made by the doctors, nurses, paramedics and other frontline medical professionals, we wanted to help them. We looked around for an efficient mechanism to get them the PPE and funds they need and there wasn’t much out there, so we decided to create the True Hero Fund,” said Todd Chaffee, founder and chairman of the True Hero Foundation.
Mr. Chaffee and his wife have committed $1.0 million to the new fund and are matching another $1.0 million based upon the donations received at the True Hero Go Fund Me page. They also recruited a team of people across the country to distribute vital PPE and financial aid directly to the medical professionals on the front lines. Within the first couple of days of launching the True Hero initiative, they funded an enterprising neurosurgeon in Southern California who secured two million FDA approved N95 masks to deliver to his colleagues around the country this week. Mr. Chaffee’s team also identified an additional 300,000 FDA approved KN95 masks stuck in warehouses and began distributing those to hospitals and fire stations in New York.
It is becoming increasingly clear that medical professionals working on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis desperately need support. Federal, state, and local authorities are attempting to direct PPE and other critical resources to those in need at the moment; however, there are still significant shortages in hospitals around the country. The True Hero Fund is providing a safety net for medical professionals to protect themselves while they await distribution of PPE and financial aid through government channels.
Many people don’t fully understand the incredible level of sacrifice being made today by medical professionals in the COVID-19 crisis. Doctors, nurses and others on the front lines are working in extremely hazardous conditions in emergency rooms, COVID-19 wards, and individual hospital rooms filled with the coronavirus. They are often working grueling extra-long shifts six days a week in environments with dangerous viral loads and usually don’t have proper protective gear.
In addition to the immense physical and emotional challenge, these medical professionals are also putting their families at risk as well. Many are staying in hotels for fear of bringing home the COVID-19 virus to their loved ones. To make matters worse, these medical professionals must also cover unforeseen COVID-19 driven expenses like increased childcare expenses, meal delivery expenses, and hotel expenses when they are working extra-long 12 to 14 hour shifts six days a week.
The True Hero Fund was created as an efficient direct pipeline so donors can contribute directly to these heroic individuals on the frontlines. More information on the True Hero Fund can be found at www.TrueHeroFund.org
About the True Hero Foundation
The True Hero Foundation was established by Todd Chaffee and his wife Kat to 1) identify those individuals making extraordinary contributions to humanity, 2) assist these individuals as much as possible, and 3) honor them as True Heroes for their exemplary sacrifice and service. The foundation is managing and administering the True Hero Fund currently providing support to the doctors, nurses and other frontline medical professionals fighting in the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Chaffee has been recognized by Forbes and The New York Times as one of the world’s top venture capitalists. He is ranked #6 on the Forbes Midas List of Top 10 Founder VCs and has appeared on the Forbes Midas List nine times. He was also selected for The New York Times/CB Insights List of Top 100 Venture Capitalists in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
