The American Brother Foundation is a nonprofit organization helping servicemen and women as well as their families. The organization was founded by Elisa Camara whose brother US Marine Sgt. Mecot Camara was killed in the line of duty during the Beirut bombing in 1983.
Camara always speaks passionately about the goals of the American Brother Foundation. Camara says she started the foundation because her brother would be doing anything he could to help if he had survived.
She said, “I know if he were here, he would be doing the same thing. It’s just he doesn’t have that opportunity. So I’m just doing what he would be doing if he were here.”
The motto of the foundation is “Give back. Never give up.” Camara said that her brother always encouraged her to never give up and to always give back.
One way that the foundation helps families of servicemen and women is by providing scholarships to further educational goals and opportunities. In 2021 American Brother Foundation will be giving three scholarships of $500 each. These scholarships are available to dependents of US veterans and active-duty military personnel. All eligibility requirements, instructions and downloadable applications are available on the foundation’s website www.americanbrotherfoundation.org/scholarship.
American Brother Foundation strives to preserve American history while supporting those who willingly risk their lives for the country. They provide scholarships, produce documentary clips that can be used by teachers, and offer support for other organizations such as the Veterans Memorial Museum of Southern West Virginia in Hinton.
This past week a representative of the foundation, Jeff Huey, and Ruth Flowers presented Tim Wheeler, the president of the veteran’s museum, with a donation in honor of Mecot Camara. A memorial display of Mecot’s belongings is on permanent display in the museum on Ballengee Street. Among his personal belongings is his Summers County High School football helmet.
The foundation recently helped the Salvation Army feed 350 homeless people who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Camara says this is an important part of what the foundation does — it helps those struggling and in need.
Camara named the foundation after a book she wrote and published in 2013. American Brother tells the story of her brother Mecot, their childhood, his passions and his untimely death in 1983 while serving the United States in Beirut, Lebanon.
The foundation’s logo is simple yet powerful. The logo depicts an American flag with the silhouette of a serviceman in the center and a dragon in the lower right corner. The flag in the logo has one important detail. The star in the lower right corner, directly diagonal from the dragon and just above the heart of the serviceman is larger than the rest and is gold. The gold star is to honor all those families known as “gold star families.” These are the ones that have lost someone while they were serving. The dragon represents Sgt. Mecot Camara’s platoon, First Battalion/Eighth Marines ~ Dragon Platoon.
Anyone interested in making a donation to the American Brother Foundation can do so through their website. There is a yellow “donate” button at the top right of every page. Consider helping this amazing foundation make a difference and support all service members.
