President Obama, Vice President Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden Launch Joining Forces Initiative to Support Military Families

Yesterday, President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden [pictured above, during official launch announcement] rolled out Joining Forces, an unprecedented national initiative to support and honor our military families.

"This campaign is about all of us, all of us joining together, as Americans, to give back to the extraordinary military families who serve and sacrifice so much, every day, so that we can live in freedom and security," said the First Lady.

Joining Forces aims to educate, challenge, and spark action from all sectors of our society -- citizens, communities, businesses, nonprofits, faith-based institutions, philanthropic organizations, and government -- to ensure that military families have the support that they have earned.

As part of Joining Forces, businesses and organizations -- including some of the best-known names and brands -- announced major new commitments to support military families in the areas of employment, education and public awareness.

To watch a video of the launch event, or read full remarks by President Obama, Vice President Biden, the First Lady and Dr. Biden, go here.

As the First Lady noted, "Our motto is simple: Everyone can do something."

Find out how you can get involved at JoiningForces.gov.

Resources for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
To help do our part, GoodBiz113 offers up the following introductory list of resources available to current and would-be small businesses owned by veterans [VOSBs] and service-disabled veterans [SDVOSBs]:

* SBA/Office of Veterans Business Development

* SBA/Veteran-Owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses

* SBA/Express and Pilot Loan Programs

* SBA/Veterans Business Outreach Centers

* Veterans Affairs/Starting a Small Business

* Veterans Affairs/Doing Business With VA

* Veterans Affairs/Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization

* Veterans Affairs/VetBiz.gov: The Center for Veterans Enterprise Web Portal

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Small Business Administration, The White House [photo by Lawrence Jackson]
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Business Proposals: It’s All About Trust. ^AP

Happy Independence Day!

My goodness. The media scene -- Web 2.0/social, traditional, etc. -- is very busy today, with heartfelt greetings, stories and insights from folks of all political and professional stripes.

First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off the day with an early-morning post on the White House Blog, encouraging all Americans to support military families in any way they can. You can view her video message here: http://bit.ly/July4FLOTUS.

Then, just minutes later, today's "CBS Sunday Morning" cover story featured Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton discussing The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad, a U.S. State Department diplomacy program that sends musical ambassadors across the globe. To learn about how 10 groups of highly talented U.S. musicians are helping to promote cross-cultural understanding around the world, please visit: http://go.usa.gov/O4V.

Following that, master marketer, consultant and best-selling author Chris Brogan shared a thought-provoking piece on what it means to him to live and work independently. Take a few minutes to read and reflect on "A Day of Independence" here: http://bit.ly/agr9uQ.

Last, but not least, artist-philanthropist-activist-entrepreneur George Rodrigue, a GoodBiz113 profilee ["Louisiana Artist Brings Post-Katrina [Blue Dog] Relief to New Orleans"], sent us a brief July 4th salute -- "Happy Independence Day" -- and illustrated it with "Stripes" [pictured above], a silkscreen he created in 1996. For the latest events and good deeds happening via his far-reaching George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts: Youth Development Through Art in Education [GRFA], please visit http://bit.ly/RodrigueFoundation.

We're off to enjoy the day -- but not before leaving a message for y'all...

Thanks for reading GoodBiz113. Your continued support of our publishing endeavor is greatly appreciated.

Best wishes to you and yours for a safe, fun and meaningful Independence Day 2010.

SOURCES: CBS News, ChrisBrogan.com, George Rodrigue Studio, U.S. State Department, The White House
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Please Help the American Red Cross Help Military Families -- Via a Generous Gift to Red Cross Services to Armed Forces.