Marking Veterans Day holiday, loanDepot, the nation's second largest nonbank retail lender, donated $25,000 to Freedom Alliance in memory of Josh Miles, a Marine and beloved member of the WHOW family, to honor all of the heroes who have served our country. The money adds to $1.4 million raised through this year's War Heroes on Water (WHOW) sportfishing tournament, was founded by loanDepot Founder and CEO Anthony Hsieh in 2018, and also benefits Freedom Alliance.
Freedom Alliance is dedicated to the rehabilitation of wounded service members, combat veterans and military families. Each year Freedom Alliance provides therapeutic services for thousands of veterans, as well as scholarships for the children of fallen or combat-wounded servicemen and women.
Miles was director of military and charitable programs at Freedom Alliance, and a heartbeat of WHOW, who passed away October 18, 2021. Miles was recently honored by WHOW with the introduction of the "Josh Miles Award," keeping the spirit of a beloved colleague and fellow brother in arms alive.
"Our service men and women sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms, and today, we're honoring veterans across the nation with this gift," said Hsieh. "Veterans Day is such an important holiday and it's critical that we as a company, and a country, help our veterans on their journeys of healing. Everyone on Team loanDepot is proud to support these selfless men and women through the work of WHOW and Freedom Alliance."
Now the largest nonprofit sportfishing tournament of its kind in the United States, WHOW directly served 100 combat-wounded veterans in 2021 and will support thousands more with the money raised.
"We're proud to receive this donation that honors veterans, and we're thankful for Anthony and loanDepot's continued support of Freedom Alliance. These generous contributions help us serve thousands of brave men and women who turn to us in their times of need."
Tom Kilgannon, president, Freedom Alliance
A core program of Freedom Alliance supported by these donations is a scholarship fund honoring Americans in the Armed Forces who have sacrificed life or limb defending our country by providing educational scholarships for their children, of which Miles was a passionate supporter.
About War Heroes on Water
War Heroes on Water (WHOW) is an annual sportfishing tournament of unprecedented scale that supports combat-wounded veterans' programs. It was created in 2018 by loanDepot Founder and CEO Anthony Hsieh, who is also the owner and leader of Team Bad Company, a world-class, record-holding competitive sportfishing fleet. Through Hsieh's deep connections with the Southern California sportfishing and business communities, WHOW has grown exponentially over four years and is now the largest nonprofit sportfishing tournament in the US.
About Freedom Alliance
Freedom Alliance is a charitable organization which provides help and support to wounded troops and military families. Freedom Alliance has awarded more than $20 million in college scholarships to the children of military heroes killed or disabled in military service and has spent millions more helping injured veterans and military families with outdoor recreational therapy trips, Heroes Vacations, care packages for deployed troops, mortgage-free homes, all-terrain wheelchairs and much more.
About loanDepot
loanDepot is a digital commerce company committed to serving its customers throughout the home ownership journey. Since its launch in 2010, loanDepot has revolutionized the mortgage industry with a digital-first approach that makes it easier, faster and less stressful to purchase or refinance a home. Today, as the nation's second largest retail mortgage lender, loanDepot enables customers to achieve the American dream of homeownership through a broad suite of lending and real estate services that simplify one of life's most complex transactions. With headquarters in Southern California and offices nationwide, loanDepot is committed to serving the communities in which its team lives and works through a variety of local, regional and national philanthropic efforts.
loanDepot and Freedom Alliance are not affiliated in any way. WHOW raises funds in coordination with Freedom Alliance, which is recognized by the IRS as a public charity organized under section 501(c)3 of the IRS code.