On the charitable side of the news, we wanted to bring to your attention some new developments in causes that Extreme Mortman supports and champions.

First — America Supports You.

A new PSA titled “Why Your Letters to the Troops Matter”:

In short, your support may be the most important thing our troops can carry with them. But don’t take our word for it. Take theirs.

To show your support, visit http://AmericaSupportsYou.mil

Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ad Council.

Second, the Funniest Fed Competition — a hilarious charitable competition among federal employees which we were honored to judge last year.

Contestant Rob Raffety put together a short documentary about the event.  And — shazam! — the film was accepted into the DC Independent Film Festival!  It will screen this Thursday evening, March 13, at 7pm at GWU’s Jack Morton Auditorium as part of the “Just for Laughs” program of comedy-themed shorts.

Click here for the film’s site on the DCIFF webpage, where you can view a trailer and see some still production photos:

Also, the film was referenced in the Washington Post’s Weekend section on Friday.

Here at Extreme Mortman, not only do we love the charity and congratulate Rob Rafferty for cinematic success, but we note that yours truly is interviewed in the film.  Now there’s reason enough to see it — or at least to turn your cell phones and electronic devices back on while we’re on screen.

This picture from the film accurately represents the impact Extreme Mortman has had on the effort:

The good folks with the great charity America Supports You send this alert about misinformation regarding mail to our troops:

Every year, hundreds of thousands of cards, letters and care packages addressed to “A Recovering American Soldier” (or a variant thereof), are returned to senders. For a variety of reasons—documented on USPS.com, Snopes.com, in this MSNBC.com article, and on Walter Reed’s Web site—a 2001 Defense Department policy forbids the delivery of generically addressed mail to service members.

Instead, the DOD encourages people to send mail to one of two homefront groups associated with the America Supports You program:

Soldiers’ Angels
1792 E. Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104

Or, for those in the metropolitan Washington, D.C.-area:

We Support You During Your Recovery!
C/o American Red Cross
P.O. Box 419
Savage, MD 20763-0419

Both Soldiers’ Angels and the Red Cross will collect, screen and deliver the well-wishes of those who want to brighten the day of a wounded service member who is recovering away from home this holiday season.

A special note about two Thanksgiving charities we urge you to explore and support this holiday season.

1)  America Supports You — a national expression of thanks to our military men and women during the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Beginning Saturday, November 17, and ending at midnight PDT on November 22, Americans can text a message of thanks to 89-279 (TX ASY).

Because all the major mobile wireless providers—AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile—will provide access to the text-message program, there is no upcharge.

Members of the military and their families -— we now have troops serving in 177 countries -—will learn the number of text messages and be able to view many of them.

America Supports You expects this effort to be a unifying moment for the nation, at a time in which families traditionally come together and express gratitude for things large and small that contribute to their lives.

To learn more, please visit http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/thanks/index.aspx, where you can view and listen to PSAs, copy the code to embed widgets into your blog or Web site, and see a running tally of how many messages have been sent. You can also friend ASY via MySpace, at http://myspace.com/americasupportsyou.

Since its formation three years ago, the America Supports You program has welcomed over 300 grassroots organizations and 35 corporate sponsors to its team. Many ASY team members support the troops through letter-writing, sending care packages, helping the wounded when they return home, assisting military families, sending an e-mail or making a kind gesture. To learn more about how you can help, please visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil.

2)  Thanks USA — Extreme Mortman has been a proud and enthisiastic supporter of this great charity since its beginning.  This note was just sent out:

Watch for the announcement that ThanksUSA’s American History Treasure Hunt Three is to begin Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2007. This time the hunt runs through August 15, 2008. We hope you will once again help us “Treasure our Troops” with your support of the hunt and the scholarship fund for the kids and spouses of the troops.