Main fundraiser photo

Worldwide tour to end Veteran Suicide.

The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Abraham Lincoln

20 Veterans a day choose suicide. They represent 14% of US Suicides each year, yet only 7% of the population has served.

Adventure is the cure – A journey for life. A year long, 60 country tour with the mission to end Veteran Suicide and provide motivating resources to those struggling with mental illness. 

I want to express to you my sincere desire to give the gift of abundant thanks and gratitude to all who take the time to read the words I have written. Your support is more appreciated than words can express. I desire to show the world the power of thanks and living in your now to ensure your adventure is the one you choose. The message we want to share with the world is simple; there is always something more. Our right now will never be our tomorrow. Every person living today is deserving of the life they want.

I am passionately seeking $200,000 to support a worldwide 60 country tour beginning January 15, 2019, to spread awareness and generate support for Veterans struggling with suicide, give the gift of adventure, and show the world we control our reality. The overall tour goal is to raise $1,000,000 for three select charities who support experiences for deserving veterans and their families around the globe. The embodiment of true adventure removes the minutia we carry in our minds and replaces it with a childlike curiosity for more. Everyone deserves more, but few dare to believe they are deserving.

This sum may seem significant, but in comparison, it costs $200,000 per hour to operate the presidential airplane, known as air force one. 

My desire for this journey of awareness has no political agenda or negative undertones. From the depths of my existence to the swelling in my heart, I affirm that this journey was born into my thoughts from my burning desire to show the world that our right now is the start, no matter the situation. Your gracious contribution will help me pave the way across 60 countries over 365 days to spread the message that the pursuit of adventure is the forgotten tool that we are all seeking to improve our life experience.
Campaign Goals:
- To raise awareness, spread knowledge, and generate resources for veterans and their families and raise One Million dollars for three select partnered charities in each of the three regions of the tour. 
-To embody the lifestyle of adventure and motivate others to a better way of living. The message is simple; there is always something more.
- T  give the gift of abundance to a grandmother who inspired a desire for action through the pursuit of adventure.
-  To highlight a motivating story of adventure in every country we visit.
- To create a following of like-minded individuals motivated to inspire others by living with a sense of adventure.   I will document every step of the way and share daily video logs in hopes that all may hear my message. 

The Why:

I place great importance on the preservation of the life of a veteran, as they are a group that at one point in time choose to live in the most honorable way a person can live. The reality of the current situation is that my fellow veterans are committing suicide at a rate of, the national population. Choosing life is my goal, it is my ambition to tell the world that we have this choice, that it is the only choice and the vehicle selected to deliver my message through an adventure. I will approach each day with the passion of a persistent child on an unstoppable mission to prove to the world there is always a better tomorrow waiting for you, and the adventure it holds is yours to create.

I have purposely chosen to limit the mention of the word suicide, veteran suicide, and mental illness as little as possible because my goal is living. We want to show those who are in a state of pain that there is something more, a whole world full of more. Every country we visit will consist of connecting with and sharing our interaction with local doctors, professors, activist, healers, Local Leaders, US military abroad, survivors, and showcase motivating feats of adventure and examples for others. In my conversations with thousands of Veterans throughout my professional career the one reoccurring feeling has emerged, the passion for something bigger than self.

I have discovered that most Veterans and people, in general, are searching for something, but rarely take the necessary action to move in the direction of what excites and motivates them. Veterans have an uncanny ability to adapt themselves to any situation, and it is this quality that makes them so unique. Many Veterans feel that the most exciting time was their service and loss sight that there future holds so much more. They forget that it wasn't the military or duty to country that drove them to serve, it was their ingrained sense of adventure for the unknown. I want to remind them that we can create the experience, do good in the world, and make a difference. 

I am fortunate to have a grandmother who exudes every characteristic of a person who is in perfect harmony with their surroundings and life’s purpose. She helped shape my childhood and has been a pivoting reminder during adulthood that adventure is the cure.

My grandmother can best be described as a combination of Mother Theresia and Teddy Roosevelt, driven by faith and an effortless ability to hold the spotlight of any room she enters. Without a doubt or hesitation, she is the kindest, bravest, and smartest woman I have ever met in my life.  She is a passionate reader, usually finishing a book a day. She has a knowledge base that spans from every plant imaginable and all the trees in the forest to market fluctuations in Europe’s stock market. To this day I will argue that she is the best in the world at spotting four-leaf clovers. She is the proud grandmother of 36 grandchildren spanning the last 30 years, I somehow ended up the oldest of the bunch. My best childhood memories were visiting my grandparents. My grandmother had a natural ability to make all aspect of her day an adventure.

I recently spoke on the phone with my grandmother and within minutes she had me captivated by one of her stories, the excitement in her voice was soothing and real. As the topic turned to me, I felt embarrassed that all I could think of talking about was work, traffic, how busy I was. Being keenly aware of my grandmother's love for the hearing and telling of my life story was the point in time I decided I needed to take control and do what excites. Our conversation slowed to an end, and she excitedly proclaimed that everything with me sounded beautiful and she couldn’t wait until our next talk. I knew that without deliberate action my story and reality would remain the same.  I slowly pulled the headset from my ears and sat my phone down my eyes were drawn to the tiny cracks in the blinds of my office window. I could see the leaves being tossed about by the cool breeze; I felt an odd sense of freedom in that moment and a knowing that things were going to be different. 

My Grandmother resides in rural Southern Maryland, or a 350-acre tobacco farm, she has never been south of South Carolina, or further north than New York. She has no desire to ever fly in an airplane and could not be happier with her surroundings. The gift I want to give her is a yearlong tour of the world to ensure that I always have a tale of adventure to share with others.   

How:

I will utilize my abundant social networks, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Snap Chat, and Twitter to share resources with the world that can be used as examples to inspire adventure and reasons to keep life at the forefront.
LinkedIn –   https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-middleton-9a99a424/ Cory Middleton
Instagram –  cmiddleton928 https://www.instagram.com/cmiddleton928/?hl=en
Facebook – Cory Middleton https://www.facebook.com/cory.middleton.92
Twitter –  Cory Middleton @adventureispow1 https://twitter.com/adventureispow1
Google+ - google.com/+CoryMiddleton    

I invite you all to connect with me. Each country visited will showcase a scheduled event that will highlight the cornerstone of the campaign, adventure. We will invite the public two weeks in advance to every scheduled event with the aim to grow the cause and show the results of our campaign. 

The Journey:
15 January 2019 through 15 May 2019 Europe/Northern Africa

15 May 2019 through 15 September 2019 Southeast Asia/ Russia/ Australia

15 September through 15 January 2020 Central and South America

Financials:

Total 60 country tour cost: $200,000
**Private supporter has vouched to match the first $25,000 raised.

$75k – Lodging, campaign resources, material distribution
$75k – Airfare, transportation, logistics
$50k – conferences, events, interviews

**All remaining funds leftover after each regional visit will be donated to the charity of that region.**

About the organizer: 

Cory Middleton - Veterans affairs Career Coach, Entrepreneur. Cory Middleton is on a mission to help guide the world toward the unforgotten path of adventure. Trained as a United States Army Captain, he has a unique 14-year background in strategic communication, front-line leadership, project management for multimillion-dollar defense contracts. As an Army officer, he held many leadership roles, including a year as the lead operations officer supporting NATO’s mission to train Afghanistan Army soldiers in Kandahar. He helped tech industry leader, Oracle, develop veteran recruiting policy and programs that resulted in doubling of new hires. He promoted Veterans Employment in Silicon Valley while participating in the Vets in Tech Walmart. COM campaign. He has attended over 150 veteran recruiting events across the United States speaking with thousands of job seekers. As a recruiter he has placed over 1300 candidates, over half were Veterans. As an entrepreneur he founded, Tactical Solutions Lawn Care LLC, a prominent landscaping company in Northern Virginia, which hired and promoted transitioning veterans. He has bought and sold four rehab properties throughout Alexandria, VA. In his spare time, he enjoys; custom woodworking, coin collecting, volunteering, real estate, and time spent in nature. 

Organizer

Cory Middleton
Organizer
Alexandria, VA

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