Palatine-based Salute Inc. to get some national exposure

Salute Inc., organized by Arlington Heights residents to help military and veterans families, will increase its national profile next week.

Will and Mary Beth Beiersdorf, who founded the Palatine-based organization eight years ago, will seek the support of mayors across the country at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting in Washington, D.C.

The invitation to talk and show a short video about Salute's work — complete with clips shot by families the group has assisted — came with the help of Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder, who is a member of the conference's executive committee.

The idea is to let the mayors know they can reach out to Salute for help and to get financial help in return, said Mary Beth Beiersdorf, who is now the executive director of Salute.

“We want to connect with these mayors,” she said. “A lot don't know we have helped in their town. We want them to know we can help and to bring Salute into their community. If they have a 5K or 10K run, we want them to make Salute a beneficiary.”

The organization, which Beiersdorf says has given more than $500,000 to more than 300 families, gives beneficiaries 86 percent of what is collected, and this year the group may help as many as 100 families.

“This year was a big year. We have a lot of wounded people and those with post-traumatic stress disorder and head injuries,” she said.

For example, Salute helped one Hoffman Estates veteran get a house that was accessible for him. However, most of the people helped have not been in the Chicago area.

“We are filing in gaps where the government and the military are not able to help,” said Mary Beth Beiersdorf. “We work closely with the (U.S. Department of) Veterans Affairs. That's how we know that requests are legitimate and we're not enabling bad behavior.”

Salute's funding got started with a run in Arlington Heights that now raises $30,000 annually. The organization also receives money from the Bank of America Chicago Marathon as well as many fund raisers that people and teams throughout the Northwest suburbs are inspired to put together.

The Beiersdorfs started the organization after Will Beiersdorf returned from Guantanamo Bay, where he had served 13 months on active duty as a Naval reservist.

The family had not realized what a financial hardship this would be, but when Will Beiersdorf lost 65 percent of his civilian salary, the community came through and helped Mary Beth and the couple's three sons.

“It was a constant flow of gift cards and money and people cutting grass,” she said.

This inspired the couple to start Salute to help others.

“The need is huge,” said Mary Beth Beiersdorf. “That's been our problem.”