Starting a nonprofit organization is simple – which is why there are thousands across America. The challenge comes with maintaining and operating the nonprofit to carry on the mission it was designed to do.
Most nonprofit organizations struggle with fundraising and over time, lose the momentum and drive they started with and eventually fade away into non-existence.
But not Michael Letts’ nonprofit organization, InVest USA. We were pleased to learn that his organization has been in existence for three decades. He has made an impact by donating thousands upon thousands of vests to police officers and first responders both in America and worldwide.
In fact, more than 6,500 concealable and active shooter vests have been distributed to police officers as a result of his leadership and passion. His involvement has earned him a Congressional Gold Medal Award for Community Service.
But his commitment to the law enforcement community extends far beyond providing vests to our heroes in blue.
Micheal Letts has been a strong national advocate for law enforcement and remains committed to being the voice we so desperately need. He has been in countless interviews with media personalities, news organizations, articles, and podcasts.
And now Michael took the time to sit with us for an exclusive interview. We wanted to know where his love of country and patriotism started.
“My father's a minister. If you will recall, the Olympics were held in Mexico City, 1968, but also as part of the Olympics in 1968, the communists attempted to overthrow the Mexican government during the Olympic season. My father was preaching at the time downtown,” Michael said.
He continued, “We were dead center in the middle of the initial gun battle between the soldiers and the communist guerrillas. So we had to find a way out the back door and down through the embankments. I got to see firsthand, as a four-year-old child, the consequences of not having freedom and liberty. So that became permanently embedded as to how great we have it in America and how great our society and our country is and our principles, our values, our freedom.”
Michael took his newfound appreciation for America and patriotism and eventually found himself involved in local politics. As the saying goes, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem – and Michael chose to be a part of the solution.
As a politician and a supporter of law enforcement, he was surprised to learn that his deputies were not issued vests. He created a budget and allotted half a million dollars to pay for vests. However, in his absence from the final budget hearing, his funding request was removed.
“I was gone on the third reading. So when I got back, I had all these messages from the press. They wanted my comment about what I felt like when they had removed the half a million dollars for vests on the third reading,” Michael said.
He continued, “Politicians are supposed to think before they speak. I didn’t do that. I just fired off and said, ‘Oh, fine, if they feel that way about it, we'll just raise the money ourselves’. Well, of course, that was the headline the next day, once you said it, and you can't really take it back.”
And that’s how InVest USA was born.
Michael followed through on his statement, started a 501(c)3 nonprofit, raised money, and issued a vest to every officer in the county.
He thought his mission was done – but it was far from it.
With the few vests he had left over, he offered to donate them to a nearby agency. He didn’t know at the time that the small town went through its own tragedy where two police officers were shot in the line of duty, with one being killed.
The community was extremely grateful for the vests. The story hit news agencies from across the state and into regional territory.
Although Michael was ready to shut down his nonprofit organization since he was out of vests, that didn’t happen.
Michael said, “And so now I've got all these agencies across the southeast saying, ‘Hey, we know you're shutting down, but can you shut down next week? Can you help us instead?’”
He continued, “So we had to change the name from Invest to Protect our Richland County Deputies to Invest to Protect our Law Enforcement Officers. We went regional, then national, and quite frankly, I couldn’t find an exit strategy.”
Since then, InVest USA has donated thousands of vests across the country and worldwide. Although Michael has experienced incredible success as a nonprofit founder and president, he still wants to help law enforcement officers.
“We're constantly looking at ways to help make our law enforcement officers, our American heroes' lives easier and better able to complete their mission,” Michael said.
And that’s exactly what he has been doing. You can read all about it in our other articles HERE and HERE.
Visit https://michaelletts.us/ and https://investusa.org/ and follow them on Facebook HERE.
--
Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran and has over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and supply company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
Most nonprofit organizations struggle with fundraising and over time, lose the momentum and drive they started with and eventually fade away into non-existence.
But not Michael Letts’ nonprofit organization, InVest USA. We were pleased to learn that his organization has been in existence for three decades. He has made an impact by donating thousands upon thousands of vests to police officers and first responders both in America and worldwide.
In fact, more than 6,500 concealable and active shooter vests have been distributed to police officers as a result of his leadership and passion. His involvement has earned him a Congressional Gold Medal Award for Community Service.
But his commitment to the law enforcement community extends far beyond providing vests to our heroes in blue.
Micheal Letts has been a strong national advocate for law enforcement and remains committed to being the voice we so desperately need. He has been in countless interviews with media personalities, news organizations, articles, and podcasts.
And now Michael took the time to sit with us for an exclusive interview. We wanted to know where his love of country and patriotism started.
“My father's a minister. If you will recall, the Olympics were held in Mexico City, 1968, but also as part of the Olympics in 1968, the communists attempted to overthrow the Mexican government during the Olympic season. My father was preaching at the time downtown,” Michael said.
He continued, “We were dead center in the middle of the initial gun battle between the soldiers and the communist guerrillas. So we had to find a way out the back door and down through the embankments. I got to see firsthand, as a four-year-old child, the consequences of not having freedom and liberty. So that became permanently embedded as to how great we have it in America and how great our society and our country is and our principles, our values, our freedom.”
Michael took his newfound appreciation for America and patriotism and eventually found himself involved in local politics. As the saying goes, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem – and Michael chose to be a part of the solution.
As a politician and a supporter of law enforcement, he was surprised to learn that his deputies were not issued vests. He created a budget and allotted half a million dollars to pay for vests. However, in his absence from the final budget hearing, his funding request was removed.
“I was gone on the third reading. So when I got back, I had all these messages from the press. They wanted my comment about what I felt like when they had removed the half a million dollars for vests on the third reading,” Michael said.
He continued, “Politicians are supposed to think before they speak. I didn’t do that. I just fired off and said, ‘Oh, fine, if they feel that way about it, we'll just raise the money ourselves’. Well, of course, that was the headline the next day, once you said it, and you can't really take it back.”
And that’s how InVest USA was born.
Michael followed through on his statement, started a 501(c)3 nonprofit, raised money, and issued a vest to every officer in the county.
He thought his mission was done – but it was far from it.
With the few vests he had left over, he offered to donate them to a nearby agency. He didn’t know at the time that the small town went through its own tragedy where two police officers were shot in the line of duty, with one being killed.
The community was extremely grateful for the vests. The story hit news agencies from across the state and into regional territory.
Although Michael was ready to shut down his nonprofit organization since he was out of vests, that didn’t happen.
Michael said, “And so now I've got all these agencies across the southeast saying, ‘Hey, we know you're shutting down, but can you shut down next week? Can you help us instead?’”
He continued, “So we had to change the name from Invest to Protect our Richland County Deputies to Invest to Protect our Law Enforcement Officers. We went regional, then national, and quite frankly, I couldn’t find an exit strategy.”
Since then, InVest USA has donated thousands of vests across the country and worldwide. Although Michael has experienced incredible success as a nonprofit founder and president, he still wants to help law enforcement officers.
“We're constantly looking at ways to help make our law enforcement officers, our American heroes' lives easier and better able to complete their mission,” Michael said.
And that’s exactly what he has been doing. You can read all about it in our other articles HERE and HERE.
Visit https://michaelletts.us/ and https://investusa.org/ and follow them on Facebook HERE.
--
Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran and has over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and supply company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
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