This photo of Special Forces Army CPT. Joseph Schultz and his proud mother, Betsy Schultz, was taken in 2010 when the El Camino High graduate earned his Green Beret in North Carolina.

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Captain Joseph House Foundation, which opened in 2022, will share information about the development, growth and status of the Gold Star Family program on Feb. 17. 

This is the first such presentation in a community with a donor-rich base of support, according to Captain Joseph House Foundation founder Betsy Schultz. The foundation is in memory of Special Forces Army CPT. Joseph Schultz, her son and an El Camino High School graduate. Joseph Schultz was killed in Afghanistan on Memorial Day weekend, May 29, 2011. 

The nonprofit foundation’s mission is to honor Fallen Heroes through remembering and caring for their Gold Star Families left behind, according to Schultz, a Gold Star mother. 

Within days of her son’s death, Schultz recognized that something was missing in the continuum of care for Families of our Fallen Heroes: the opportunity to bond with others experiencing a similar loss.

Forming the nonprofit Captain Joseph House Foundation, Schultz donated her large “bed and breakfast” to the organization and began converting it into a respite home for Gold Star Families.                  

Gold Star Families from every military branch and from every state in the U.S. may qualify for the Family-to-Family respite program. A respite week, with up to three families meeting together, provides an opportunity for sharing a common love and loss, Schultz said. It is also a time to celebrate the life of one’s hero and build new relationships that can last beyond the week at Captain Joseph House, located in Port Angeles, Washington.                                                             
There are no fees for the families, which includes roundtrip airfare, daily transportation, lodging, all meals and recreational activities. Volunteers, in-kind, discounted services and financial donations to the foundation made it possible to open the doors of the house to welcome Gold Star Families in 2022, Schultz said. 

“Your donations have been sincerely appreciated,” Schultz said. “Fundraising will continue to ensure this opportunity will be available for Gold Star Families to participate in future years.”

The Captain Joseph House Foundation’s State of the Foundation is from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 17 at El Camino High School Center for the Arts, 4300 El Camino Ave., Sacramento. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Admission is $25 per ticket and free for anyone 19 years old and younger. Tickets are available at  https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6232423 or

https://m.bpt.me/event/6232423 or at the door.

For more information, call 360-460-7848 or go online to www.CaptainJosephHouseFoundation.org or

Facebook.com/CPTJosephHouse.