OpUSA Blog

December 1, 2015 –Tuesday, December 2, is #GivingTuesday, a global day for giving back! After a day of giving thanks and a weekend of scoring deals, #GivingTuesday is the perfect opportunity to celebrate generosity by coming together with millions across the US and around the world to make a difference.     Visit givingtuesday.org to […]

November 21, 2015 — The holiday season is a busy time, especially for your favorite charitable organizations. Data shows that, on average, organizations receive up to 40% of their yearly donations in the last three months of the year–and that money is vital to planning for the new year. Operation USA counts more donations during

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa continues to spread. As of today (October 16th) the death toll has surpassed 4,500–including 236 health workers. The World Health Organization fears that the true tally is much higher due to under reporting, and projects that the number of cases could grow to 9,000 by next week, and a

Jul 17, 2014 — When Typhoon Haiyan, the largest storm ever to make landfall, struck the Philippines in November 2013, it wreaked havoc on the island nation and devastated communities along the country’s expansive coastline.   Destruction is widespread in the areas surrounding Tacloban, November 2013   Operation USA, having worked in the country since

Thirty-five years ago today, on July 12, 1979, Operation USA, then known as “Operation California,” launched its first-ever relief effort–aiding 44,000 Vietnamese “Boat People” refugees suffering on Pulau Bidong (a waterless and treeless rock island) in the South China Sea off the coast of Malaysia.   Richard Walden visits with Cambodian refugees in Thailand, 1982.

Starting today, July 9th, John Legend, RYOT and the Burkle Global Impact Initiative are teaming up to launch the #OperationGirl Charity Challenge, a fundraising campaign for charities focused on women and girls.     Among the painful lessons that Operation USA has learned in 35 years in the field is that women and children are

July 1st marks the start of a new fiscal year, and to kick it off we’re giving our donate page a makeover!   Our new donation and fundraising tools, powered by StayClassy, make giving to Operation USA easier than ever. Now, when you make a donation to Operation USA, the process is simple and worry-free!

Operation USA is proud to be a coalition partner in the ‘5th Birthday and Beyond’ campaign. Read on to learn why we’re helping to celebrate more 5th birthdays around the world, and what you can do to get involved!   For many families, a child’s fifth birthday is just one of many milestones to be

by Richard Walden   March 28, 2014 — On June 16, 1979, the very day a friend and I dreamed up a relief flight to help the Vietnamese “Boat People,” I had dinner with Maya Angelou at a friend’s home in Pacific Palisades, CA.   Richard Walden in Cambodia, 1979   Hundreds of thousands of