Operation USA
Encyclopedia
Operation USA is a non profit humanitarian organization dedicated to helping communities alleviate the effects of disaster
, disease
, and endemic poverty
throughout the world by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction, humanitarian aid
and development aid
. It is exclusively privately funded, receiving no assistance from the United States Federal Government. OPUSA had a revenue of over $20 million in fiscal year 2010 and has shipped over $375 million worth of "high-priority medical, nutritional and shelter supplies" since its inception, including shipments to Haiti, Japan, Chile, Kenya and Pakistan in 2011 and 2011.
in 1997 when it won the Nobel Peace Prize
. Operation California was also the winner of the 1983 President's Volunteer Action Award
. Operation USA has been named one of America's Best 100 Charities by Worth Magazine and, in October 2008, was named the top-rated "exclusively privately funded charity in the U.S." by Charity Navigator. Operation USA collaborated with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the US National Laboratories at Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos to develop new approaches to land mine
detection, is a member of InterAction, and is an AlertNet
news partner.
since 1975", delivering medicine to Phnom-Penh. Operation California had airlifted more than $3 million worth of aid by October 1979.
Since then, Operation USA has become a highly acclaimed aid organization that is involved in helping people in different ways around the world. In 1982, Operation California sent "the first private airlift from the U.S. to Poland
", delivering 200,000 lbs. of medical supplies and medicine; that year Operation California also airlifted medical supplies to Lebanon
. In 1983, Operation California delivered aid to the children of Vietnam
and Cambodia
. Operation California provided aid to the earthquake
victims in Mexico City
in 1985, as well as working in cooperation with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
and Oxfam America, to deliver $250,000 worth of medical aid to Nicaragua
. In 1986 Operation California, in conjunction with Medical Aid to El Salvador, sent "[t]wo cargo planes carrying $500,000 worth of relief supplies to earthquake-stricken El Salvador
".
In 1988, Operation California began using the name Operation USA because it better described the effort and intent of the organization to represent the entire American people. In 1989 Operation USA facilitated operations on children in Vietnam who had cleft palates by a Los Angeles-based plastic surgeon, Dr Stanley Frileck. Medical aid effort was delivered to Mexico
in 1990, by OPUSA in conjunction with USSR relief workers. In 1991 OPUSA delivered aid to Bangladesh
. OpUSA delivered aid to war torn Somali's
in 1993. In 1994 OpUSA provided earthquake relief. In 1995 the organization provided aid to Hurricane Mitch
survivors in Honduras
and Nicaragua
. In 1999 OpUSA supplied aid to storm victims in Mexico
. In 2003 OpUSA delivered aid to Iraq War victims in the Persian Gulf
. The tsunami
victims in Sri Lanka
and Indonesia
were aided by OpUSA in 2004, as well as the Mexico City Flood
victims.
In 2008, OpUSA has delivered aid to Myanmar
cyclone
victims as well as Chinese earthquake victims and flood victims in the Midwest, USA.
Rosario Dawson travelled with Operation USA to Nicaragua in 2008.
Eloise at The Plaza (Disney TV)
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
, disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
, and endemic poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
throughout the world by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction, humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
and development aid
Development aid
Development aid or development cooperation is aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social and political development of developing countries.It is distinguished...
. It is exclusively privately funded, receiving no assistance from the United States Federal Government. OPUSA had a revenue of over $20 million in fiscal year 2010 and has shipped over $375 million worth of "high-priority medical, nutritional and shelter supplies" since its inception, including shipments to Haiti, Japan, Chile, Kenya and Pakistan in 2011 and 2011.
Awards and affiliations
Operation USA was part of the International Campaign to Ban LandminesInternational Campaign to Ban Landmines
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines is a coalition of non-governmental organizations working for a world free of anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions, where mine and cluster munitions survivors see their rights respected and can lead fulfilling lives.The coalition was formed in...
in 1997 when it won the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
. Operation California was also the winner of the 1983 President's Volunteer Action Award
President's Volunteer Service Award
The President's Volunteer Service Award program was established to honor volunteers that give hundreds of hours per year helping others. These volunteers can be individuals, families and organizations located throughout the United States....
. Operation USA has been named one of America's Best 100 Charities by Worth Magazine and, in October 2008, was named the top-rated "exclusively privately funded charity in the U.S." by Charity Navigator. Operation USA collaborated with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the US National Laboratories at Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos to develop new approaches to land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
detection, is a member of InterAction, and is an AlertNet
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
news partner.
History
Operation California began in 1979 as "a relief organization created to provide aid to Vietnamese Boat People and Cambodian refugees", founded by Richard Walden (still active as President & CEO) and Llewellyn Werner (who left in early 1980). The organization flew "the first international relief airlift to CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
since 1975", delivering medicine to Phnom-Penh. Operation California had airlifted more than $3 million worth of aid by October 1979.
Since then, Operation USA has become a highly acclaimed aid organization that is involved in helping people in different ways around the world. In 1982, Operation California sent "the first private airlift from the U.S. to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
", delivering 200,000 lbs. of medical supplies and medicine; that year Operation California also airlifted medical supplies to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. In 1983, Operation California delivered aid to the children of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
. Operation California provided aid to the earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
victims in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
in 1985, as well as working in cooperation with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is a non-profit, nonsectarian associate member organization of the Unitarian Universalist Association that works to provide disaster relief and promote human rights and social justice around the world....
and Oxfam America, to deliver $250,000 worth of medical aid to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. In 1986 Operation California, in conjunction with Medical Aid to El Salvador, sent "[t]wo cargo planes carrying $500,000 worth of relief supplies to earthquake-stricken El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
".
In 1988, Operation California began using the name Operation USA because it better described the effort and intent of the organization to represent the entire American people. In 1989 Operation USA facilitated operations on children in Vietnam who had cleft palates by a Los Angeles-based plastic surgeon, Dr Stanley Frileck. Medical aid effort was delivered to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in 1990, by OPUSA in conjunction with USSR relief workers. In 1991 OPUSA delivered aid to Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. OpUSA delivered aid to war torn Somali's
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
in 1993. In 1994 OpUSA provided earthquake relief. In 1995 the organization provided aid to Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch was the most powerful hurricane and the most destructive of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph . The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the season. Along with Hurricane Georges, Mitch...
survivors in Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. In 1999 OpUSA supplied aid to storm victims in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In 2003 OpUSA delivered aid to Iraq War victims in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. The tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
victims in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
were aided by OpUSA in 2004, as well as the Mexico City Flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
victims.
In 2008, OpUSA has delivered aid to Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
victims as well as Chinese earthquake victims and flood victims in the Midwest, USA.
Celebrity affiliates
Operation USA, since the early 1980s, has relied on fundraising efforts featuring singers and celebrities. These include concerts, dinners, and other events. These promotions have featured:- Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
- Bonnie RaittBonnie RaittBonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
- Carol BurnettCarol BurnettCarol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
- Crosby, Stills & Nash
- Don HenleyDon HenleyDonald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
- Ed AsnerEd AsnerEdward Asner , commonly known as Ed Asner, is an American film, television, stage, and voice actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
- Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
- Jack Elliot
- Jackson BrowneJackson BrowneJackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
- James GarnerJames GarnerJames Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
- John DenverJohn DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
- Julie AndrewsJulie AndrewsDame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
- Kirk DouglasKirk DouglasKirk Douglas is an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past , Champion , Ace in the Hole , The Bad and the Beautiful , Lust for Life , Paths of Glory , Gunfight at the O.K...
- Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- New American Orchestra
- Placido DomingoPlácido DomingoPlácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
- Ricardo MontalbanRicardo MontalbánRicardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor. He had a career spanning six decades and many notable roles...
- Ry CooderRy CooderRyland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
- Sharon StoneSharon StoneSharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
- The Buena Vista Social Club
- Tony AdamsTony Adams (producer)Anthony Patrick "Tony" Adams was an Irish film and theatrical producer. He produced numerous films for writer/director Blake Edwards, including six Pink Panther films, 10 and Victor/Victoria, the latter for both stage and screen.-Biography:He was born Anthony Patrick Adams in Derrinturn, Carbury,...
Rosario Dawson travelled with Operation USA to Nicaragua in 2008.
Film and theater projects
Operation USA also relies on film and theater promotions to generate funds that pay for aid, including:- Because We Care (CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Television Special) - Beyond BordersBeyond BordersBeyond Borders is a 2003 drama film about aid workers, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen. The original music score was composed by James Horner....
(Hollywood) - Buena Vista Social Club (film)Buena Vista Social Club (film)Buena Vista Social Club is a documentary film by Wim Wenders about the music of Cuba. It is named for a danzón that became the title piece of the album Buena Vista Social Club.-Synopsis:...
(Hollywood & HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
) - Fidel (film)Fidel (film)Fidel is the name of a mini-series by David Attwood that describes the Cuban revolution and political career of Fidel Castro. The total duration of the series is about 3 hours and 20 minutes, but the video-version is shorter.-Plot:...
(Hollywood for Showtime) - Mary Poppins (musical)Mary Poppins (musical)Mary Poppins is a Walt Disney Theatrical musical based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the Disney 1964 film. The West End production opened in December 2004 and received two Olivier Awards, one for Best Actress in a Musical and the other for Best Theatre...
(London stage) - Miss SaigonMiss SaigonMiss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr.. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover...
(Hollywood) - Roll BounceRoll BounceRoll Bounce is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written by Norman Vance Jr. and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars hip hop artist Bow Wow as the leader of a roller skating crew in 1970s Chicago. The film also stars Nick Cannon, Meagan Good, Brandon T...
- The Killing Fields (film)The Killing Fields (film)The Killing Fields is a 1984 British drama film about the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, which is based on the experiences of two journalists: Cambodian Dith Pran and American Sydney Schanberg. The film, which won three Academy Awards, was directed by Roland Joffé and stars Sam Waterston as...
(Hollywood & CambodiaCambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
) - Victor/VictoriaVictor/Victoria (musical)Victor/Victoria is a musical with a book by Blake Edwards, music by Henry Mancini, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and additional musical material by Frank Wildhorn...
(BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
)
Eloise at The Plaza (Disney TV)