MMAF History Video

A Minnesota Effort

After the tragedy of 9/11, and as service members began serving overseas in greater numbers in the war on terror, a group patriotic Minnesotans saw a need to show appreciation to those serving to ensure that they were shown the thanks and respect they deserved. Leading the charge was Eugene Sit, a Chinese immigrant whose American pride and commitment to giving resulted in the creation of Minnesotans’ Military Appreciation Fund (MMAF). The effort would be undertaken by the citizens of Minnesotans to show support for their fellow Minnesotans serving in the Armed Forces.

Joining Gene in his vision were business and civic leaders from both sides of the political aisle, joined in their commitment to support and appreciate Minnesota service members and their families. This included Minnesota leaders like former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John W. Vessey, Vice President Walter Mondale, Governors Arne Carlson and Wendall Anderson, Senators Rudy Boschwitz and David Durenberger along with Co-Founders Michael Gorman, Skip Krawczyk and General Dennis Schulstad.

Gene’s simple mission of saying “thanks” by giving cash grants to Minnesota service members who have served in a combat zone since 9/11 has had a tremendous impact and is a legacy that continues today. In June of 2008, MMAF Founder Eugene Sit passed away and his son Roger took over as Chair of MMAF.

High Profile Support

MMAF publicly launched in August of 2005 and held an “Appreciation Walk” to show support for service members and their families in September and a fundraising dinner in November with Senator John McCain as the keynote speaker. Author, reporter, columnist and Minnesota native, Thomas Friedman, keynoted MMAF’s second fundraising dinner. MMAF continued to draw support from high profile speakers at its fundraising dinners including best-selling author Vince Flynn, renowned NBC News Correspondent Tom Brokaw and General Stanley McChrystal.

Partnerships with Minnesota’s sports organizations were developed and MMAF awarded grants to service members on the court prior to Timberwolves and Lynx games and on the field prior to Twins, Vikings, and Saint Paul Saints games. These teams have also given away thousands of free tickets to MMAF grant recipients over the years.

More recently MMAF fundraising dinners have included Minnesota native retired Commander of U.S. Central Command, General Joseph Votel as well as one of the most highly respected military leaders of his generation, former Secretary of Defense, James Mattis. Lieutenant General Michael Loh, Director of the United States Air National Guard, was also a recent keynote speaker. This past fall MMAF was fortunate to host General Paul M. Nakasone, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, as keynote of MMAF’s annual dinner.

Flourishing Grassroots Efforts

MMAF continued to host an annual appreciation walk/run through 2019, allowing supporters to walk and run, side by side, with service members and their families and providing a day to personally say “Thanks” to Minnesota service members. In 2015, MMAF hosted The Wall That Heals, a traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. at its annual walk/run as a way to say “Thanks” to veterans of all generations.

The grassroot support envisioned by Eugene Sit flourishes with many hard-working individuals and groups organizing events to raise money on behalf of MMAF. Some of MMAF’s largest and most consistent donors include the Patriot Ride, The Freedom Run, The Leech Lake Ride for Veterans and the Twin Cities River Rats. The list also includes the LPS/NML Golf Classic, the Fagen WWII Air Show, TCF Bank Employee Fundraising Campaign, TCF and Cub Foods sales of MMAF Thanks pins, Cub Foods and 7Up/Snapple donating their proceeds from sales to MMAF, and WCCO’s More Than Names campaign. The efforts of these groups have raised millions of dollars for MMAF since its inception in 2005.

Learn more about past events and fundraising initiatives on our Events Page.