Veterans Request | Active-Duty Request | Community Involvement

Mission

Our Mission

To build and sustain the morale and well being of the military community, past and present, with the assurance that the American public supports and appreciates their selfless service and daily sacrifices.

Our Values

Operation Troop Appreciation is dedicated to the active and veteran members of our Armed Forces who serve and sacrifice for our country. By providing them with items that contribute to their morale and well being, we present a united front to our deployed military by supporting them as individuals, for every one of them

  • Memorializes our nation’s past
  • Sacrifices to maintain our nation’s culture and freedoms
  • Ensures the safety and freedom of our nation’s future generations

Our History

Kristen Holloway, founder and retired President of Operation Troop Appreciation, embarked on a personal project in March 2004 to provide Under Armour® t-shirts to a local Pennsylvania National Guard platoon (1/107 FA, Alpha Company 759 MP) of 38 soldiers deployed in Iraq.

An overwhelmingly positive response from the soldiers, those who helped with the project and from family and friends proved to be the spark that gave birth to Operation Troop Appreciation. It only took a few months to grow this one simple project into a national organization; and on July 1, 2004, Operation Troop Appreciation was established as a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, with federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.

In 2014, recognizing an increased need in the veteran community, we launched “Welcome Home”, a veteran support program that provides critical basic need services to veterans at risk of, or coming out of homelessness or hospitalization from physical, psychological or combat related substance use issues.

Since that time, hundreds of thousands of members of the military and veteran communities have received support from Operation Troop Appreciation. The generosity of private individuals, small business partnerships, and corporate sponsors, has enabled Operation Troop Appreciation to present a united front of appreciation to our American heroes.

David leads the build-out of First Commonwealth’s advisory talent, with a particular emphasis on retirement and estate planning, and customized investment solutions. He is committed to providing a culture of customization and flexibility, ensuring superior service to the client.  

Before joining First Commonwealth, he served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director at FNB Wealth Management, responsible for the organization’s wealth management sales strategy, revenue retention efforts, investment agency accounts, employee benefit plans, foundations, endowments and trustee relationships. He also spent time at Federated Investors and PNC Wealth Management earlier in his career.  

David is a Certified Public Accountant, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from John Carroll University in Ohio and received his MBA from Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh.

Lesley brings over 25 years of experience in financial services, focusing on Insurance & Annuity marketing, product and distribution. Before Joining GBU, Lesley served as the CMO and Head of Distribution for Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company, as founding leader driving the company’s growth to over $2 Billion in assets under management. Lesley spent 20 years with Prudential Financial as SVP, Relationship Management for Prudential’s annuity business, responsible for the management, business development, sales, and marketing for the firm’s 300 institutional clients. She grew sales from under $10 billion a year to over $21 Billion, becoming the largest distributor of annuities in the industry.

As a senior executive, Lesley’s passion is around growing, developing, and evolving businesses, while leveraging the strengths that already exist in the business. She works to understand the culture, the business framework, and the people, shaping her determination to build high-performance teams and successful organizations. Lesley holds B.A. In Economics & Political Science from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.