Leslie Burger said he has a big soapbox from which to speak. I believe him.

"There is an incredible need to support servicemembers and their families, active and retired, with health-related needs," the retired Army doctor, past Madigan Army Medical Center (MAMC) commander, general officer, and past president of the Madigan Foundation said.

Created in 1995, the nonprofit IRS 501 (c)(3) Madigan Foundation is one of a kind in military medicine. Operated entirely by volunteers, the foundation's overhead costs are between five and 15 percent per annum.

"We meet the unmet needs; it is why this foundation was created, and the Combined Federal Campaign plays an important role in helping us help others," he said.

Affable, formidably intelligent, and absolutely bulldog-determined to continue to provide care to servicemembers and their families, Burger brims with stories about the good work the Madigan Foundation does.

Since the foundation's start, it has provided more than $1 million to families and the Madigan Army Medical Center.

This past year, the foundation applied for and received Better Business Bureau accreditation as a charitable organization.

From scholarships, respite care and purchasing car seats to supporting the Warrior Transition Battalion, hosting its Young Heroes program and sponsoring an annual research lecture, the foundation has been and remains a constant source of help for military families.

And then there is the exponential side of what the Madigan Foundation receives from the CFC.

"We pay to send young doctors to courses where they can perfect their skills," Burger continued. "Think about it - when that doctor comes back to us and begins to use what he or she has learned on the hundreds of patients he or she will treat, the impact of the money spent on that one course and the people it helps is apparent."

In other words, the foundation leverages every dollar it receives from the CFC.

Burger also pointed out that traumatic brain injury (TBI) and behavioral health issues among elementary-age children are challenges that will continue into the future.

The foundation will also play a leading role in facilitating the mission of a National Intrepid Center of Excellence, or NICoE, to be built at Madigan Army Medical Center.

"The need is so great; the need never stops," Burger concluded.

The foundation's CFC contribution number is 92486.

For more information about the Madigan Foundation, visit www.madiganfoundation.org.