Tempered Steel, Inc.

2011 Annual

Report

Table of contents

Page 3 Letter from Executive Director

Page 7 Executive Board

Page 8 List of Wounded Warrior Speakers

Page 9 Wounded Warriors Input

Page 10 2011& 2012 Speaking Engagements

Page 11 2011 Financial Statements (unaudited)

Page 12 Comparisons

Page 13 Donation Lists

Page 15 Information

Luana Schneider,

Executive director Letter

Dear Wounded Warriors, Donors and Supporters of Tempered Steel;

I am very proud to address each of you today in my ca-pacity as Executive Director. To think that a dream I shared with my son in regard to making a difference for our nation’s wound-ed warriors has come so far in such a short amount of time truly humbles and electrifies me. To know that we are adding to our speaking base of wounded warriors substantiates the need for Tempered Steel’s Wounded Warrior Speaking Program. Based on the number of requests for speakers we have been shown that the necessity for understanding and acceptance is shared by our communi-ties. Tempered Steel added sixteen (16) new speakers to our base of eight (8) and had speakers requested at twenty-five (25) schools, community events and/or corporations. Tempered Steel al-ready has six (6) requests for speakers through April 2012. Our Wounded Warriors are actively re-cruiting new speakers and speaking engagements for themselves as well as their fellow warriors. Wounded Warriors Listed Alphabetically for 2011 Speaking Engagements with comments: Chris Aguilera – Tri Point YMAC on November 18 – San Antonio, TX. “We were so happy with Chris coming to speak. It was amazing to hear his story and he showed our clients and employees how they can over-come anything.” Caroline McMillian, Silver Sneaker Coordinator, D.R. Semmes Family YMCA at Tri Point Robert Bruce – SCAR-Fest with 3 additional warriors at a Tempered Steel Fund Raiser in Liberty, MO on June 11 – air travel provided by Veterans Airlift Command; Valencia High School with 5 additional warriors on November 3- air travel was provided by Air Compassion for Veterans and hotel rooms were provided by Embassy Suites - Valencia and KTSA Radio Interview – San Anto-nio, TX in December. Bob Ehrig – ISR's 1st annual Combat Dining-In at Ft. Sam Houston on August 26 with Bobby Henline and Valencia High School with 5 additional warriors on November 3 - air travel was provided by Air Compassion for Vet-erans and hotel rooms were provided by Embassy Suites - Valen-cia. LyVell Gibson – 350 students at the Annual Youth Summit in Santa Clarita, CA in October. "The message presented by Mr. Gipson to our young people was very profound and the students realized the importance of appreciating everyone's life story." Greg Lee, Director of Human Resources and Equity Services

Bobby Henline – Over 700 students and faculty at Faith Lutheran Jr./Sr. High School in Las Vegas, NV on April 7(where he also gave multiple interviews locally and for the “Today Show” which aired on Memorial Day); SCAR-Fest with 3 additional war-riors at a Tempered Steel Fund Raiser in Liberty, MO on June 11 – air travel provided by Veterans Airlift Command; ISR's 1st annual Combat Dining-In at Ft. Sam Houston on August 26 with Bob Eh-rig; Interviewed for 10 part series by David Wood in Huffington Post and Valencia High School with 5 additional warriors on No-vember 3 - air travel was provided by Air Compassion for Veterans and hotel rooms were provided by Embassy Suites - Valencia. In addition, Bobby gave multiple print, radio and TV interviews throughout the year. (Bobby was part of the FOX 11 News Piece on Tempered Steel that won an Emmy in September) Tony Lino – Hesby Oaks Elementary School in Encino, CA in February; KCAL 9 interview in Los Angeles, CA; The Santa Clarita Valley Mayor’s Committee for Employment of Individuals With Disabilities May 17 during which he also completed the in-terview for the FOX National News piece on Tempered Steel which aired on May 29. “My 4th grade class at Hesby Oaks School was fortunate to have Gunnery Sgt. Tony Lino visit us. He was a fantastic speaker & very inspirational. All of my students sat riveted, while Micaela Bensko gave a presentation on the background of the wars, as well as Sgt. Lino's roles. He demon-strated perseverance & a passion for his job, despite his wounds. My students listened so attentively that they all wanted to answer his questions. They talked of nothing else for days following Tony's visit. Many of the children commented that they could not tell his injuries (thanks to Iraq Star Foundation!)” Kathie Yonemura, Hesby Oaks School

Bret McCauley - Valencia High School with 5 additional warriors on November 3 - air travel was provided by Air Com-passion for Veterans and hotel rooms were provided by Embassy Suites - Valencia. (Bret was part of the FOX 11 News Piece on Tempered Steel that won an Emmy in Septem-ber)

Derek Moody –Canine Companions Salute Independence at Ft. Sill, OK with Scott Stephenson on September 24; Interview with KWCH 12 in Wichita, KS on October 26; Veterans Day Presentation including Scott Stephenson and Luana Schneider on November 9 at the Robert Dole VAMC in Wichita, KS; Winfield Public Library presentation on November 13 in Winfield, KS and Os-borne Grade School on November 14 in Osborne, KS. “The program was great! Several teachers came to me with good things to say. Some were

wondering how we got Derek here and how they could get him to speak somewhere. I passed on the Tempered Steel cards that Derek had given me. I truly appreciate Derek coming here to speak and thank you for helping me get this all done!” Marci Lantz, PTO Osborne Grade School, Osborne, KS – November 14, 2011 “Luana, I am writing to tell you thank you for coming to the Wichita Regional Office and presenting to the Veteran’s Benefits Administration and Veteran’s Health Administration employ-ees. The employees were truly touched by the personal stories of the Wounded Warriors. The achieve-ments of their recovery are remarkable and an inspiration to all of us. I received excellent feedback from the employees that attended. I believe that many of the employees learned from the presentation and this in turn will improve services provided to Veterans in general. They appreciated the Wounded Warriors were so candid and open to questions from the group.” Linda Steffensmeier, Vocational Reha-bilitation and Employment, Dept. of Veterans Affairs, Wichita, KS – November 9, 2011

Tony Pham - Magnolia Science Academy-6 in Los Angeles, CA on September 27 to 2

classes of approximately 150 grade school students. “I just wanted to check-in with you and let you know how yesterday's presentation went. It was fabulous! I was only present during the first presentation (we had two), but all the students responded well to Tony's story and the lessons he was conveying. When I checked-in after his second presentation, I was happy to see that he took the time to answer questions a group of our seventh graders had. He, along with Micaela, spent extra time indulging our students. The students had such a positive response to Tony. We look forward to having other Magnolia Public Schools host them as well. Thank you so much for eve-rything.” Mrs. Cabezas Martinez, Seventh and Eighth Grade Language Arts Teacher

Alvin Shell – Approximately 125 medical personnel including stu-dents at Indiana University Medical Center, Bloomington, IN on October 28 - air travel was pro-vided by Air Compassion for Veterans. “Alvin Shell talked to our Medical Sciences Program on October 28, 2011. His talk was outstanding! He made us more appreciative of those who are wounded and the long recovery they require. Mr. Shell was an excellent speaker and his message was appreciated by all. “ John B Watkins, III, PhD, Assistant Dean, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN – October 28, 2011.

Scott Stephenson – Napa Valley Rotary Club, Napa, CA in March; 2 Benedictine College Ab-normal Psychology Classes April 29 in Atchison, KS; May 2 interview for KQ2 out of St. Joseph, MO; SCAR-Fest with 3 additional warriors at a Tempered Steel Fund Raiser in Liberty, MO on June 11; AW2 (Army Wounded Warrior) Conference in Orlando, FL July 17-19; Eisterhold Associates – worked on providing a video to be presented on the new system being installed at military hospitals; USO Caregiver and Wounded Warrior Conference in North Carolina, September 13-15; Interviewed for 10 part series by David Wood in Huffington Post; Canine Companions Salute Independence at Ft. Sill, OK with Derek Moody on September 24; presented “Do Something Good for God” Award at half time of Benedictine College Ravens foot-ball game alongside Luana Schneider and Board B. President Dr. Ad-am Buhman-Wiggs by BC President Steve Minnis on October 15; “Unbroken Heroes” was released in October for Benedictine College and is sent internationally to all Benedictine College alumni; Valencia High School with 5 additional warriors on November 3 - air travel was provided by Air Compassion for Veterans and hotel rooms were provided by Em-bassy Suites - Valencia; Cultural Inclusion Series at HCA in Nashville, TN on November 8; Veterans Day Presentation including Derek Moody and Luana Schneider on November 9 at the Robert Dole VAMC in Wichita, KS; Atchison Elementary School to over 300 K-5 grade students (including his 6 year old son) November 10 in Atchison, KS; KAIR Radio Interview in Atchison, KS on November 11; Elks Club in Atchison, KS on November 11; Northrup-Grumman Employees in Orlando, FL on November 17 and over 900 students, faculty and family members at Braden River Middle School in Bradenton, FL. Scott also gave multiple TV, radio and print interviews, including one which aired in Britain in December and an article that appeared in the New York Times. “Words truly cannot express how fortunate I feel our school is to have been able to have Scott and Luana visit and share your stories with our student body. Your mission is inspiring, and your organization is so needed and vital to young adults today. Students told me Scott was the best speaker they’ve heard at any school assembly…..and it goes on and on. You are both wonders!” Joanne Torlucci, Braden River Middle School, Braden-ton, FL - November 18, 2011 “Luana and Scott Just wanted to take a moment to say Thank You again for coming. Your story was so inspiring and sometimes that is ex-actly what I think we all need to get us through our day-day-day “cubicle” life. Even though we work directly in the industry of defense, sometimes that connection to actual boots on the ground doesn’t hit home until we are reminded of heroes like Scott who sacrifice so much.” Patricia Gibson, Northrup-Grumman, Orlando, FL, November 17, 2011 “Scott, I cannot tell you in words how honored we were to have you visit our school. We appreciate your willingness to visit with our stu-dents, and share just a bit about your experience in the service of our country. Your message of being and looking different on the outside is a powerful reminder to all of us on the home front-war affects all of us on various levels.” Tom Sack, Principal, Atchison Elementary School, Atchison, KS – Novem-ber 10, 2011

Andy Toppin - Valencia High School with 5 additional war-riors on November 3- air travel was provided by Air Compassion for Veterans and hotel rooms were provided by Embassy Suites – Valencia; Veterans Day Salute to Service at the new JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa on November 11 in San An-tonio, TX and at Texas A & M University Satellite Campus is San Antonio, TX on December 1. Additional Information from 2011 We have added to the Photo Introspective “Honoring the Wounds of War” and had the intro-spective shipped to Kansas where we are currently working to have it on display in the state capi-tal building. The Introspective was on display at our L.A. fundraiser in November and once again created a foundation for a dialogue of empathy and compassion. We were encouraged by the outpouring of media support in 2011 in both print and news coverage. In February, KCAL 9 in Los Angeles featured Tony Lino in a in-studio interview and in addition, J.R. Martinez (All My Children and Dancing With the Stars) who spoke on behalf of Tem-pered Steel to students at Valencia High School and Tony along with Micaela Bensko gave inter-views for a national news spot on Memorial Day weekend for Fox National News. In July Tempered Steel attended the AW2 Conference in Orlando, FL where our flight was provided by the non-profit Veterans Airlift Command, which con-tributed greatly to our small budget. An exclusive news segment by Christine Devine and Rodg-er Howard on Tempered Steel and the Photo Introspective “Honoring the Wounds of War” featured at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in November 2010 won an L.A. Emmy for Se-rious News Report for FOX 11, Los Angeles. In 2011 we lost and added a board member, added a Wounded Warrior Advisory Board and received our official 501(c)(3) charitable status from the IRS backdating to our start date of May 1, 2010. Our funding increased with foundation grants, corporate speaking and individual dona-tions. This allowed us to send out more speakers to larger venues. We leveraged national events to expand our media coverage and increased our supporter base. We are fully focused on our Wounded Warriors and their needs as speakers and individu-als. We have created a more accessible website to navigate for those who are visually impaired and/or dexterity challenged. The signs for continuing economic recovery in 2012 are positive despite financial and polit-ical reservations around the world and we are aggressively seeking grants and corporate sponsor-ship for our Wounded Warrior Speaking Program in addition to our ongoing projects; “Honoring the Wounds of War” Photo Introspective and the Library of Congress’ “Veterans History Project”. Our organization is extremely motivated to provide a forum for our Wounded Warriors to share their incredible stories of injury and recovery. With the end of the war in Iraq and reduction in troop size, we will have increasing numbers of warriors who will need a voice in the future and Tempered Steel will be here to provide that source of inspiration and stimulus. Sincerely, Luana Schneider Executive Director

Board of directors LUANA SCHNEIDER—Executive

Director Luana Schneider was an artist and interior decorator until

November 25, 2006 when she became a full-time caregiver

for her son Army Sgt Scott Stephenson after his Humvee hit

an IED and he was severely injured in Iraq. For the next 4

years her life was about wound care, doctor’s appointments,

numerous surgeries and concentrating on Scott’s recovery.

In May 2010 , after 4 years of witnessing how civilians and

military members alike treated her son’s (and other wounded

warriors) scars and injuries, Scott and Luana decided to

make a change. They started Tempered Steel, Inc., a non-

profit dedicated to educating the public on how to treat

wounded military members. In the past year and a half, she

has organized and sent out multiple wounded warriors to

speak to schools, community groups and corporations on

their stories of injury and recovery. She organized and recruited top writers, photogra-

phers and educational individuals to put together a team to show the beauty that can be

seen in severely injured wounded warriors.

MICAELA BENSKO—Board

President Micaela Bensko has provided the photographic images

of our wounded warriors, working with each to disclose

their inner beauty. Bensko's work has been seen in

national publications such as Brides Maga-

zine and Martha Stewart Living. She has been featured

in her field by Professional Photographers Magazine,

and received national award recognition in album

design. Based in Los Angeles, her work takes her

around the globe, but remains firmly grounded with a

husband and four children. Micaela is also VP of The

Iraq Star Foundation, providing free reconstructive

surgery to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

She is currently writing a book on photography and

commits herself to mentoring students by regularly

visiting classrooms to share her passion for photog-

raphy.

DR. ADAM BUHMAN-WIGGS, PH.D.—Board V.

President Dr. Buhman-Wiggs is a licensed psychologist in Kansas with 15 years of experience in

mental health assessment, diagnosis and treatment. He earned his doctorate in Clinical

Psychology from the University of Kansas in 2002 and

worked previously as a Licensed Professional Counse-

lor in Missouri, as well as pursuing pre-doctoral intern-

ships at the Kansas City VA Medical Center and the

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Counseling

Center. Post-degree, Dr. Buhman-Wiggs has worked as

a therapist, supervisor, and eventually as clinic admin-

istrator for the Atchison office of The Guidance Center

until 2005, when he joined the faculty of his undergrad-

uate alma mater, Benedictine College. He continues to

provide therapy and psychological evaluation services

through the Benedictine College counseling center, as

well as providing consultation services with licensed

providers at All-Faith Counseling Center in Atchison. Dr. Buhman-Wiggs has extensive

training and experience in a variety of therapeutic models, including emotion-focused,

family systems, Christian, cognitive, and exposure-based models that represent the gold

standard in treatment of PTSD for combat veterans. He has experience evaluating and

treating those with both combat and civilian PTSD.

As a researcher and academic, Dr. Buhman-Wiggs has always been interested in human

emotion. He has conducted and presented research on various aspects of human emo-

tional functioning at State, regional, and national psychology conferences. Dr. Buhman-

Wiggs’ interest in emotion predated his studies in psychology as well, as he trained for

four years to be a professional actor, including earning a Master of Fine Arts in Perfor-

mance from the Purdue Professional Theatre Training Program in 1993.

MADONNA MORANVILLE—

Board Treasurer Donna Moranville is the Manager, Compliance and

HIPAA Privacy Officer for the Sisters of Charity of

Leavenworth Health System. Donna has been with

SCLHS for 21 years in various positions within the

Legal and Compliance arenas. Her background is as a

corporate paralegal (with which she has 25+ years’

experience) and specializes in corporate, real estate

and healthcare law. Donna is certified in Healthcare

Compliance, is a Certified HIPAA Professional, and

has a paralegal certificate.

PEGGIE BROWN—Board

Secretary Peggie Brown is the creator of Tempered Steel’s

beautiful website. She is providing her creative

talents to Tempered Steel as well as being a member

of our board of directors.

Peggie Brown is owner and Web Services Director

for KatsueyDesignWorks, a division of Brown Hold-

ings, LLC Group. Her credentials include 15 years

of financial management experience and 9 years’

experience as a Paralegal, working in litigation and

probate and estate planning. During her "Paralegal

years", Peggie also developed PowerPoint ® presen-

tations and provided marketing for estate planning

seminars that she created and assisted in present-

ing. Peggie provided Internet Research presentations to Law Firms and Corporations

such as Hallmark Cards Legal Department in Kansas City and Rutgers Universi-

ty. Believe it or not, these apparent unrelated credentials do make a difference to web site

design clients of KatsueyDesignWorks. Mrs. Brown understands business needs and, can

help you research your business competitors and stand out from them. She understands

presentation and marketing along with the need of a professional image in web site

design.

HEIDI KATZ—Board Member Since 1994 event services has come in many forms to

Heidi. Over the past 15 years Heidi worked in event

design, manufacturing and sales as an owner of a cor-

porate gift service. Heidi’s extensive knowledge of the

Event Service business served as a catalyst in expand-

ing her current business as a corporate, social and

private event planning company in the Los Angeles

area.

Fund raising, and working to help others through her

work is her true passion. While working various chari-

ty events for many years, she has worked on coordinat-

ing everything from weddings, bar mitzvahs, and award

show. As a highly sought after event consultant, Heidi

helps advise both large and small corporations through-

out North America, turning their events from ordinary

to extraordinary. Heidi has two children who live with

her in Los Angeles CA. Heidi is familiar with what it means to serve your country, and

is very proud of her family and close friends who have fought bravely in many wars. Her

grandfather served in World War 11, as Captain in the army for many years. Heidi’s

Uncle shortly after becoming an American Citizen from Italy served in Vietnam, only to

return home severely wounded after saving the life of a fellow Marine as they both

fought from the frontline. Her uncle was an inspiration to her growing up, "we never

looked at my Uncle differently" I believe he had an amazing desire to not let his injuries

stop him from living his life, although he suffered a great deal of complications as a

result of being shot in his back that left him paralyzed from the waist down, he always

was just a great uncle to her. Heidi's longtime friend served in Desert Storm, Heidi’s

Cousin Dan about to become a second time father served three tours in Iraq.

Wounded Warrior

Speakers

State First Name Last Initial

Arkansas Chris T

California Tony P

Johnny P

Tony L

LyVell G

Illinois Steve B

Indiana Bret M

Kansas Scott S

Derek M

Timothy H

Missouri Wes H

Nevada Chris A

Texas Chris A

Louis D

Shane R

Bob E

Bobby H

Shilo H

Robert B

Richard M

Andy T

Justin P

Devon M

Virginia Alvin S

Leslie S

Wounded Warriors:

Why they joined

I joined the Tempered Steel Team because I feel it is extremely important that we as warriors tell our story of sacrifice. I and many others are very proud of our service to our nation and the greater good of the world. In order to improve the Community, Veteran, and Warrior transition successfully the Communities need to be educated and ready to support the men and women who served, and their families. Shilo Harris The reason I joined Tempered Steel, was to share my personal struggle with PTSD and TBI. I wanted others (families, the public) to understand what we go through not only in the wars, but when we come home and that many of us are still fighting a war... Derek Moody

I joined Tempered Steel because they are the best avenue I have found to share my story of combat and loss in Fallujah, Iraq. The public response I have received since joining Tempered Steel has been magnificent. Bret McCauley

One of the main reasons I joined Tempered Steel is that the message is to get awareness out there by warriors talking to the public. I have always believed what stops people from asking question about what a wounded warrior has gone through is fear. Whether it's fear of bringing up bad memories, or just fear of confrontation it's a huge wall for people to get through. By openly talking about our experiences it allows us to break down that wall and open the lines of communication. Robert Bruce

In helping to co-found Tempered Steel, I saw the need for us (Wounded Warriors) to have a voice in sharing our stories of injury and recovery. Yet, after helping to start the organization, I realized that I still had to come to grips with my PTSD and emotional issues. After a 6 month in-patient stay at a private PTSD clinic, I was then ready to start speaking publicly. Since then, I have truly found my calling. Being able to share my story with others has helped me personally to heal, interacting with other wounded warriors gives me inspiration and allows me to still share in the camaraderie of military life that I miss daily. Seeing the impact I have on students and individuals alike is what now drives me forward. Scott Stephenson

2011 Speaking engagements

By state

California Florida Indiana Kansas

Missouri North Carolina

Oklahoma Tennessee

Texas Washington DC

2012 Speaking engagements

(as of January 1, 2012 with future events

added weekly)

January 2012 – Jupiter, Florida February 2012 – Dover, Delaware March 2012 – Manhattan, Kansas

March 2012 – Los Angeles, California April 2012 – Los Angeles, California

April 2012 – Charleston, Illinois

Financial

statements

Corporate

Contributions13.67%

Foundation Donations

7.91%Non-Cash Donations

34.53%

Individual Contributions

18.34%

Speaking Programs

5.9%Special Events

19.65%

2011 Revenues(unaudited)

Additional Revenues for Special EventsAir Compassion for Veterans - $5096Embassy Suites - $1700

Veterans Airlift Command - $5000

Operations Expense12.03%

Display Equipment

2.28%Special Events

Expense20.20%

Photo Introspective

5.87%

Travel Expense18.13%

Non-Cash Expense41.49%

Non-Cash Donations include website maintenance, web hosting for 2012, photo introspective storage and PR firm.

Non-Cash Expenses include website maintenance, web hosting for 2012, photo introspective storage and PR firm.

Comparison

Tempered Steel 2011 (unaudited)

Revenues Amounts

Direct Public Support

Corporate Contributions $5,100.00

Foundation Donations $2,950.00

Non-Cash Donations $12,880.00

Individual Contributions $6,843.00

Direct Speaking Programs $2,200.00

Special Events Income $7,329.00

Total Income $37,302.00

Expenses Amounts

Operations (includes brochures, web site, donation fees, start-up fees, etc.) $3,707.00

Display Equipment $704.00

Special Events Expense $6,227.00

Photo Introspective Expense $1,809.00

Travel $5,590.00

Non-Cash Expenses $12,790.00

Total Expenses $30,827.00

Tempered Steel 2010

Revenues Amounts

Cash Donations $1,136.00

Non-Cash Donations $41,230.00

Total Income $42,366.00

Expenses Amounts

Operations (including startup costs) $2,749.00

Travel $1,706.00

Non-Cash Expenses $41,230.00

Total Expenses $45,685.00

Non-Cash Donations and Expenses 2012 include website maintenance, web hosting for 2012, photo introspective storage and PR firm.

Non-Cash Donations and Expenses 2011 include website maintenance, website building, photo introspective printing, framing, materials and labor, travel , booklet printing and PR firm.

Grants and corporate

donations

Speaking program

Non-cash donations

A very special thank you to everyone.

Donors over $200

V. Achtemeier L. Miller

D. Bainter S. Muskin

G. Baker R. Roberts

H. Bancroft M. Schneider

R. Clayton R. Singer

B. Garrett AFF Mortgage

H. Katz Boyler Car Dealership

M. Lockridge SCV Chamber of Com-merce

S. Mackey Young Republicans

To everyone who donated time, money, gifts-in-kind or all of the above, we at Tempered Steel, alongside our Wounded Warriors want to issue a very special thank you for making 2011 so great. We look forward to working with you in 2012 and sincerely appre-ciate your involvement in our organization. Your belief in our mission allows us to go forward into the future to tell “The Stories Behind the Scars and Wounds of War”. By creating a platform of understanding we are creating a change

in our futures and the future of our Wounded Warriors.

Tempered steel, iNC.

16039 274th Rd

Atchison, KS 66002

(800) 294-5039

www.TemperedSteelInc.org

info@temperedsteelinc.org

http://www.youtube.com/user/TemperedSteelInc