Bob Woodruff with Morgan Stanley’s Jeff McMillan, admiring the campaign from the corner of Broadway and 48th Street.

Veterans are stars of ‘Lights on Broadway’

By Sam Kille, Bob Woodruff Foundation

Everything seems bigger on Broadway and for the entire month of November our nation’s veterans and their families took center stage, thanks to Morgan Stanley’s “Lights On Broadway” campaign with the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

Multiple times each hour, New Yorkers and tourists alike were reminded that our country is still engaged in its longest war, and that our returning veterans deserve our continued support — and posed the question, “How will you #Stand4Heroes?”

Striking, positive images on video screens stretched across an entire city block and gained onlookers’ attention, as facts and figures scrawled.

2.8 Million Service Members Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan

1-in-5 Suffer from the Hidden Wounds of War

We honor all they have done by focusing on all they still can do.

Beyond the visibility in Times Square, Bob Woodruff, co-founder of the foundation and ABC News correspondent, discussed the foundation’s work in a video that was shared with Morgan Stanley employees across the globe.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation was co-founded by Bob’s family following his recovery from life-threatening injuries sustained by a roadside bomb while covering the war in Iraq for ABC World News, in 2006.

Rachel and Larkin O’Hern pose in front of the video screens while visiting New York City. An Army officer, Larkin suffered the loss of both legs and a hand while serving as an infantry platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan, in 2010.

Since then, it has invested more than $35 million to find, fund and shape innovative programs benefiting impacted veterans, service members and their families.

Co-founder Lee Woodruff, a best-selling author and CBS News contributor, was invited to the corporate headquarters to address employees. She shared her story of being a caregiver following Bob’s brush with death — driving home the plight of nearly 1.1 million caregivers of post-9/11 veterans.

Lee also thanked Morgan Stanley for its continued support of the foundation through employee engagement and programmatic funding.

And while the “lights have dimmed” on this campaign — after all, every show on Broadway has its curtain call — both Morgan Stanley and the Bob Woodruff Foundation remain committed to ensuring that the emerging and long-term needs of today’s veterans and their families are met.

To learn how you can take a #Stand4Heroes, visit the Bob Woodruff Foundation online.