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Craig Newmark (second from left), founder of Craigslist and the foundation craigconnects, receives a certificate of thanks for his financial support of the American Legion’s Veterans Success Center. Newmark is part of a fundraising challenge at CrowdRise attempting to benefit charities for veterans. The challenge ends July 3.

Craig Newmark (second from left), founder of Craigslist and the foundation craigconnects, receives a certificate of thanks for his financial support of the American Legion’s Veterans Success Center. Newmark is part of a fundraising challenge at CrowdRise attempting to benefit charities for veterans. The challenge ends July 3. (Courtesy of Veterans Success Center, San Francisco)

Veterans, you’ve got more friends in high places.

Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist and his foundation craigconnects, and The Rahr Foundation are hosting a fundraising challenge on actor Edward Norton’s crowd-fundraising platform CrowdRise to benefit veterans charities.

The Veterans Charity Challenge encourages any nonprofit benefiting veterans and veterans families to join the challenge at any point from now until July 3. Veterans nonprofit organizations will compete for $100,000 in prizes.

Newmark and Norton have family connections to the military, and feel strongly about supporting those who have served.

“As the wars overseas wind down, Americans need to be reminded how the service of a few, and their families, protects us all,” said Newmark, founder of craigconnects. “The CrowdRise stuff does that.

Any veteran nonprofit organization can participate. Organizations will keep all money raised, and also will be eligible for additional cash prizes when the challenge ends July 3. The top fundraiser will earn an additional $35,000. Second place is good for an additional $25,000, and third place gets another $15,000.

Throughout the campaign, $25,000 will be given to charities as weekly Bonus Challenges.

Norton, who co-founded CrowdRise in 2010, explains the sites motivation to help veterans: “Support for our military veterans and their families shouldn’t just be looked at as our country’s firm obligation, though it certainly is that. ... it should be viewed with enthusiasm as an opportunity to say ‘thank you’ and give back.

“CrowdRise wanted to create a campaign that gives people an easy and fun way to do that. ... I’m extremely proud of the service of a number of my own family [members], and so I’m excited about this campaign and hope we can make it an annual event.”

Learn more about the challenge, or take part, at crowdrise.com/veteranscharitychallenge.

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