Esprit De Corps Foundation

05/16/2026

One day, this could be what a military funeral looks like.

No volunteers.
No rifle salute.
No sounding of Taps.
No flag presentation delivered by someone who understands the weight of that moment because they once wore the uniform themselves.

Across the country, veteran honor guards are facing a serious decline in membership. Many of the men and women who have faithfully carried out these final military rites for decades are aging, while fewer new volunteers are stepping forward to take their place.

If nothing changes, the traditions that have honored our nation’s heroes for generations could begin to disappear.

At Operation Honor Guard, we are working to support honor guards, raise awareness, recruit new members, and help ensure every eligible veteran continues to receive the dignified farewell they earned through service to our country.

Because no veteran should leave this world without honor.

Learn more: www.operationhonorguard.us

05/14/2026

🚨 IMPORTANT UPDATE 🚨

To our community, supporters, sponsors, partners, volunteers, and everyone who planned to attend:

The 2026 Murph Festival has officially been canceled.

Over the past several weeks we have continued receiving messages, registrations, and inquiries regarding the event, so we wanted to make sure this update was clearly shared across all platforms.

This decision was not made lightly. Due to unforeseen circumstances and internal capacity limitations, we made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s festival so we can refocus, strengthen our foundation, and continue building future events the right way.

We are incredibly grateful for the support, encouragement, and excitement the community showed us throughout the planning process. The amount of people willing to volunteer, sponsor, participate, and help bring this vision to life meant more than you know ❤️

While the festival will not take place this year, Esprit de Corps Foundation is still actively growing and working on future community initiatives, partnerships, and events across Chicago 🇺🇸

We encourage everyone to stay connected with us through our website and social platforms for future announcements, volunteer opportunities, partnerships, and upcoming events.

Thank you again for believing in our mission and continuing to support our journey.

With appreciation,
The Esprit de Corps Foundation Team

Esprit de Corps Foundation

05/03/2026

What a night 🔥⚽️

Huge thank you to everyone who came out to support Esprit De Corps and the Chicago Fire ❤️ It meant a lot seeing everyone show up like that. And to those who had to head out before the group photo, you were still part of it and we appreciate you just the same 🙌

Tough one on the field, falling 2–3, but the energy all night was real 💯

Big shoutout to Brandon and the organization for the support and the amazing merch 🎁 We don’t take that lightly.

Grateful for everyone who pulled up. We’re building something real, and this was another step forward 🚀

Chicago FireUp StrongerTogeth

05/02/2026

Tonight, Chicago Fire FC is hosting a Military Appreciation Night and supporting a fundraiser for Esprit de Corps Foundation.

We were blessed with 7 extra tickets, so if you want to come out, support the mission, and enjoy the game, let me know. First come, first served. Just cover parking and show up.

Game Day Info (Saturday, May 2):

* Parking Opens: 4:30 PM
* Gate 0 Opens: 5:30 PM
* All Gates Open: 6:00 PM
* Supporters March: Pre-kickoff
* Kickoff: 7:30 PM

Military Appreciation Ticket Includes:

* Free jersey with your ticket
* Pickup at Soldier Field Loop Landing (behind Section 144)
* Starts at 6:00 PM
* Must scan your ticket to redeem
* One per ticket, claim before halftime
* Sizes: Small, Large, XL (first come, first served)

This is bigger than just a game. It’s about showing up for veterans, service members, and the community we’re building.

If you’ve been wanting to tap in, this is a solid way to do it.

Get additional tickets or learn more:

5/2/26 @ 7:30 PM - Esprit De Corps

04/17/2026

To everyone who was looking forward to the MURPH Festival this year — we hear you, and we’re sorry. Life happened, and we had to make a hard call. But we haven’t stopped. Not even close. 🙏🏽

Today we sat down at with our partners from Travis Manion Foundation and WBL Life Choices to start planning something we’re really proud of — the Esprit de Corps Foundation Back to School Community Day, coming to the Back of the Yards neighborhood this August.

Our goal is to serve 500 students and families with backpacks, school supplies, community resources, and more — all free, all community-driven. Details still coming together but the vision is clear and the team behind it is real.
And as a bonus — we got to reconnect with David Rojas, founder of TA98 and someone who’s meant a lot to this journey. Hadn’t seen him in years. Some people just show up at the right time. 🤝🏽

More to come. We’re just getting started.
Where service continues. 🇺🇸

ChicagoVeterans VeteranCommunity DreamcatcherCafe TMF ChicagoNonprofit CommunityFirst

04/08/2026

To our community —

MURPH Festival 2026 is cancelled. And I want to tell you why.

One of the things Esprit de Corps Foundation was built to fight is the isolation, the disconnection, and the mental health struggles that too many veterans face when they come home. I know what that looks like because I live it too.

Right now I am in the middle of my own battle. And I had to make an honest choice — push through and put on an event that doesn't do justice to everything we stand for, or step back, take care of myself, and come back stronger.

I chose to take care of myself. Because that's what I'd tell any veteran in my community to do.

I am deeply sorry to every vendor, volunteer, partner, and person who was looking forward to May 16th. You showed up for this and I did not want to let you down. That weight is real and I own it.

MURPH Festival will be back in 2027. EDC is not going anywhere. And when we return I will bring everything I have — because I will have taken the time to actually rebuild it the right way.
If you are struggling right now, please reach out. To someone you trust. To a professional. To this community. You are not alone and neither am I.

Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your forgiveness.

— Damian
Founder, Esprit de Corps Foundation
espritdcf.org

02/22/2026

MURPH FESTIVAL 2026 🇺🇸

Saturday, May 16 | UIC Flames Field, Chicago
7:30 AM to 6:30 PM | Free Parking | Festival Open to All

MURPH Festival is our annual Memorial Day weekend celebration of service, fitness, and community hosted on the entire recreation field at the University of Illinois Chicago.

The Murph fitness challenge (18+ to compete, full/half/team options). Live music all day. Food trucks and local vendors. A 50ft obstacle course. Veteran resource fair. 200+ veterans, military families, students, and community supporters all in one place.

This is aimed at being an annual fundraiser event. Every dollar raised supports veteran wellness programming and our mission to build Chicago’s first Veteran Recreation and Resource Center. Our goal this year is $10,000.

We are currently working with Raising Cane’s as a sponsor and actively building out the rest of our lineup. If you or your organization is interested in sponsoring, send us a message or email and we will send you the full sponsorship deck with tiers ranging from $750 to $10,000.

We are also looking for vendors. Specifically food trucks, food vendors, retail and merchandise, fitness and wellness brands, health and beauty, arts and crafts, and local businesses. Veteran service organizations and nonprofits can table for free. Vendor spots range from $100 to $250 depending on type.

This is not a small popup. This is a full day festival on a major university campus with all day foot traffic, full vendor visibility, and free parking. This is an annual event and it grows every year. Great vendors get first invite back.
In partnership with UIC Student Veterans Affairs and UIC Recreation.

Hosted by Esprit de Corps Foundation, a veteran led 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

[email protected] | 312-219-5015
espritdcf.org/annual-murph-festival

Built by Veterans. Driven by Community.

VeteranCommunity ChicagoNonprofit UIC MurphChallenge ChicagoFitness ChicagoVendors FoodTrucks UniversityVillage EspritdeCorps WhereServiceEvolves VendorWanted SponsorOpportunity ChicagoVeterans

02/12/2026

Proud to share this partnership 🔥

On May 2nd, Esprit De Corps Foundation is teaming up with Chicago Fire FC for Military Appreciation Night at Soldier Field. ⚽️

This isn’t just a match. It’s an opportunity to rally the Chicago community around our mission to strengthen veterans, students, and families through wellness, leadership, and connection.

Every ticket purchased through our link includes a donation back to Esprit De Corps Foundation. The first 5,000 fans will also receive a limited-edition blue camo military cap.

We are building 25 teams and pushing toward 250+ tickets to unlock the Nonprofit Spotlight Experience, which includes:

• In-game recognition
• Pre-match tabling opportunity
• Post-match group photo on the field
• A signed Chicago Fire item to raffle
• Recognition at our 2026 MURPH Festival at UIC

For business owners, brokers, and real estate professionals, this is also a powerful client engagement opportunity. Purchase tickets for your clients, referral partners, or team members. Host them at a major Chicago sporting event while supporting a veteran-focused nonprofit. It’s relationship-building with real impact behind it.

If you’re in Chicago and want to be part of something meaningful, join us.

Ticket link:
https://givebutter.com/military-appreciation-night-with-chicago-fire 🎟️

Let’s show what this community can do when we move together. 🙏🏼🙏🏼

01/12/2026

Welcome back to school.

We took a short break over the holidays and are excited to be back as the semester begins. Community, wellness, and purpose are ahead.

Let’s make this semester meaningful.