On the Fourth of July in 2007, Deb Benson stood outside the gates of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, with her two young sons.
She wasn’t launching a nonprofit that day. She wasn’t planning a business or trying to start a national movement.
She was simply teaching her boys the importance of saying, “Thank you.”
Benson encouraged her sons to approach the service members standing guard at the base entrance and express their appreciation. The reactions caught her by surprise. These men and women, trained to remain disciplined, composed, and focused on their mission, were visibly moved by such a simple gesture.
As she drove home that afternoon, one question stayed with her:
“How can we make a greater impact by expressing this same gratitude?”
That question became the foundation of Grateful American Coin, a nonprofit organization that has spent nearly two decades helping Americans honor the service and sacrifice of veterans, active-duty military members, and military families.
Through commemorative coins, the organization gives people a lasting symbol of gratitude, remembrance, and respect.
Gratitude Is Not Just a Feeling, It’s an Action
For Benson, gratitude has never been something reserved for Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or patriotic celebrations.
She believes appreciation should become part of everyday life.
That philosophy is captured in the message that now defines both her leadership and the organization she founded:
“Gratitude is not just a feeling. It’s an action.”
A Tangible Way to Say Thank You
Inspired by the longstanding military tradition of challenge coins, Benson created a way for everyday Americans to take part in honoring those who serve.
Grateful American Coin gives people something tangible they can present to a veteran or active-duty service member as a lasting reminder that their service has been seen and appreciated.
The coin is more than a keepsake.
It is an invitation to begin a conversation, recognize a life of service, and help ensure those stories continue to be shared across generations.
Building a Mission While Building a Career
Unlike many nonprofit founders who step away from corporate life to pursue their cause, Benson built Grateful American Coin while maintaining a successful 36-year career as a Project Management Professional at Verizon.
Her work took her from Florida to Tennessee, Argentina, Georgia, and eventually back home to Tampa. Along the way, she balanced motherhood, a corporate career, and the steady growth of a mission-driven nonprofit.
That experience shaped her leadership style.
Planning, discipline, long-term thinking, and relationship building became the same principles she applied to both her professional career and Grateful American Coin.
Rather than chasing rapid growth, Benson focused on creating a sustainable organization that could continue serving America’s heroes for decades to come.
A Quiet Movement with Lasting Impact
Since its founding in 2007, Grateful American Coin has quietly grown into a national movement supported entirely by volunteers.
The organization has sold and distributed nearly 100,000 commemorative coins and donated more than $130,000 to organizations serving veterans and military families.
It has also helped create thousands of personal moments of recognition between Americans and those who have served.
Impact Beyond the Numbers
Benson measures success differently.
For her, the most meaningful moments are not reflected in statistics.
They are found in the veteran who pauses after receiving a coin, the military spouse who feels seen, the child who asks about its meaning, and the family that passes the coin down as a reminder of a loved one’s service.
They are also found in the personal effect that comes from expressing gratitude.
Those moments continue to support the mission that began outside MacDill Air Force Base nearly 20 years ago.
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary
As the United States marks its 250th year, Benson believes the milestone presents an opportunity to strengthen the country’s connection to service, sacrifice, and civic responsibility.
She sees Grateful American Coin playing a larger role through partnerships with veteran organizations, schools, civic groups, businesses, and community leaders.
Through those partnerships, the organization hopes to encourage more Americans to recognize the people whose commitment has protected the freedoms the country celebrates.
For Benson, honoring heroes is not about politics or ceremony.
It is about humanity.
It is about making sure gratitude becomes something people practice, not simply something they feel.
Leadership Through Purpose
Many founders begin with a business plan.
Deb Benson began with a lesson she wanted to teach her children.
That simple act of gratitude grew into a mission that continues to inspire communities across the country. It also shows that meaningful leadership can begin with a single question:
“How can I make a difference?”
Nearly two decades after that July afternoon outside MacDill Air Force Base, Benson is still answering that question through one conversation, one partnership, and one Grateful American Coin at a time.
Because, in her words, gratitude deserves more than words. It deserves action.
About Deb Benson
Deb Benson is the founder of Grateful American Coin, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that gives Americans a tangible way to honor military service members, veterans, and their families.
Inspired by an experience at MacDill Air Force Base in 2007, Benson transformed a simple lesson in gratitude for her sons into a mission that has distributed nearly 100,000 coins and donated more than $130,000 to veteran-focused organizations.
As a Verizon Project Management Professional and nonprofit leader, Benson speaks on gratitude, patriotism, service, leadership, and preserving military legacy for future generations.
Learn more at https://gratefulamericancoin.org/
