How to support veterans all year long
4 ways to support veterans all year long
- Fundraise and spread the word
- Become a veteran-friendly employer
- Recognize and celebrate
- Develop a local community
Around 200,000 veterans make the transition from the military to the civilian workforce every year. When making this leap, they may face unique challenges that require additional support from their community. Unfortunately, research shows that less than 40% of veterans feel they get the support they need while re-entering civilian life.
Private-sector organizations can step in and bridge the gap. In fact, both workplaces and volunteer-led organizations are finding ways to support veterans in the community and help ease their transitions back to civilian life.
Fundraise and spread the word
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) disproportionately affects more veterans than civilians. Veteran Jeff Carver understands the challenges fellow military veterans face. After losing a close friend to suicide in 2014, he began working with Home Base, an organization that holds the annual Run to Home Base. Funds from the race provide clinical care, education and research for healing the invisible wounds of war for veterans, service members and their families at no cost to them.
Jeff Carver fundraises to provide support to veterans.
“A lot of veterans deal with PTSD, and it’s kind of hard to get help, so I was looking for a way to broaden help to veterans,” Carver explained. Carver’s team now includes 86 individual and corporate sponsors.
As the New England-based team grows, so does its fundraising goals. In 2022, it raised more than $40,000, and in 2023, the team set out to double that—a goal they surpassed with a total of $97,000 raised.
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In addition to recruiting friends, family and colleagues to support the cause, Carver covers the race fee and provides every runner with a team T-shirt. “The T-shirts are always a big hit! On the back of the shirts, you can see everyone who has sponsored us. They’re comfortable and match our company color of sea blue perfectly,” Carver said.
Become a veteran-friendly employer
If you are a business leader, you can support the veteran community by becoming a veteran-friendly employer. Being a veteran-friendly employer means having an intentional hiring initiative for veterans. This may include participating in veteran-focused career fairs, implementing veteran-specific onboarding programs and creating designated landing pages to reach veterans online.
Additional involvement in the veteran community can greatly expand the reach of your hiring efforts and empower more veterans to find their next role.
Recognize and celebrate
Celebrating and recognizing military veterans is another meaningful way to engage the community. Since 2017, the Hampton Roads Community Action Program (HRCAP), based in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, has held a Veterans Day luncheon to celebrate veterans. This festive event has grown each year; it’s increased from approximately 60 veterans at its inception to more than 95 last year. The HRCAP team carefully considers its annual gift. The organization’s goal is to provide something that will be used again and again.
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“We are always thinking about how to help veterans. Each year, we get some nice gifts to give to our vets at the luncheon. We’ll have door prizes and gift cards to local restaurants, as well as a surprise item. This year we got kooler lunch bags. We also have a number of veteran-run businesses present to connect with the community and provide resources—anything we can do to celebrate them,” said Michele Grant, director of community services.
In 2022, the team provided nearly 100 kooler bags for vets to carry their lunches in. “The vets were very appreciative of the kooler bags! Every year, they love what we give them,” Grant said.
Develop a local community
Challenges that disproportionately affect veterans include PTSD, homelessness and difficulty finding post-service employment. Having a community that understands these struggles and considers how to support veterans is crucial.
HRCAP has a special focus on preventing veteran homelessness. Current estimates show one in 10 people experiencing homelessness are veterans. While great strides are being made in housing veterans, and veteran homelessness has declined in recent years, homelessness remains a challenge.
As an organization, HRCAP provides a case management program aimed at helping to house veterans experiencing homelessness. This program, Support Services for Veteran Families (SSVF), not only provides logistical and financial help for veterans, but is also a place to turn to for support.
Honor our veterans
Supporting veterans requires ongoing commitment. By providing support to veterans, through fundraising, employment or community-building, your organization can make a lasting impact in the lives of those who have served our country.
Promotional products help veterans connect with your organization.
Promo gear can be the perfect gesture to show you care.
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