6 Stones is building a coalition of churches, businesses, and others that provides solutions to meet the needs of our community.
Our mission is to serve the Children of ALL fallen military personnel, who have lost their lives on active duty, and post service related deaths that were due to a service related injury or illness.
AcademyWomen is committed to the professional empowerment of military communities, active duty and veteran women from all commissioning sources, transitioning military veterans, military spouses, as well as cadet and midshipmen women.
American Corporate Partners (ACP) is a national nonprofit organization focused on helping returning veterans and active duty spouses find their next careers through one-on-one mentoring, networking and online career advice.
More than 1 million veterans are expected to transition from the armed forces to civilian life over the next five years. ACP engages the American people in a unique volunteer opportunity to provide career guidance to returning military as they transition back into civilian life.
We believe that the biggest issue facing our returning service members is not unemployment – it’s underemployment. ACP focuses on helping veterans and active duty spouses find meaningful employment opportunities and develop long-term careers.
Founder Sidney E. Goodfriend launched American Corporate Partners on Labor Day 2008 with the help of six founding corporate partners who provided funding to ACP and volunteer Mentors. By the end of 2009, ACP had paired 500 returning veterans with Mentors. In November 2018, ACP announced it is expanding its reach and opening its program to the active duty spouse community. Currently, ACP has more than 4,000 veterans and active duty spouses paired one-on-one with mentors from more than 100 of America’s top companies, universities and hospitals.
Since its founding, ACP has focused on expanding its number of Corporate Partners, reaching out to a larger number of returning military and designing several new programs and initiatives to help an increasing number of service members, returning veterans and their families.
ACP now connects veterans with business leaders in a variety of ways beyond its original corporate mentoring program.
- ACP’s Women’s Veteran Mentoring Program launched in 2016 and connects female veterans with female entrepreneurs and business leaders for yearlong mentorships. Women veterans have access to exclusive networking events and career development workshops.
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ACP AdvisorNet is an online career Q&A community designed to assist an increasing number of veterans and current service members with networking and career advice.
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ACP’s Active Duty Spouse Program launched in November 2018 and connects spouses on installations nationwide with business leaders for customized mentorships.
More than 24,000 veterans and spouses have successfully completed the ACP Program.
To provide unique and personalized support to our homeless and at-risk veterans who are struggling to reintegrate into civilian life.
Mission Statement
Defenders of Freedom provides donors with the organization they need to support post 9/11 Veterans in their transition to civilian life through emergency financial assistance, morale building programs, and traumatic brain injury treatment.
Our Story
Defenders of Freedom (DOF) was founded in 2004 by Donna Cranston. As the mother of a warrior deployed in Iraq, Donna combined her personal experiences as a military mom with her passion and desire to help our Veterans succeed with honor as they returned home. Raised in a family that instilled patriotism, Donna began her journey working with Veterans by sending care packages overseas to the Troops and participating in the Welcome Home a Hero program at the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. This program supported the Army’s Rest and Recuperation program for weary Soldiers who came home for 2 weeks during their yearlong tour. Donna attended her first DFW greeting in June of 2004, and it changed her life forever. Through these activities and the unfilled needs that Donna learned from her interactions with Veterans, she founded Defenders of Freedom as an avenue to connect the community to service members. Most Americans support our Troops, but just don’t know how they can help. They just needed a tangible way to participate. DOF began providing assistance to Veterans by sending care packages and providing emergency financial assistance to those that returned with disabilities and were badly in need. Donna listened to these men and women and responded to their needs. DOF expanded its services to include an evidence-based approach to treating Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Veterans.
TBI is the signature wound for post 9/11 Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and historically, very little had been done to successfully treat the injury. Defenders of Freedom identified a solution to this debilitating injury and is committed to helping Veterans get this life changing treatment. Functional neurology is proving to improve the lives of the Veterans we put through the program. We believe it might be the most effective tool in combatting suicide among post 9/11 Veterans.
DOF serves both male and female Veterans who have deployed to the middle east. We have worked with Veterans across 32 states. Veterans are referred to us from the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), crisis hotlines, local social service providers, and by word-of-mouth from other Veterans.
According to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, TBI is a significant health issue which affects service members and Veterans during times of both peace and war. This condition is estimated to have affected 370,000 service members since 2000. For every soldier killed since 2003, seven soldiers have been injured. Multiple deployments enhance the chances of leaving a tour with TBI. Many Soldiers make it home from war seemingly outwardly untouched, when in reality they are some of the most debilitated. What we have learned from Veterans is that until they receive proper treatment for a TBI, rather than just prescribed medication to address symptoms, their road to healing is both long and challenging. It is common for DOF to see Veterans who were stellar Soldiers while on active duty, now unable to hold down civilian jobs and have no idea why they are not able to properly function. DOF has worked tirelessly with these Veterans to help them get the care that they need to get them on the right path.
Defenders of Freedom’s primary goals are to provide care and transitional support for our Troops and Veterans, assistance with basic living necessities through short-term emergency financial support, address imminent physical and mental health issues, improve morale, keep Veterans engaged in a supportive community, and to provide access to Veterans with TBI to a comprehensive treatment protocol.
If you would like more information about our program you may contact us at:
donna@defendersoffreedom.us or jodi@defendersoffreedom.us
Locations:
Dallas, TX
Kansas City, MO
Pittsburgh, PA
Pensacola, FL
Empowering individuals and families to find their path from poverty to self-sufficiency.
OUR MISSION:
For Transitioning Service Members:
We are dedicated to serving all military veterans including their spouses and families by connecting them to professional opportunities, resources, and benefits throughout the State of Wisconsin.
For Businesses and Employers in Wisconsin:
We aim to assist Wisconsin businesses in attracting, retaining, and developing veteran and spouse talent and relations within their companies and the communities they live in.
OUR VISION:
The vision of Mission Wisconsin is to help employers connect with service members transitioning out of the military, spouses/life partners, and veterans through direct engagement.
Connecting service members and families to Wisconsin employers and communities by consulting with Wisconsin businesses on building sustainable transitioning service members and spouses’ programs.
VALUES:
Mission Wisconsin is defined by the same values that are instilled in all of us who have served this great nation: leave no brother or sister behind.
Taking the sea of goodwill that exists for those who have served and building connections for them within Wisconsin.
Helping them maintain camaraderie in our communities and businesses through collaboration with our nationally leading resources here in Wisconsin.
The QCVN delivers a networking event series that meets monthly to connect transitioning service members, veterans, and their spouses to employers, mentors, and other resource providers in the Quad Cities area.
Serving one of the most elite communities in the world would be impossible without an equally elite group of people willing to do the work that service entails. From our hands-on Board of Directors to THF Staff to SOF Advisors, these individuals truly dedicate time and treasure to our programs, and every person involved in our Mission creates impact. Our people are our greatest asset.
Our Program
By creating an institution specifically designed to serve the U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF), THF has been well-defined from the beginning. Every aspect of our program has been inspired by the way Special Operators work in the field.
Our curriculum focuses on key transitional readiness themes isolated through extensive research and feedback. It reflects the precise knowledge and experience a Special Operator needs to navigate any transition throughout his or her career.
The Breakdown
1. Application
2. Selection
3. Admission
4. Assessment
5. Phase 1 “You”
6. Phase 2 “Your Gear”
7. Phase 3 “Your Workup”
8. Network
OUR VISION
Provide the best experts, advice, and assistance in every aspect of the transition journey; spiritual, physical, behavioral, employment, financial,
legal, family, and education.
WHOM WE SUPPORT
Our focus is to specifically help Rangers, Ranger Gold Star Families from the US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, to include Veterans of affiliated supporting units. These selfless servants are consistently called onto be the tip of the spear, who “shoulder more than my share of the task” and subsequently are the most heavily burdened with the rigors of combat. The needs of these warriors are unique and assisting their transition back to civilian life is a primary focus
of the foundation.
OUR PROGRAMS
We support the 75th Ranger Regiment’s unit level transition program, Ranger for Life, by ensuring benchmark assistance for our veterans through an extensive trusted network of former Rangers within the Transition Big 5: Education; Financial Wellness; Benefits/Medical; Transition Mentors and Networking; Fitness and Wellness.
The purpose is to create enhanced opportunities for Rangers that allow them to thrive through a military career and succeed in post-military life. “I will never leave a fallen comrade”
Website “cheat sheet” with multiple websites listed for transitioning servicemembers, spouses, and veterans.
It is a sisterhood that provides a safe and supportive environment for healing, for learning ways to overcome challenges, find the peace within, improve well-being, and transition to civilian life.
