Detroit Tigers’ all-star pitcher and, Justin Verlander is a proud American who wants to support the troops in anyway he can. Justin Verlander created an organization called Wins for Warriors whose mission is to support the mental health and emotional well being of troops that have come back from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This worthwhile mission is to ensure a healthy transition back into life at home and provide a support system to deal with the stress of war.
Wins for Warrior is starting a funding campaign through CrowdRise which goes live May 22nd. To Support visit JV35-Wins for Warriors
More detail on Wins for Warriors is below.
The Need
Reports indicate that as many as one in three Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who experience combat will eventually experience significant mental health challenges. Sadly, many don’t seek help because of the stigma associated with receiving mental health care. Our goal is to help erase the stigma around veterans and their families who seek mental health services and join together to provide the support they need.
Our Approach
In August 2013, Detroit Tigers All – Star pitcher Justin Verlander announced a commitment of $1 million to launch Wins for Warriors.
The initiative is devoted to sustaining successful programs that work with Veterans and their families along the process of recovery, because one size does not fit all. Funds will be distributed to best-in-class national organizations that have the expertise to have a long-term impact on this population in our target markets of Detroit, Richmond and Norfolk.
During the first grant cycle (2013 -2014) we will fund the two organizations highlighted below. We look to increase and enhance partnerships moving forward with continued sustainability.
Give an Hour
Give an Hour asks mental health professionals nationwide to literally donate an hour of their time each week to provide free mental health services to military personnel and their families. Since Give an Hour began offering counseling services in July 2007, their providers have reported donating over 104,000 hours of care, roughly equivalent to over $10 million. Partnering with Wins for Warriors, Give an Hour will launch two new positions
on the ground in Detroit and the Richmond/Norfolk markets to target these regions in order to recruit more volunteer licensed mental health professionals
to offer free counseling to the military and veteran population while also identifying and coordinating community-based efforts in each location to create a comprehensive and integrated system of care for service members, veterans, and their families as they transition home.
The Mission Continues
The Mission Continues empowers veterans facing the challenge of adjusting to life at home to find new missions. They redeploy veterans in their communities, so that their shared legacy will be one of action and service. Support from Wins for Warriors will help The Mission Continues to sponsor a veteran from each of our target markets to enroll in a six-month service and leadership program. Through the intensive Fellowship Program, veterans dedicate themselves to serving in their community. The investment from Wins for Warriors will also help launch two new Service Platoons in Detroit and Norfolk by supporting the recruitment, training and coaching of Platoon Leaders and members in Detroit and Norfolk. The journey does not end there. Often, Veterans and their families need to re-build and reinforce a bond and we will be looking to partner with a retreat program to offer a therapeutic environment for them to work together away from home. It is also critical to partner with a research institution that is on the cutting edge of studying what works and what doesn’t. These are goals of ours for the coming year.
For more information visit www.winsforwarriors.org and follow us @winsforwarriors
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