America's Warrior Partnership fIoeration Deep Dive

A national nonprofit has announced a year-end giving campaign that seeks to raise funds to increase awareness and support programs for veterans, their families and caregivers.

America’s Warrior Partnership’s Empower Veterans runs through the end of the year.

“The Empower Veterans fundraising campaign encourages donors to give, engage, and empower so we can continue to provide these valuable programs and services dedicated to connecting organizations with the resources and partners they need to serve veterans on a local community level,” said Jim Lorraine, president and CEO of America’s Warrior Partnership.

If loneliness is as bad for health as a pack of cigs, what’s it doing to the veteran suicide rate?

For every dollar donated to this annual campaign, 96 cents goes directly to support programs such as community integration; a digital coordination network center that connects local veteran-serving organizations with national resources when a veteran’s request cannot be met locally; and an initiative that helps corporate leaders better understand the unique skills and experiences that veterans can contribute to a business.

Contributions also support Operation Deep Dive,the nonprofit’s initiative to prevent veteran suicide. Launched in December 2017, the community-based study is led by America’s Warrior Partnership and researchers from the University of Alabama with a grant funded by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. In September 2020, the research team published initial findings that identified a significant gap in data on suicide among veterans, revealing that official records under-represent the severity of this crisis.

 Why do vets commit suicide? Operation Deep Dive hoping to provide answers

Operation Deep Dive is currently conducting interviews to investigate veteran lives lost to suicide or a non-natural cause of death. Researchers seek individuals who are 18 years of age or older and have lost a relative, loved one, friend, or co-worker who was a veteran to suicide within the last 24 months. Both the interviewee and the veteran must have lived in the same community – which must also be one of the 15 states where OpDD is active – before the veteran’s death.

AWP Is also participating in this year’s Combined Federal Campaign, the workplace charitable giving effort available to federal employees. 

Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com

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