The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and four other nonprofits, have joined forces to create a fund that will raise money for war veterans.
Called the Veteran Support Fund, it will direct donations to IAVA and the four partner organizations, according to MSNBC. Those four organizations are Operation Mend, which gives medical support to critically injured veterans; Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, which provides coping and trauma resources; Operation Homefront, which offers emergency financial aid to wounded soldiers and their families; and the National Military Family Association, which advocates for benefits and programs for military families.
The goal of the fund is to raise $30 million, and it has already received founding gifts of $1.1 million.
IAVA executive director Paul Rieckhoff, who is himself a veteran of the Iraq War, said in a statement that "Supporting veterans isn’t charity, it’s an absolute necessity and an investment in our country’s future. After ten years of war, our nation’s military families are strained, nonprofit services are maxed out and our veterans’ community is severely under-resourced."
Jim Knotts, president and CEO of Operation Homefront, told MSNBC that the money from the Veteran Support Fund will help the organization provide more services than they would normally be able to. The nonprofit last year met more than 5,000 emergency requests and provided transitional housing for 80 families. He stressed the need to continue to help veterans even with the two wars seemingly winding down.
You can read the full story on MSNBC's website.
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