Ways To Support Our Veterans This Veterans Day
Veterans Day is a federal holiday that honors all those who have served in the United States military. Every year it is celebrated on November 11 which means that Veterans Day is right around the corner. Some people get Veterans Day and Memorial Day confused with one another. The two holidays may seem rather similar, but in the end they acknowledge two different groups of people. As we said previously, Veterans Day is a day to honor those who have served in our military, regardless if they are alive or fallen. Whereas Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those who have died serving our country. You can check out our Memorial Day is more than just a 3 day weekend blog for more information on how the two holidays differ because it is important to know why and who we are celebrating on each particular holiday.
In Ocean County there are approximately 40,000 veterans. Knowing that, you may ask yourself “how can I help and support a veteran this year?” Luckily, there are many different ways one can show honor and gratitude to veterans, regardless if you know one personally or not. Below are a few ways to support our veterans this holiday:
- Donate to DAV: DAV or Disabled American Veterans is a non-profit charity that provides support to veterans and their families. As quoted on their website at www.dav.org, “With nearly 1,300 chapters and more than 1 million members across the country, DAV empowers our nation’s heroes and their families by helping to provide the resources they need and ensuring our nation keeps the promises made to them.” You can support DAV by donating money, volunteering your time, or participating in any of their fundraisers.
- Volunteer at a local VA facility or at Hire Heroes USA: Hire Heroes USA is an organization that helps military personnel transition to civilian life. They help support veterans in finding jobs and careers once they are back in civilian life. To support Hire Heroes USA you can either donate on their website, volunteer, fundraise, or by contributing specific needs provided by the organization.
- Send a card or thank you note to a veteran: Take the time to make a card. Handwrite a sincere note or card to thank them for their dedication to this country. You can either deliver it to a veteran you know personally or if you don’t personally know a veteran, you can send the card to Operation Gratitude. Operation Gratitude is an organization that not only takes donations from the public, but also accepts handwritten letters to mail to our military and first responders. Operation Gratitude is a great way to thank veterans for helping free our country and it is especially fun for children to get creative with their card.
- Help a homeless veteran by supporting National Coalition for Homeless Veterans: NCHV is an organization that is dedicated to ending veteran homelessness. Veterans fought for our country, therefore there is no reason that they should be without a home. You can support this organization by donating on their website. Help shelter someone who helped give you your freedom.
In addition to some of the charities that we discussed above, there are many more. Many different non-profit organizations that are dedicated to helping veterans in many different ways.
Here are a few other organizations that you can check out if you are interested in donating.
- Air Warrior Courage Foundation is a non-profit organization set to help military aviators and their families with financial assistance for medicine, education, and other expenses.
- Freedom Service Dogs of America is a non-profit organization that helps provide military personnel and other individuals with service dogs. These dogs are trained to help individuals with disabilities such as PTSD, autism, traumatic brain injury, and others.
- USA Cares, Inc. is a non-profit organization that helps provide post 9/11 military veterans and their families with financial assistance. Their services also insure that veterans and their families have post service skills training to help them create a foundation for long term stability.
- Paralyzed Veterans of America is an organization that works to improve the quality of life for U.S. veterans that have developed a spinal cord dysfunction. Their organization works to improve their education, communications, and recreation.
- Ocean County Veterans Service Bureau is a resource for our local veterans. They are located at 1027 Hooper Ave in Toms River and they focus on providing a number of different services to local veterans, widows and families of veterans. Any size contribution makes a huge difference!
There are many other non-profit organizations out there that support our veterans in a multitude of different ways. If you or someone you know feels compelled to express your gratitude to a veteran this holiday, find a non-profit organization and donate them to in any way that you can. This does not necessarily mean money—time and support is just as helpful.
To our men and women in uniform past, present and future, God bless you and thank you.
