Wounded Warrior Project Provides Emergency Financial Assistance to Wounded Veterans

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) recognizes that wounded veterans can face monumental challenges during their transition from military to civilian life. As part of its mission to honor and empower Wounded Warriors, WWP is announcing a new series of investments totaling $3.4 million to coincide with the organization's commitment to provide financial assistance to injured veterans by funding its longstanding program partner, Operation Homefront. With the $3.4 million, Wounded Warrior Project will again fund Operation Homefront as well as four additional organizations. Together, WWP and these partners will address the emergency and long-term financial needs of thousands of wounded service members, their caregivers, and families.

"This nation's military families deal with a variety of challenges, many of which are financial in nature. Last year, Wounded Warrior Project contributed more than $2.4 million to Operation Homefront which allowed us to fulfill over 5,000 individual requests and help nearly 2,400 deserving military families who were struggling to pay for basic necessities like their mortgage, rent, utilities, groceries, or car repair bills," said John I. Pray Jr., Operation Homefront CEO and President. "Wounded Warrior Project's expanded investment helps us accomplish our mission and generate meaningful outcomes -- strong, stable, and secure military families who thrive, not simply get by, in the communities they have worked so hard to protect."

Through partnerships with the American Red Cross, Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education^® (AFCPE), Operation Homefront, SALUTE, INC., and USA Cares, WWP has shaped a financial assistance program that directly serves the needs of injured service members during their times of financial hardship.

"Wounded Warrior Project works hard to meet every need of the wounded veterans we serve.  We are only one organization, and we know that we are stronger when working with other veteran service organizations that specialize in providing financial assistance," said Ned Breslin, executive vice president of Partnerships and Programmatic Investments at WWP. "We aim to provide a financial safety net for those Alumni, caregivers, and families who find themselves facing unexpected financial hardship."

These new partnerships will initially focus on four regions across the country, giving 18,000 WWP Alumni the opportunity to make use of the assistance. The program's goal is to provide wounded veterans and their families with short-term financial relief while empowering them to find long-term financial stability. WWP will continue funding Operation Homefront, thereby providing financial support nationwide to the over 100,000 warriors, caregivers, and families the organization serves.

"Sometimes, that gap between financial crisis and financial stability needs a bridge," said Breslin. "Wounded Warrior Project is humbled to help build that bridge to ensure this generation of wounded veterans can access the critical, life-saving support that will significantly impact their lives, free of charge."

WWP focuses on providing funding to exceptional organizations that operate in underserved areas or fulfill a need outside the scope of its 20 direct programs and services – all of which are offered at no cost to the population the nonprofit serves. All organizations that receive funding from WWP must serve injured veterans, caregivers, and families at no cost and are expected to provide regular, detailed reports of their programs' impact.

Between 2012 and 2015, WWP Programmatic Investments has invested nearly $11 million to over 90 organizations that share the WWP vision of fostering the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation's history. To learn more, visit: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs/community-partners. This support has enabled over 95,000 wounded veterans, 6,500 family support members, and 3,900 children across the country to access critically needed programs and services. Looking ahead to the next five years, WWP recently committed an additional $100+ million toward investments in programs and services that serve wounded service members, their caregivers, and families in communities across the United States.

About Wounded Warrior Project
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. The WWP purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160418/356670

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160418/356673

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160405/351619LOGO

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project