Wounded Warrior Project® Announces Second Round of Grant Recipients
--Annual Support Surpasses $2.3 Million--
Jacksonville, FL (Oct. 17, 2012) – Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), whose mission is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors, today announced $1.1 million in grants to organizations also serving injured service members of this generation and their families.
“We are very proud to be supporting and collaborating with so many diverse organizations as we understand that only together will we be able to meet all of the needs of our Wounded Warriors,” said Steve Nardizzi, executive director, WWP. “We believe in order to ensure this generation of injured veterans is the most successful and well-adjusted in our nation’s history we must create a strong network of community resources and look forward to continuing to grow our support of these organizations.”
For the second time this year, WWP requested applications from organizations that seek to enhance the lives of post 9-11 wounded veterans through programmatic activities aimed at improving mental health and wellness, exposing warriors to new opportunities for physical fitness and activity, connecting wounded veterans with their peers, and enhancing economic empowerment and independence among wounded veterans – all in an effort to help foster healthy readjustment to civilian life. Interested organizations completed a letter of interest and were subsequently invited to submit a full application and those receiving funds were chosen based on shared mission, core values, and focus in WWP’s four core programmatic areas: mind, body, economic empowerment, and engagement.
Through its 2012 grant program, WWP has now funded 33 different organizations, totaling more than $2.3 million.
“At WWP we know there are many great charities providing vital services to this generation of wounded veterans,” Nardizzi said. “Many of these groups have taken hits during these tough economic times and offer important specialized services while others provide local programming to underserved areas of the country.”
It is estimated over 48,000 servicemen and women have been physically injured in recent military conflicts, another 320,000 have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment, and as many as 400,000 additional service members live with the invisible wounds of war including combat-related stress, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
For more information, and a full list of the grant recipients, please visit http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/grants/grant-recipients.aspx.
About Wounded Warrior Project®
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and 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.