Partnership Connects Military Spouses, Caregivers with Employment Services

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) announces a grant in support of a collaborative effort between Blue Star Families, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes initiative, and Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) to connect military spouses and caregivers with employment services.  

This $225,000 grant will enable these groups to provide military spouses and caregivers meaningful employment opportunities by:

• Connecting participants in Blue Star Families' Spouse and Caregivers Careers Program with Hiring Our Heroes Career Summits.
• Connecting Blue Star Families veterans and families with Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Economic Empowerment Zones to address employment challenges for military spouses, caregivers, and their families.
• Leveraging MFAN's expertise in building connections to local resources and enabling advisory board members to participate in Blue Star Families and Hiring Our Heroes events.

Military spouses and veteran caregivers face unique career challenges. They are employed at lower rates and earn less than their civilian counterparts. Military life comes with frequent moves, operational deployments, and long hours away that impose significant stress on families. Additionally, military bases are frequently located in areas with poor labor markets. These conditions negatively impact employment opportunities for military spouses.

"For some caregivers and spouses of transitioning service members, and veterans, there are significant economic challenges relating to employment and economic security," said WWP CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington. "RAND research shows when military spouses and caregivers feel financially secure, whether through availability of resources or employment opportunities, the quality of life improves for everyone in that household, including the service members in their lives. We're proud to work alongside organizations affecting positive change at the grassroots level through economic empowerment initiatives that assist our nation's military families and caregivers."

"As we enter the eighteenth year of America's longest-running war, it is unacceptable that our nation's military spouses and caregivers are facing a battle on the home front to carve out economic opportunity and financial stability for themselves and their families," said Eric Eversole, president of Hiring Our Heroes, and vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Hiring Our Heroes is proud to work alongside Blue Star Families and the Military Family Advisory Network on the collaborative efforts made possible through this grant."

"Military families tell BSF their struggles through the Blue Star Families annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey," said Kathy Roth-Douquet, BSF Chief Executive Officer. "Just as civilian families want dual incomes, so do actively serving families and this partnership is one way we're fostering stronger communities to mitigate isolation, lend support, and increase employment opportunities for spouses."

"There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for military spouse employment," said Shannon Razsadin, MFAN's executive director. "MFAN is grateful for Wounded Warrior Project's leadership and the opportunity to collaborate with these organizations to promote employment programs and events through our diverse network."

To learn more about how these partnerships are transforming the way America's injured veterans and military families are empowered, employed, and engaged in our communities, visit https://wwp.news/Newsroom.

About Wounded Warrior Project
Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project^® (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers – helping them achieve their highest ambition. Learn more: https://newsroom.woundedwarriorproject.org

About Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families builds communities that support military families by connecting research and data to programs and solutions, including career development tools, local community events for families, and caregiver support. Since its inception in 2009, Blue Star Families has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers and serves more than 1.5 million military family members. With Blue Star Families, military families can find answers to their challenges anywhere they are. For more information, visit bluestarfam.org.

About Hiring Our Heroes
Established in 2011, Hiring Our Heroes is a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vast network of state and local chambers and other strategic partners from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, Hiring Our Heroes has helped hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment through more than 1,200 job fairs in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and on military installations overseas; a suite of free online career-based resources; and the Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation is dedicated to strengthening America's long-term competitiveness. We educate the public on the conditions necessary for business and communities to thrive, how business positively impacts communities, and emerging issues and creative solutions that will shape the future.

About Military Family Advisory Network  
The Military Family Advisory Network is a nonprofit dedicated to building a community of military and veteran families at home and abroad who are well-informed about the resources designed to serve them, equipped with tools for success, connected to leaders who serve the military family community and embraced by the public. To learn more about MFAN, visit https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.militaryfamilyadvisorynetwork.org&d=DwIGaQ&c=2vhW1MYQCvZwe9m5WbT5DIUKj7Xn8PK9BVlgFYB8l5E&r=kQlCjwDr5WUlxNvCQOFDlQ4PW2fhEXO-wcpKHSs3bAnUH-TuoHAl33Jg7RiWUUq8&m=Ggx_i_0o_DPc5wrrsHAqYd_Ap7r-klF2psjvJvVXdNU&s=zuNpdwP1efxSrOCTW0IsINE9iGwlqy-OfsD5h0TyTp4&e=

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project