Corporate Partners Join Forces with Wounded Warrior Project to Improve the Lives of Injured Veterans
Every day, Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) strives to support injured veterans, service members, and their families through its free life-changing programs and services. WWP’s vision to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in our nation’s history wouldn’t be achievable without the help of our corporate partners.
In February, WWP™’s corporate partners from across the country gathered for the 2024 WWP Corporate Partner Summit. This event is dedicated to helping educate partners on the impact of their collaboration and support. In addition, the event helps update its partners on the impact of their support and provides an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded companies to achieve greater impact.
“Wounded Warrior Project’s Corporate Partners Summit continues to be an effective tool for our corporate partners to gather together annually to collaborate, learn best practices from each other, and gain an understanding of WWP’s organizational objectives for the coming year,” said WWP’s Corporate Partnerships Director Wally Edwards. “Our partners are essential to Wounded Warrior Project’s ability to fund the many lifesaving programs that we offer warriors and their families. Partners leave the summit with a better understanding of how they can work together to continue to support WWP mission to empower wounded warriors.”
Understanding the Impact of Partnership
During an interactive warrior panel, corporate partners learned firsthand how their support is helping empower and engage injured veterans.
“It brings your employees closer together. It gives them a mission,” wounded warrior and Marine Corps veteran Sal Gonzalez said about those who work for WWP’s corporate partners. “It puts them on a team that goes above what they do every day. That camaraderie builds into stronger partnerships, stronger connections in your own organizations, and ultimately, a stronger organization as a whole.”
WWP’s corporate giving program allows companies to help the organization to provide crucial mental health wellness, physical health and wellness, financial education, peer support, and much more to our nation’s wounded veterans, including once-in-a-lifetime opportunities they may not otherwise have.
Army veteran Lisa Crutch was one of the wounded warriors surprised with tickets to the 2023 Super Bowl by the NFL and was able to see her favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles, on football’s biggest stage.
“Just the whole idea that the NFL would do something like that for me, it’s amazing,” Lisa said at this year’s summit, which was attended by representatives from the NFL. “It really is something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. Something like that doesn’t happen every day to people like me.”
The Importance of Giving Back
| 2024 WWP Corporate Partner Impact Award Winners |
| Corporate Partner of the Year: USAA |
| Best Event Activation: CSX Corporation (Drone Program) |
| Storyteller of the Year - Mission Amplification: National Football League |
| Rookie of the Year: NCS Vehicle Donations |
Corporate partners in attendance shared their experiences partnering with WWP, why serving the veteran community is necessary, and the importance of giving back.
“It is important for my company to support the veteran community because it is the right thing to do,” said David Caruth, Global Operations lead for Verizon’s V.A.L.O.R. (Verizon’s military/ veteran employee resource group). “Veterans signed a blank check with their lives to defend our great nation, and while a simple thank you can do a lot for a veteran, showing our gratitude through volunteering, hiring, and exclusive discounts off our products and services is a way we can do that just a bit further.”
Many corporate partners supporting WWP, including those at the summit, see the partnership as a way to thank and honor wounded warriors, support their communities, and reinforce their company objectives.
“Veterans have made significant sacrifices in serving their country, often putting their lives on the line,” said Brandon Brown, vice president of marketing at SnugZ USA. “Supporting them is a way to show gratitude and respect for their service and the sacrifices they've made. Supporting veterans also aligns with our corporate social responsibility initiatives, demonstrating a commitment to giving back to the community and supporting those who have served their country.”
Through corporate partnerships, WWP expands its reach and connects more veterans with services and each other.
Benefits of Partnership
With the collaboration and support of corporate partners, WWP strives to ensure that when those who serve come home, they’re afforded every opportunity to be as successful as civilians as they were in the military.
WWP supports its corporate partners by helping:
- Align missions.
- Showcase tangible impact.
- To hire, engage, and retain veteran employees.
- Convey the message of strong purpose and an eagerness to give back.
Ensuring these goals and objectives are met creates multifaceted partnerships that have significantly impacted warriors and their families. It also helps to develop meaningful partnerships that stand the test of time.
“My biggest takeaway from the Corporate Partners Summit was the valuable insights I was able to obtain through collaborative conversations with other partners as they shared their stories of success, ways around potential internal and external roadblocks, and all-around ideas that sprouted from dialogue,” David said.
Corporate partnerships allow both WWP and companies to make the most impact, not only for the more than 250,000 warriors and family members WWP already serves but for future veterans and service members and those who support them.
“Obviously, my favorite part was to be around all of my favorite people from Wounded Warrior Project,” Brandon said about attending the summit. "It also was beneficial to hear what other corporate sponsors do within their organizations, what kind of events are working, and collaborating on how we can even work together in the future.”
The Annual Warrior Survey shows the needs of wounded warriors are still great, especially regarding mental health and financial wellness.
“Through my whole recovery, Wounded Warrior Project has been a part of my life,” said Sal, one of WWP’s longtime warriors.
With continued support from corporate partners and new support, WWP can fulfill its mission to honor and empower even more wounded warriors.
Contact: — Paris Moulden, Public Relations, pmoulden@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.570.7910
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.