Wounded Warrior Project Supporter Raises Community Spirit, Awareness for Veterans’ Needs
Dawn (Morrison) Blue has a win-win formula for helping veterans and small businesses in her Ohio community. The former firefighter is passionate about giving veterans the tools they need to make a successful transition to civilian life. Her efforts are blazing paths for local businesses to support warriors and uplift the community, as well.
When the COVID-19 pandemic restricted her 2020 fundraising efforts, Dawn found ways to meet her commitment to veterans and support Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP), while also bolstering local businesses. Her initiative is paying off.
“Dawn’s fundraiser stands out because it has a clear mission to help veterans,” local business owner Tom Koosed said. “She also augments my monetary investment through priceless community engagement.”
Dawn is doing that in three ways: First, she promotes sponsors of her fundraiser via her social media accounts. Second, she shows small business owners how to use video, social media tools, and Google to promote their businesses throughout the year. Third, she introduces like-minded business owners to each other in hopes they will forge partnerships and help one another.
“I offer local business owners who get behind the cause of supporting veterans an opportunity to have their voice heard,” Dawn said.
“In addition to empowering small business owners to take control of their marketing, I’m also hoping to educate them and their customers about the needs of veterans and the services they can receive through Wounded Warrior Project,” she said.
Dawn’s innovative approach to community involvement earned her a spot among finalists for the Community Volunteer of the Year from the Wadsworth (Ohio) Area Chamber of Commerce. More than two dozen businesses have signed on to help Dawn raise money for veterans. And those who have worked with Dawn are not surprised she’s being recognized for her efforts.
“Dawn is proactive, and a community member who wants to do something like this makes a good impression,” said Tom, owner of Thurber’s Jewelers in Wadsworth, and a Vietnam-era Marine veteran. Tom, whose son served in the Army, admits to having a “soft spot for veterans.” He helped with Dawn’s fundraiser in 2019 and has offered to match up to $2,000 in donations this year.
“I noticed she’s doing more to focus on small businesses and get involved with our collective well-being,” Tom said. “I get asked to help with many fundraisers, and this is different because it’s about people looking to help people.”
A Life Rebuilt on Helping Others
Dawn’s support for veterans is rooted in her admiration for her father and uncle, both of whom served during the Vietnam War. Because of that, she has a strong sense of veterans’ needs after they return home. As a former firefighter, she also understands the ongoing needs of first responders, and a devotion to duty. Having overcome illness and loss, she’s a fighter who is ready to rebuild a life in service of others.
“My life has been like Chutes and Ladders – up and down while constantly being turned around in different directions,” Dawn said. She’s beaten cancer, shifted careers, went through divorce, and lost two children in a car wreck.
“I felt lost and alone in my grief for a long time,” Dawn recalled. “I had to make a choice to either hand in the towel or find new purpose in life to keep me going.”
That’s when Dawn pulled from her experiences growing up as a child of a Vietnam veteran and observing the challenges that generation faced. In advocating for veterans, she brings empathy, compassion, and innovation.
“My purpose is to help everyone I can to never feel alone, hopeless, or experience the pain I endured,” Dawn said. “Each life is special and to wake up every day is a gift.”
That resonates with WWP’s goals and programs that let veterans know they are not alone.
“I was impressed by the resources Wounded Warrior Project offers,” Dawn said. “If they don’t have it in-house, they direct you to the right resources and give you options.”
Raising the Bar
Her personal fundraising challenge in 2021 is to run a 5x4x84. She started at midnight on Thursday, Sept. 30 and by Sunday will run 5 miles every four hours for a total of 84 miles. A group of about 100 friends and supporters from the community will accompany her at different points during the event. She has invited sponsors and friends to the finale on Sunday at Wadsworth High School. It will be a time to celebrate people coming together to help others.
“I want the community to be known for its support of each other and for embracing veterans,” Dawn said. “My goal is to have Wadsworth be known as a humanitarian city, to have every business educated on the services that Wounded Warrior Project offers which can help their current employees, and to have them team up to help give veterans jobs. My vision is to have veterans see us as a haven to relocate, live, work, and raise their families.”
Dawn is well into her goal of raising $10,000 this year. That’s enough to send more than 40 warriors to a WWP connection event, which can reintroduce injured veterans to unique bonds experienced in the military. Warriors and their families never pay a penny for any WWP program or service; they already paid their dues on the battlefield.
Join Dawn in supporting veterans and learn more about the programs and services WWP provides.
Contact: Raquel Rivas — Public Relations, rrivas@woundedwarriorproject.org, 904.426.9783
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.