Our 2024 Coastal Virginia Magazine Giving Back Awards Spotlight on Veterans
Each year, Coastal Virginia Magazine presents the annual Giving Back Awards, designed to honor Coastal Virginia’s outstanding nonprofit organizations that give back to the local community.
The purpose of the Giving Back Awards is to showcase those nonprofit organizations that transform our communities and enrich our lives in a variety of ways with charitable or cultural missions or through partnerships and targeted initiatives.
For 2024, we are honoring organizations with a strong focus on or connection to military veterans. We are pleased to present our 10 picks for the 2024 Coastal Virginia Magazine Giving Back Awards—Spotlight on Veterans honorees
Selected by Coastal Virginia Magazine staff and contributors with input from local experts in the nonprofit sector, considerations for this year’s honorees included the strength and clarity of mission, contribution to the community and veteran connection. The selection process also reflects an effort to represent the diversity and breadth of the nonprofit organizations that give back in our region.
We encourage you to show you to contribute or volunteer for these organizations and others that support our military veterans during this season of giving and in honor of Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
—Coastal Virginia Magazine staff
Eggleston
For nearly 70 years, Eggleston has been providing education, training and employment for adults with disabilities. Their goal is to create a safe place for individuals with disabilities to engage and develop the necessary tools to live out their daily lives. They offer a variety of resources that are geared towards achieving this goal including residential, employment and supportive services.
Veteran Connection: Warrior Bridge, an Eggleston Resource, assists veterans with disabilities by connecting them to vital resources, services and employment. The Warrior Bridge program uses a person-centered approach to promote self-sufficiency through satisfying employment. Warrior Bridge is in a unique position to provide immediate employment to veterans through Eggleston’s multiple businesses. Warrior Bridge is dedicated to connecting veterans with disabilities to resources, support and sustained employment.
Learn how you can help at egglestonservices.org.
Hampton Roads Veterans Association
With an emphasis on youth development, the Hampton Roads Veterans Association’s mission is to promote patriotism, leadership development and moral responsibility. They develop meaningful partnerships with organizations sharing similar ideals and provide local youth with access to the proper resources and encouragement to become empowered and confident in their own abilities and fulfillment potential. Their outreach includes the facilitation of creative fundraising solutions and the leading of youth troops and packs.
Veteran connection: Made up of veteran volunteers, the Hampton Roads Veterans Association knows what it means to pledge an oath, to stand by their word and to take the action necessary to support a mission. Their members recognize the need for action amongst the youth in our community, and this drives them to make a positive impact every day.
Learn how you can help at hamptonroadsveterans.org.
Hampton Roads Workforce Council
The Hampton Roads Workforce Council (HRWC) is a special purpose unit of local government that oversees workforce development programs and initiatives for the cities of Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, Southampton and York. They provide strategic solutions designed to assist businesses in accessing qualified workers in search of job openings and training opportunities to bolster their earning potential.
Veteran Connection: One of many successful programs spearheaded by the HRWC, The Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Center, is a custom-configured employment engine that leverages revolutionary technology to fortify the job seeker experience for military spouses, student veterans, transitioning service members and those who have served in the United States military.
Learn how you can help at theworkforcecouncil.org.
The Mission Continues
The Mission Continues is a national nonprofit that empowers veterans to continue serving in our nation’s under-resourced communities even after the uniform comes off. Its programs deploy volunteers to work alongside nonprofit partners and community leaders to improve educational resources, tackle food insecurity, foster neighborhood identity and more. Age and accessibility accommodations can be made for any Mission Continues project. There is room for everyone to make an impact in their community.
Veteran Connection: The Hampton Roads Service Platoon is on a long-term mission to ensure the Hampton Roads area is a thriving community where everyone’s basic needs are met. Their projects are for all veterans with a desire to continue their service and for all non-veterans that want to be part of a nationwide movement to transform communities.
Learn how you can help at missioncontinues.org.
Mutts with a Mission
Mutts with a Mission provides specially trained service and assistance dogs to qualified veterans, wounded warriors, law enforcement officers, federal workers from agencies supporting the military or national security, and first responders at no cost to recipients. They are an Assistance Dogs International accredited organization and have maintained a 100% rating on Charity Navigator. Mutts with A Mission primarily trains service dogs for mobility and mental health disabilities.
Veteran Connection: Founder Brooke Corson was inspired by the impact that interactions with her dog Angus had on the soldiers during her mobilization at Fort Benning. Since 2009, Mutts with a Mission has been training and providing world class service dogs to veterans, wounded warriors and more in hopes of serving those who keep us free.
Learn how you can help at muttswithamission.org.
Operation Vets with Nets
Operation Vets with Nets is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military and retired service personnel and disabled veterans through cat and striper fishing, referred to by the organization as “reel therapy.” They provide a means of healing through an all-expense-paid freshwater fishing adventure.
Veteran Connection: Fishing’s combination of mental relaxation and physical accessibility can help those who suffer from PTSD. The goal of Operation Vets with Nets is to open the outdoors to active duty and retired service members as well as veterans with various disabilities, including those bound to a wheelchair, to the world of fishing. Vets with Nets is there for those in need, ready to give back to those who gave, all through the power of fishing.
Learn how you can help at operationvetswithnets.org.
Tidewater Winds
Tidewater Winds is the region’s premier concert band, comprised of 65 talented woodwind, brass and percussion musicians, many of them military veterans.The Mission of Tidewater Winds is to provide quality concert band programming. Through community partnerships and local initiatives, Tidewater Winds works to present musical performances, special projects and educational programming at the highest level of excellence while offering equity and inclusion for all audiences. They encourage education, socialization and unity through their musical programs.
Veteran Connection: Honoring the military is rooted in their Sousa band tradition, and every Tidewater Winds concert begins with the National Anthem and closes with service men and women on parade. They celebrate veterans with their Honor Wall, have partnered with Wounded Warriors, and offer military- and veteran-specialized programming and free concerts for families living in military housing.
Learn how you can help at tidewaterwinds.org.
Trails of Purpose
The mission of Trails of Purpose, whether through therapeutic horseback riding sessions or other healing services, is to support service members and their families in their fight to overcome the negative effects of trauma, transition and trials that result from their service in the military. Trails of Purpose provides a variety of services in both individual and group equine-assisted therapy and mental health counseling. They operate as a Certified Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International Center.
Veteran Connection: Their guaranteed free, 100% sponsored equine-assisted therapies and mental health counseling has been of service to more than 6,000 individuals since their founding in 2019. Founders Kyle and Kayla Arestivo seek to lay to rest the stigmatization of mental health treatment in the military and veteran community with a little help from man’s other best friend.
Learn how you can help at trailsofpurpose.com.
The Up Center
The Up Center offers confidential, client-centered therapy for a variety of short-to-medium term mental health issues including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, adjustment issues, anger, grief and loss, family issues, transition challenges, relationship problems, and children’s behavioral problems. Their skilled clinicians and staff are trained to provide culturally competent care to best address the issues faced by our military community. If a veteran, service member, or family member is in crisis, they will make every effort to schedule them the same day.
Veteran Connection: The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at The Up Center provides high quality, time sensitive mental health services to post-9/11 veterans and their families, regardless of their branch, role, discharge status or combat experience. Services are also available for active-duty service members and their families.
Learn how you can help at theupcenter.org.
Veteran’s HomeFront
Veteran’s HomeFront (VHF) is a Virginia-based nonprofit organization established with the aim of fostering a positive, enriching environment that will lead to improved quality of life for homeless, at-risk, and transitioning veterans in Hampton Roads and beyond. Their suicide prevention, homelessness intervention, transitional support, health and wellness, and peer recovery support initiatives are implemented by a team of passionate volunteers.
Veteran Connection: VHF seeks to bridge the gap for at-risk veterans by connecting them to a full continuum of resources and support including Vet2Vet programs, housing placements, employment opportunities, recreational activities, and other essential human services. They help save and improve the lives of veterans through ending homelessness, reducing the number of suicides and supporting our veteran and military population through any of their life transitions.
Learn how you can help at veteranshomefront.vet.
