Statistically, fewer casualties occur in combat now than any other time in history. Unfortunately, however, many soldiers face massive challenges here at home following combat tours, including tremendous difficulties when trying to reintegrate into civilian life, psychological injuries such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), high rates of unemployment, and oftentimes, homelessness and drug and alcohol addiction.

In recent months, senior leadership from The Denver Foundation has had the opportunity to learn about the great skills and talents, as well as some of the issues affecting active duty military members, returning veterans, their families, and the families of the fallen. Initial conversations on the subject were led by Colonel David Sutherland, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - Warrior and Family Support at The Department of Defense. To emphasize the importance of community collaboration and participation, Sutherland shared a recent publication from the Joint Chiefs of Staff entitled “Sea of Goodwill.” The publication exemplifi es how successful societal reintegration requires linked and integrated approaches by the community in order to empower veterans and their families to live more productive and successful lives. 

After hearing from Sutherland, Denver Foundation President David Miller and Vice President Lauren Casteel brought me in, as part of my assignment as a Second Year Fellow at El Pomar Foundation, to conduct preliminary research specific to the veterans who reside in the Metro Denver Area.  Visit www.denverfoundation.org for the research paper. The findings of the research highlighted some of the unmet needs of veterans, the importance for further communication among local organizations, and the need for a common resource directory.

Currently, The Denver Foundation is developing a partnership with The Warrior Gateway www.WarriorGateway.org). Warrior Gateway is a nonprofit that connects individuals in the military community with organizations and programs (non-profit, government, educational or employment-related) in their neighborhood that are there to support them. Warrior Gateway, and its G.I. Network program, harnesses state-of-the art technology and community collaboration to help today’s veterans make better decisions about what service providers they can go to for help, and have a public forum to share their experiences about the quality and effectiveness of those services.  The innovative G.I. Network technology will be available through The Denver Foundation’s website. 

The Denver Foundation hopes that with access to relevant data specifi c to military veterans, the Metro Denver community can collaborate to build upon the efforts already in place. 

For more information on The Denver Foundation’s work with veterans, contact Lauren Casteel at 303-300-1790.  To learn more about Warrior Gateway, visit www.warriorgateway.org or email at nathalia.magri@warriorgateway.org.