Veterans' Mentor Group
Helping our Veterans get back to where they need and want to be.
Local Resources
Appleton Military Troop Support
The group was started in January 2003 by Jeanne Hollenhorst, a retired Lieutenant Colonel with the Army Reserve, who felt the need to reach out to other military families in the community. The group serves families who do not have access to the support groups that meet on military bases. It is not a political group, but a support group that gives members a place to go where people understand and where families can share ideas to help their loved ones and themselves.
Members of the group share communications from each military branch represented and organize special projects for those deployed. The group keeps informed of the latest resource information and also sends care packages and cards to the troops. Meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm at the VFW located at 501 N. Richmond St. in Appleton.
For referral to local resources:
Works through volunteers to assist people in crisis who have basic needs that cannot be met elsewhere. What does LEAVEN do? LEAVEN provides limited financial assistance to people who are struggling to meet their basic needs and have nowhere else to turn for help. In addition, we connect people to other resources in the community through referrals, advocacy and service coordination. We help with:
- Rent, mortgage payments and security deposits
- Utilities – including water, gas, electricity, propane and fuel oil
- Car repairs
- Health insurance premiums
- Gas vouchers, bus passes, diapers and toiletries
- Referrals for clothing and furniture
- Other basic necessities
LEAVEN’s help is typically immediate, short-term and emergency based.
Veteran Employment Assistance:
http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/veterans/
For OIF/OEF/OND Veterans needing assistance-USACares.org
American Legion Post 38 Appleton, WI
MilitaryOneSource - The Department of Defense’s Military OneSource provides trusted information, answers and support on every aspect of military life 24/7/365 — private non-medical counseling and a range of specialty consultations are available at no cost to active duty, National Guard, reserve service members (regardless of activation status), their families and survivors. Learn more at www.MilitaryOneSource.mil or call 800-342-9647
For assistance with Basic Needs-Fox Valley Veterans Council
SCORE (national) SCORE (Fox Valley Chapter)
SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. We have been doing this for over fifty years. Because our work is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and thanks to our network of 11,000+ volunteers, we are able to deliver our services at no charge or at very low cost.
Veterans Crisis Line
Connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1,chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The Vets4Warriors call center is staffed by Veterans who understand the unique challenges of military life. Support and resources are available to all Active Duty, National Guard, and Reserve Service members, as well as their families, 24/7, via phone, online chat, and email. The support provided is confidential and is not shared with the military or any other entity.
Vets4Warriors can be reached via phone at 855-838-8255, via online chat through http://www.vets4warriors.com, or emailing info@vets4warriors.com. For more information on the Vets4Warriors program, visithttp://www.vets4warriors.com. For more information on DSPO, visit http://www.suicideoutreach.org.
Volunteer Center of Northeast Wisconsin
Volunteer Center of East Central WI invites you to Get Connected! Call us to discuss volunteer opportunities or stop in to pick up a Volunteer Connection Book. If you have interest access, peruse all the needs in our community at http://getconnected.volunteercenter.net/
Ask about the RSVP 55+ Volunteer Program. RSVP is a federal program supporting older volunteers and focuses on veterans and their families. Call us at (920) 832-9360 in Appleton and (920) 830-3660 in Oshkosh.
Visit us at 2616 South Oneida Street, Appleton, WI 54915
Text "HOPELINE" to 741741. Because sometimes you just need someone to talk to...
HOPELINE is the first Emotional Support Text Line in the State of Wisconsin and provides service throughout the entire state. HOPELINE’s purpose is to offer emotional support and resources before situations rise to crisis level. Texts received reflect struggles with breakups, job loss, bullying, LGBTQ issues, parental issues, school, friends, relationship issues or any struggle a person is experiencing.
HOPELINE Text Line serves anyone in any type of situation, providing them access to free, 24/7 emotional support and information they need via the medium they already use and trust: text.
Someone texts into HOPELINE --- 741741 --- anywhere, anytime, about any type of challenge or struggle. A live, trained specialist receives the text and responds quickly. Each person that text in is important to us and we care about what they are dealing with.
PILOTS: Published International Literature On Traumatic Stress
This bibliographic database, covering the Published International Literature On Traumatic Stress, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its provides citations and abstracts to the international literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health sequelae of traumatic events.
Coverage: 1871 - current
Advocacy Groups
Mesothelioma Veterans Center – Helping Veterans with Mesothelioma
United States Military veterans make up over 30% of all patients with malignant mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos. Learn more about your benefit options with our VA-accredited claims agents, all free of charge.
Mesothelioma Guide is an advocacy organization dedicated to helping patients diagnosed with asbestos illnesses. They specialize in assisting patients in understanding which treatment options are best suited for their illness, as well as how to find the right doctors that provide those treatment options.
AM Vets
AM Vets endeavors to provide fellow veterans with the type of support they truly deserve. This outreach effort takes many forms, from the professional advice our service officers offer on earned veterans benefits, to our legislative efforts on Capitol Hill, to the work done by our hospital volunteers. AMVETS is the nation’s most-inclusive major veterans’ group, with membership open to anyone who has served honorably since WWII, including members of the Guard and Reserve.
DAV
DAV operates a fleet of vehicles around the country to provide free transportation to VA medical facilities for injured and ill veterans. The vans are driven by volunteers, and the rides coordinated by almost 200 Hospital Service Coordinators around the country. DAV Hospital Service Coordinator Directory can be found here.
A patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans.
Lone Survivor Foundation
The Lone Survivor Foundation restores, empowers, and renews hope for our wounded warriors and their families through health, wellness, and therapeutic support.
Vietnam Veterans of America
VVA’s goals are to promote and support the full range of issues important to Vietnam veterans, to create a new identity for this generation of veterans, and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans.
Virginia Wounded Warrior Program
The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program, part of the Department of Veteran Services, assists families of veterans with combat stress, stress relating to military service, and traumatic brain injuries, by providing necessary resources, support groups, community events, and access to familyofheroes.com. We meet with families at their homes or in the community to discuss their personal needs and what our program can offer them. VWWP has five regions throughout the state of Virginia
Financial Assistance
Annuity.org
Veterans and their families under the Veterans Pension and Survivors Pension benefit programs often do not know what options are available to them due to the complexity of annuities. Our site has information on the different types of annuities, the tax implications involved in owning one and how to handle a structured settlement.
Army Emergency Relief
AER is the Army’s own emergency financial assistance organization and is dedicated to “Helping the Army Take Care of Its Own.” AER provides commanders a valuable asset in accomplishing their basic command responsibility for the morale and welfare of soldiers
Coast Guard Foundation
A national nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of the men and women of the Coast Guard and their families. Founded more than 40 years ago, the Coast Guard Foundation provides education, support and relief for the brave men and women, who enforce maritime law, protect our homeland and preserve the environment.
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA)
The official relief society of the U.S. Coast Guard. CGMA is a non-profit charitable organization established to provide financial aid to the entire Coast Guard family. While CGMA works closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, it is an independent corporation. Its mission is to promote the financial stability and general well being of Coast Guard people through interest-free loans, grants, and financial counseling.
Hope For The Warriors
The mission of Hope For The Warriors® is to enhance the quality of life for post-9/11 service members, their families, and families of the fallen who have sustained physical and psychological wounds in the line of duty. Hope For The Warriors® is dedicated to restoring a sense of self, restoring the family unit, and restoring hope for our service members and our military families.
Luke’s Wings
Provides families of wounded warriors the means to visit their service member during hospitalization and rehabilitation. Luke’s Wings purchases the plane tickets and plans the trips, then Luke’s Wings partners with other non profit who can provide other services including, but not limited to, free or discounted accommodations, meals, entertainment, local travel vouchers, city tours, etc.
Making Home Affordable
To meet the various needs of homeowners across the country, Making Home Affordable ® programs offer a range of solutions that may be able to help you take action before it’s too late: Refinance and take advantage of today’s low mortgage interest rates, reduce your monthly mortgage payments, get mortgage relief while searching for re-employment, get help when you owe more than your home is worth, avoid foreclosure when homeownership is no longer affordable or desirable.
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society
Provides financial, educational, and other assistance to members of the US Navy, eligible family members, and survivors when in need. The Society provides assistance in the form of Interest-free loans and grants, scholarships, financial counseling, visiting nurses, and thrift stores.
Operation First Response
The mission of Operation First Response, Inc (OFR) is to serve all branches of our nation’s Wounded Heroes and their families with personal and financial needs. Services are provided from the onset of injuries or illness, throughout their recovery period and along their journey from military life to the civilian world.
Operation Homefront
Assists military families coping with deployment and injury recovery by providing emergency financial assistance to service members and their families as they take corrective action to resolve their financial situations.
Rebuild Hope
Rebuild Hope helps the families of severely disabled U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan overcome short term financial problems and build healthier, more stable lives. Rebuild Hope provides grants and no-interest loans, helps veterans develop realistic annual budgets, and offers complementary counseling and referral services.
Semper Fi Fund
The SFF provides relief for financial needs that arise during hospitalization and recovery as well as assistance for those with perpetuating needs. Our program provides support in a variety of ways including Service Member and Family Support, Specialized & Adaptive Equipment, Adaptive Housing, Adaptive Transportation, Education and Career Transition Assistance, PTSD and TBI Support, Team Semper Fi, and America’s Fund: a self-funded program administered by the Semper Fi Fund that currently assists those service members with catastrophic injuries in intensive care units at our nation’s military hospitals, regardless of what military branch they serve in.
Unmet Needs - by VFW
Unmet Needs assists with basic life needs such as: mortgage and rent, home and auto repairs, insurance, utilities, food and clothing. Unmet Needs helps meet unanticipated financial demands on our service members’ families that can’t be remedied through existing means and provides our service members with the security of knowing that their families have additional support here at home.
US Soldiers Foundation
The mission of the USSF is to provide additional services to our soldiers, veterans and their families which are not currently being provided. Support will include assistance for the housing needs of returning veterans. This aid will be in the form of low cost mortgages. In addition, insurance, medical, dental, psychological, spiritual, and financial assistance, job placement and education/training. The United States Soldiers Foundation will also employ many veterans in projects around the country.
VeteransPlus
Designed by Veterans and are delivered by Veterans to provide practical financial solutions geared to real life circumstances of current and former military personnel. Our counselors and educators have been where you are and they are dedicated to your success. In the often confusing atmosphere of stressful financial situations, our Veteran counselors can help break down communication barriers that might exist when Veterans discuss personnel finances with non Veterans
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to people who make $51,000 or less. They can inform taxpayers about special tax credits for which they may qualify such as Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Credit for the Elderly or the Disabled. VITA sites are generally located throughout the community and on many military installations. Check with your base legal office or family support center for more info.
Housing
VA Loan Center.net
has relationships with VA Loan Specialists at approved VA lenders who can originate home loans in all 50 states. These VA Loan Specialists are available in order to help eligible Veterans obtain VA Home Loan financing for the purchase or re-financing of their home. (This is not part of the VA, but it is a great service.)
Department of Veteran’s Affairs: Homelessness
There are many reasons Veterans can become homeless, including poverty, lack of support from family or friends, substance use, or mental health challenges that may develop or worsen as a result of trauma they experience while serving. VA is committed to meeting the needs of every Veteran. Comprehensive, individualized care including health care, housing assistance, job training, and education can help Veterans secure safe, stable housing and achieve self-sufficiency
Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Loan Guaranty Home Loan Program –
Everything you wanted to know about the VA’s home loan program is here.
Home Depot Foundation
is offering to conduct work projects on military members’ personal homes. They will provide the materials, labor and contractors. Projects will include repairs and installations. Members with priority include: wounded warriors returning from combat & disabled veterans, members returning from deployment, members with special needs (either themselves or family members).
MilitaryVALoan.com
is a financial resource portal for active duty military personnel and non-active duty military veterans. We specialize in providing information for veterans who are in need of the following types of loan services: No Down-payment Mortgage Loans, Mortgage Refinance Loans, Home Equity Loans, Personal Non-Mortgage Backed Loan and Auto Loans. (This is not part of the VA, but it is a great service.)
US Soldier Foundation
The mission of the USSF is to provide additional services to our soldiers, veterans and their families which are not currently being provided. Support will include assistance for the housing needs of returning veterans. This aid will be in the form of low cost mortgages. In addition, insurance, medical, dental, psychological, spiritual, and financial assistance, job placement and education/training. The United States Soldiers Foundation will also employ many veterans in projects around the country.
United Veterans Beacon House
To provide temporary and permanent residence for U.S. Military Veterans. To Provide emergency, temporary and permanent residence for men, women and women with children.
US Veterans Initiative
USVETS is the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of comprehensive services to homeless and at-risk veterans, providing vital services such as case management, employment assistance, job placement, counseling, as well as drug- and alcohol-free housing.
VA Home Loan
VA offers a variety of home loan guaranty programs for Active Duty Service members, Veterans, and National Guard and Reserve members. Purchase Loans help you purchase a home at a competitive interest rate often without requiring a downpayment or private mortgage insurance. Cash Out Refinance loans allow you to take cash out of your home equity to take care of concerns like paying off debt, funding school, or making home improvements.
Victory Village Amador – Amador County Veterans Organization
Our duty is to serve those who have served our great nation. To facilitate Veterans Services for our service members, veterans, and families. To streamline access to Veterans housing, employment, healthcare and training. In support of our Military and Families, we are bridging the gap from military service to civilian life.
Jobs
CareerOneStop – Veterans ReEmployed
Helps match your military skills to a civilian career with information about unemployment benefits, jobs, and transition assistance.
Department of Veteran Affairs: VetSuccess & Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Services
VetSuccess.gov is a comprehensive one-stop site for Veteran and Servicemember employment needs. Veterans can browse job listings, post resumes, and apply for positions directly on the site. Employers can post jobs, view Veteran resumes, and receive job applications
TheVR&E is sometimes referred to as the Chapter 31 program. This program assists Veterans with service-connected disabilities to prepare for, find, and keep suitable jobs. For Veterans with service-connected disabilities so severe that they cannot immediately consider work, this program offers services to improve their ability to live as independently as possible.
eBenefits Career Center
To equip service members in transition and veterans with opportunities to translate their military skills into careers in the public and private sectors.
Elevate America for Veterans
Elevate America, created by Microsoft, incorporates a number of online and in-person training programs to help veterans and their spouses successfully transition from the military to civilian employment.
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veteran Families
The EBV-F program integrates training in small business management, with caregiver and family issues, positioning the family member to launch and grow a small business in a way that is complementary or enhancing to other family responsibilities.
The EBV offers cutting edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities resulting from their service to our country.
F7 Group
An organization dedicated to securing and providing resources, training, support and mentoring to Female Veterans and Women in Military Service, both IN and BESIDE the uniform. F7 recognizes and believes in the courage, value and abilities of the women who serve our country in many different capacities. Some serve in uniform, and some are the support system for our military personnel.
Feds Hire Vets
In partnership with the Departments of Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and other Federal agencies, our vision is that this Website will be the preeminent source for Federal employment information for our Veterans, transitioning service members, their families, Federal HR professionals and hiring managers.
GI Jobs
G.I. Jobs magazine is the premier publication for military transitions. It provides education, transition assistance, and job opportunities for military transitioners looking for careers and employment.
Hero 2 Hired
We know that searching for a new job is a big undertaking. That’s why Hero2Hired (H2H) was created: to make it easy for Reserve Component service members to connect to and find jobs with military-friendly companies. H2H also offers career exploration tools, military-to-civilian skills translations, education and training resources, as well as a mobile app. Support for H2H is provided through the Department of Defense’s Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.
Honor Courage Commitment
HCC’s programs focus on entrepreneurship, education, social responsibility, community services, health and fitness, and job placement. HCC provides veterans with expert training and proper guidance as they work towards their goals.
Our company-wide military hiring program, Hire Our Heroes SM, ... and the security services industry is an ideal career for transitioning military.
My Next Move
This interactive tool helps vets learn about their career options. The site has tasks, skills, salary information, job listings, and more for over 900 different careers. Veterans can find careers through keyword search; by browsing industries that employ different types of workers; or by discovering civilian careers that are similar to their job in the military. Veterans can also take advantage of the O*NET Interest Profiler, a tool that offers personalized career suggestions based on a person’s interests and level of work experience.
National Resource Directory
The NRD hosts the Veterans Job Bank, a central resource for Veterans that provides quick and easy access to thousands of public and private sector job openings.
Occupational Outlook Handbook – from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Profiles hundreds of occupations and describe What They Do, Work Environment, How to Become One, Pay, and more. Each profile also includes BLS employment projections for the 2010–20 decade.
Operation Warfighter
Are you an active duty wounded, ill or injured Service member looking for an internship opportunity?
Operation Warfighter (OWF) is a Department of Defense internship program that matches qualified wounded, ill and injured Service members with non-funded federal internships in order for them to gain valuable work experience during their recovery and rehabilitation. This process assists with the Service members’ reintegration to duty, or transition into the civilian work environment where they are able to employ their newly acquired skills in a non-military work setting.
TAOnline
The largest source of military transition assistance information and jobs for today’s veterans
Troops to Teachers
Troops to Teachers is a U.S. Department of Education and Department of Defense program that helps eligible military personnel begin a new career as teachers in public schools where their skills, knowledge and experience are most needed.
USA JOBS
The U.S. Government’s official system/program for Federal jobs and employment information.
VA for Vets
VA for Vets facilitates the reintegration, retention and hiring of Veteran employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). We offer career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. VA for Vets is your gateway to a rewarding career serving our nation’s Veterans.
Veterans eMentor Program
This program leverages the internet to create a dynamic information sharing, learning and support community that extends far beyond the veteran’s current network. Protégés can receive personalized career guidance, advice, support and inspiration from more experienced veterans, career mentors and veteran-friendly employers.
Veteran Employment Center (Military.com)
In 2004, Military.com joined forces with Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW) to accelerate our growth and change the playing field for career and educational opportunities for service members, veterans and military spouses. Monster’s vision is bringing people together to advance their lives, which is a great fit with Military.com’s “members first” ethos and goal of connecting the military community to all the benefits of service.
Veteran Employment Toolkit
Our aim is to help employers, managers and supervisors, human resource professionals, and employee assistance program (EAP) providers relate to and support their employees who are Veterans and members of the Reserve and National Guard.
Veterans Fast Launch Initiative (SCORE)
Providing veterans and active duty military members – plus spouses and members of their immediately family — with FREE or significantly discounted resources for starting businesses, such as computer software and business services, training in how to start and how to grow a successful/profitable business, and SCORE’s mentoring program where Fast Launch participants will be assigned a knowledgeable and highly experienced mentor to guide them every step of the way.
Veteran Staffing Network
As a non-profit organization focusing on the individual needs of employers and veterans. Veteran Staffing provides the best personal match for each position and the support our nation’s veterans need to successfully transition back to the civilian world.
VetJobs
VetJobs is available to assist ALL members of “The United States Military Family”. This includes Officer and Enlisted, Active Duty, Transitioning Military, Reservists, Veterans, Retirees, of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Merchant Marine, National Guard, Navy, NOAA and Public Health Service along with Trailing Spouses, Eligible Former Spouses, Widows, Widowers and Dependents and DOD civilians.
VetLaunched
VetLaunced is helping veterans and transitioning military start and grow their businesses using the best tools and resources on any budget.
VA Benefits
Department of Veterans Affairs: Caregiver Support
VA knows your focus as a Family Caregiver is taking care of the Veteran you love. It can be an incredibly demanding job, and we want you to know you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more about the support and services VA offers Family Caregivers by reading the descriptions and following the links on this page.
Department of Veteran Affairs: GI Bill
You are hard working, but hard work alone is not always enough to succeed in today’s job market. To go with that hard work, you need a plan. Together, we can help by providing you with one-on-one vocational and personal counseling. Together we can determine what educational and career opportunities are best suited for you. Combining your hard work with an in-depth skill profile and up-to-date career path information will launch you towards success you want and deserve in your career.
Department of Veteran Affairs: Health Benefits
If you served in the active military, naval or air service and are separated under any condition other than dishonorable, you may qualify for VA health care benefits.
Department of Veteran Affairs: Pension Benefits
VA helps Veterans and their families cope with financial challenges by providing supplemental income through the Veterans Pension benefit. Veterans Pension is a tax-free monetary benefit payable to low-income wartime Veterans. Generally, a Veteran must have at least 90 days of active duty service, with at least one day during a wartime period to qualify for a VA Pension. If you entered active duty after September 7, 1980, generally you must have served at least 24 months or the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions), with at least one day during a wartime period.
Department of Veteran Affairs: Vet Centers
Vet Centers are community based and part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The goal of the Vet Center program is to provide a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to eligible veterans in order to help them make a satisfying post-war readjustment to civilian life. Vet Center eligibility was extended to the family members of veterans. Vet Centers have been authorized to furnish bereavement counseling services to surviving parents, spouses, children and siblings of service members who die of any cause while on active duty, to include federally activated Reserve and National Guard personnel.
Veterans Crisis Line
Connects Veterans in crisis and their families and friends with qualified, caring Department of Veterans Affairs responders through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. Veterans and their loved ones can call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1,chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Other Organizations
Welcome Home Veterans-Living Military Museum at Bob's Coffee Shop
Mooresville, NC
What started out... as a little shop named Pat's Gourmet Coffee Shop, named in honor of his wife, became much more. It became a "Living" Military Museum, named in honor of the man who spent the last 14 years of his life honoring and supporting America's Veterans. It was owned and operated by Richard Warren, a U.S. Army, Vietnam Huey gunship pilot, callsign "Mustang 53".