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Don't Regret Help a VET!

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Dear Friends, 


Let me introduce myself. My name is Brian Bonney.  I am a disabled Veteran and I became the founder and CEO of AVet4AVet this week.  AVet4AVet is a non-profit organization who mission is to provide free services to Veteran's and their families.  I reside in Michigan and this state is dead last in the utilization of Veteran's Benefits.  The Million Man March started with one man and his idea to bring about change.  AVet4AVet will do the same.      

I humbly request your support of this grass roots movement that I am starting.  AVet4AVet will provide a number of services free to Veterans. Not one red penny will leave a client's pocket and enter the coffers of AVet4AVet. This, alone, separates us from the other organizations that are sucking up cash because "Veteran is Vogue". It isn't easy for me to ask for help. This is very humbling. I wouldn't if I wasn't so passionate about this. Please don't feel obligated. Only get involved if you believe in what this organization will accomplish. I am confident of one thing. AVet4AVet will succeed. I am prepared for the nay sayers and the many challenges ahead. Around every corner will be a new obstacle. I am prepared. There will be a number of no's for every yes. I just have to get to the next yes. There won't be anything as challenging as dealing with the Veteran's Administration. Dealing with them is absolutely ridiculous. You can't even leave a message anymore. They just tell you to call back when they aren't quite so busy. I have yet to find that time yet. I can't fathom what it would be like for our lower enlisted and their families. What a burden they must bear. Michigan is dead last in utilization of Veteran's benefits, and I know why.

AVet4AVet will be the one stop shop for everything Veteran in Michigan. Michigan won't be last very long. That is a great metric to start with.

You can make a donation by going to PayPal, and contributing to [email redacted]. You can also send a check in my name to PO Box 352, Nashville, MI 49073. Or you can simply pass this on to as many contacts as you can. You can also do both! This is a legitimate non-profit. There will be an IRS Form 1023 on file with the IRS for the current tax year. All donations are tax deductible.

I have the financial resources to meet my family's needs, however, I can't absorb the cost of starting this project. I will not be taking any compensation. I just seek help with the start up costs.

Here are the costs I need help covering to give you some examples. There is a conference of the "National Organization of Veteran's Associates, Inc. (www.vetadvocates.com) 18-21 April 2013 in Washington DC. This is my first step in becoming accredited by the Veteran's Administration as an Advocate. I need assistance in covering the travel costs associated with this event. I need to become a certified "Peer to Peer Support Specialist". All costs associated with a quality website. The fees associated with filing the documents required (IRS Form 1023). There are Non-Profit Periodicals that are vital to our success. I need a telephone line available for Veteran inquiries. I need a fax machine to send requests and receive documents from Veterans, and various agencies I will be dealing with directly. In addition, any other direct costs associated with the start up of this organization.

Grants will be a large part of our initial funding. One of the vital components to a grant request is answering the question; "How will you sustain your organization in the future"? More grants is an unacceptable answer. I have several ways I believe we can produce income without raping Veterans. One of them is to go to the organizations that tout themselves as supporters of Veterans. The Executive Board and Steering Committee will help me hammer them all out.

I am not starting this thing on my own. I have other like-minded individuals that are willing to get involved. They haven't the time to dedicate themselves full time. I will be the face of AVet4AVet for the time being. The Executive Board, Steering Committee, By-Laws, Constitution, Mission, Vision, and Values will all be in place by June 19th. If I have kept your interest thus far, thanks for the support.

Since the decision was made that I would be retiring from the Army, I have been at a loss on what to do with myself when I grow up. Nothing has stuck. At every turn I end up back at helping Veterans. A week ago, the Veteran's Administration denied my request for education benefits. Because my VA retirement can take up to 18 months to process, I am stuck in limbo land. I didn't get angry nor did I get frustrated, my future just became clear. You see the Veteran's Administration is helping. They helped me determine my future. Two individuals in my inner circle didn't think it to be the right road anyways. I believe this to be a calling and something I am passionate about. I currently mentor two Veterans in Veterans Court in East Lansing. I absolutely love it! Am I making a difference? Maybe. I know it is helping this Veteran out.

In one of my stays at the VA hospital in Battle Creek, they assigned me as a mentor to a Vietnam Veteran through a part of the program. You see he was about to be reunited with his daughter he had abandoned 42 years prior. He was falling behind and needed to complete the program for him to be able to travel to Denver, Colorado and be reunited with his family. He found his daughter on Facebook! I will call him Joe to protect his identity. During his second tour in Vietnam, he went on a patrol and was the point man. Everyone felt comfortable when he was in the lead. Sergeant Joe knew his stuff. While on the mission the 17 individuals that accompanied him died in an ambush. Sergeant Joe was the only survivor of the attack. Upon return from Vietnam, he found it impossible to face his wife and 3 children. Why? He took responsibility for the death of those 17 comrades and the grief that their families were enduring. The men that he led that day can't enjoy their families so he couldn't either. He took to the streets of Detroit and tried every way possible to punish himself. Today, Joe has a new lease on life. I want to provide others that new lease on life. There is no higher purpose than helping your fellow man.

Again, if you feel as if this is something you believe in, get behind it. Make a donation by going to PayPal and contributing to [email redacted]. Or send a check in my name to PO Box 352, Nashville, MI 49073. Or simply pass this on to as many contacts that you can. You can do both! This is a legitimate non-profit. There will be an IRS Form 1023 on file with the IRS for the current tax year. All donations are tax deductible.

After I got out of high school, I had a job interview. I was promised 6 figures! I dressed in my Sunday best and showed up. It was peddling Kirby Vacuum Cleaners. Before they let us go for lunch, they asked us to think of all the family and friends we had that had carpet in their house. After lunch we were going to turn those names into leads. Needless to say, I didn't come back. I couldn't do it. I didn't believe in it. But this I do. Once I get the website up, you can follow our progress on the blog. I will share all the trials and tribulations of this journey I embarked on. Thanks for caring.

All My Best,

Brian

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    • 10 yrs
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