<div><strong>Supporting Disabled American Veterans: "Our Turn To Serve The Ones That Served Us"</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Disabled American Veterans (DAV) </strong>has spent more than a century standing tall with America’s injured heroes. From its early days of advocacy to help World War I Veterans not face their war injuries alone, to its current mission of direct assistance on a national scale, the DAV has been steadfast in the mission to help veterans of every generation access the support and benefits they’ve earned.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, DAV’s long history of service is a powerful reminder that the freedoms we hold dear have been protected by generations of men and women in uniform who were willing to sacrifice it all for the generations to come. Honoring veterans requires more than gratitude; it requires action.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/105488865_1783166959834824_r.jpg" width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Challenges Faced by Veterans</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Veterans in the United States face many challenges at a disproportionate rate compared to non-veterans. These issues are not always visible, but they can have a major impact on a veteran’s life. Some of the most common challenges include mental health struggles, substance abuse, homelessness, physical disabilities, and difficulty adjusting to life after service.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>According to the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge, 30 percent of veterans have disabilities due to injuries or conditions connected to their service. Among post-9/11 veterans, it is estimated that 300,000 have psychological wounds such as PTSD or traumatic brain injuries. In addition, more than 48,000 veterans are homeless. Other statistics show the emotional impact many veterans experience after returning home. Almost half of veterans report feeling like they do not belong in their own home, and 84 percent feel that the general public does not have enough awareness of the issues veterans face.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/105488865_1783168593467408_r.jpg" width="100%" />
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>These statistics show not only the scope of the problems veterans experience, but also how unsupported many of them can feel after serving. This is especially heartbreaking when we consider how much they have sacrificed to protect and serve our country. Just as it was their duty to protect us, we should also feel a responsibility to support and protect them. We can do this by spreading awareness, listening to their experiences, and supporting programs that help veterans adjust to life after service. Veterans deserve to feel welcomed, valued, and safe in the communities they worked so hard to defend.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>DAV In Action</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Naomi Mathis was a 23-year-old single mother when she left her job as an administrative assistant and enlisted in the Air Force. She was looking for a career that would provide security for her kids and give her a sense of purpose, which is exactly what she found through service to her country. But after three deployments—two to Kuwait and one to Baghdad—war had taken its toll on her.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Haunted by the sounds of bombs and gunfire, and the grief of losing friend and colleague Staff Sergeant Patrick Griffin Jr. who was killed in a convoy, Mathis found transitioning to civilian life to be a daunting experience; she felt lost outside of her military life.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>“I began to feel like I didn’t belong in my own skin,” says Mathis. “I started hearing booms that didn’t exist, seeing tracer rounds that weren’t there. I was very fearful for my children and their safety, but I wasn’t really being very empathetic with them on much of anything. I wasn’t able to connect with them anymore.”
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>She began looking for a job that was in the government sector. She needed security for her kids and felt that working for the government would provide that. But it wasn’t until Mathis began working as a benefits advocate with DAV that she truly felt she could be a mom again. She realized she could make a profound difference in the lives of her fellow veterans, helping them receive the benefits they’ve earned.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>“I love when someone says, ‘You haven’t seen this one before.’ I take the stance of, not only have I seen it, I’ve lived it. Now let’s get you through it. I can help walk you through this mess,’” says Mathis. “It gives me a chance to encourage them too. There’s been many tears shed in my office.”
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Through her work with DAV, Mathis helps members who are fresh out of military service as well as veterans who have been out for a while and still need assistance in filing for benefits, and that’s meaningful to her.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>“This means the world to me,” says Mathis. “I’m a Puerto Rican combat veteran from New York. Whether it be a World War II veteran that needs an increase in his evaluation for hearing loss, a 40-year-old retiree that worked behind a desk their whole military career, or a 21-year-old Afghanistan War veteran that stepped on a landmine and is missing both of her legs—DAV is us!”
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>For Mathis, paying it forward to her fellow veterans and their families is what matters.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>“There is nothing better than being involved in an organization whose sole function is to make sure that I am able to continue on, to take care of my family and really see that come around full circle,” she said. “To be able to help the widow of the man who was killed on our convoy, and help her understand her benefits. That’s so powerful. That’s what I want people to know, that, with DAV, it works.”
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Naomi Mathis' story, like so many others, is both relatable and real. It highlights lasting emotional impact that serving in the Military has on many veterans, including challenges that are faced when returning to civilian life. Her experience with the DAV is a great example of how the organization works. Not only was she able to utilize the resources available to her, she was able to gain employment with the DAV, allowing her to help her fellow veterans in need.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>Why Donate</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Donations help provide no cost, life-changing support to veterans and their survivors by providing assistance with employment, transition resources, transportation to medical appointments, and expert assistance with VA benefits claims. They also advocate for better veteran policies and programs to help veterans live with dignity and purpose.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Each donation helps ensure that veterans receive the lifelong support they deserve after serving our country.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Links
</div>
<div>For more information on the Disabled American Veterans Organization
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><a href="https://www.ihelpveterans.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.ihelpveterans.org/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.ihelpveterans.org/</a></a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Find your local DAV Office
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><a href="https://www.dav.org/find-your-local-office/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.dav.org/find-your-local-office/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.dav.org/find-your-local-office/</a></a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Sources:
</div>
<div>Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge. (n.d.). Veteran facts. <a href="https://combatwounded.org/goals-and-achievements/veteran-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://combatwounded.org/goals-and-achievements/veteran-facts/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://combatwounded.org/goals-and-achievements/veteran-facts/</a></a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>DAV History. (n.d.). Pencils on Street Corners. <a href="https://www.dav.org/wp-content/uploads/DAVHistory_DAVWW.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.dav.org/wp-content/uploads/DAVHistory_DAVWW.pdf" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.dav.org/wp-content/uploads/DAVHistory_DAVWW.pdf</a></a>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I Help Veterans. (n.d.). Mother, warrior, advocate. <a href="https://www.ihelpveterans.org/blogs/mother-warrior-advocate" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.ihelpveterans.org/blogs/mother-warrior-advocate" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.ihelpveterans.org/blogs/mother-warrior-advocate</a></a>
</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/105488865_1782662890536793_r.jpg" width="100%" />

Anonymous

Frank Webster

Sarah Peirce

Supporting Disabled American Veterans

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

be_supporter_comments_enabled_supported_funds

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Just $780$ to go! Make an impact.

Supporting Disabled American Veterans

Just $780 to go!
Make an impact.