“In my mind, anyone who puts their lives on the line to protect our country, our families, and our freedom, deserves whatever we can give back to them. But more often than not, veterans are people who feel really uncomfortable asking for help. It’s easy for them to fall through the cracks and not receive the services and benefits that they’re entitled to.”
The following personal perspective was recently shared by Hillary Johnson, who – together with her husband, Eric – supports the Veterans Fund, a permanent endowment of your Community Foundation. Both attorneys, Hillary and Eric have also lent their legal expertise to veterans.
My dad, Lane Earnest, was a veteran. But since everybody in town referred to him as “Earnie the attorney,” I never really thought much about his brief military career … and I followed in his footsteps to become a lawyer.
It wasn’t until our family took a rafting trip down the Grand Canyon six years ago that I thought more about veterans. We happened to get randomly paired with a big group of veterans who were on the river working through their PTSD with their counselors. Even though we were supposed to stay separated from them, by the end of the trip, we were in their therapy circles and they were in our raft. As soon as we got off the river, a few of them came to my husband, Eric, and me with some interesting legal issues. Helping them navigate the challenges and hardships that were at the core of those issues gave us both a new perspective on veterans.
In my mind, anyone who puts their lives on the line to protect our country, our families, and our freedom, deserves whatever we can give back to them. But more often than not, veterans are people who feel really uncomfortable asking for help. It’s easy for them to fall through the cracks and not receive the services and benefits that they’re entitled to.
The Community Foundation’s Veterans Fund launched in 2016 when Veterans Helping Veterans Now (VHVN) shut its doors. VHVN was a wonderful nonprofit that was doing really meaningful work with veterans and their families in Longmont. After it closed, Judy Nogg – a VHVN founder – took the money that remained at VHVN and moved it to the Community Foundation to start the fund. Since then, the Community Foundation has been growing the fund and giving out grants to Boulder County nonprofits that serve veterans.
To date, grants have supported grassroots nonprofits helping veterans. Some provide rides to VA medical appointments in places like Cheyenne and Golden. Some are working to provide housing to veterans experiencing homelessness. This year, Veterans Fund grantees include a horse therapy group for veterans, and a group that comes together to create stunning metal sculptures while swapping stories about their service. Because veterans understand the meaning of sacrifice, they express such gratefulness for our grants. It’s so heartwarming.
When I give to the Veterans Fund, I can be sure that my money actually gets to the people and programs that need it most. Not to mention, that the people who serve on the Veterans’ Fund Advisory Committee with me are some of the most knowledgeable, hardworking, and sincere people I know. They really want to do whatever they can to help veterans in Boulder County who need it … and so can you.
Learn more about how the Veterans Fund of your Community Foundation supports the strengths and needs of local veterans and their families. Donate to the fund by Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to double your gift with our $25K match.
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We are grateful for your support on Colorado Gives Day! A record-breaking $50,050,610 was raised for nonprofits statewide, and you put Community Foundation Boulder County $40,377 closer to our year-end goal. Thank you.
