Every year, hundreds and thousands of men and women are returning from active military service across seas—a great many of them from Afghanistan and Iraq. While some are in need of medical and social services, almost all are looking to their prospects in a new career after service.
It often goes without saying, but collecting benefits and finding a new high-quality job can be an exceptional difficult task after spending years in military service. To this end, there are innumerable services and organizations that make it their business to address this need. While they run the gamut of effectiveness and moral efficacy (just like any industry), one in particular stands above and deserves a special notice: Still Serving Veterans (SSV). A non-profit out of Huntsville, Alabama, SSV has dedicated their time and effort to reaching out and engaging with veterans upon their return home.
SSV is comprised of a group of veterans who wish to ensure that returning soldiers don’t miss out on the benefits and services they are all entitled to which, through the sheer bulk and breadth of developed red tape and bureaucracy, many often are entirely unaware of. Since 2005, this group of dedicated veterans, many of whom were CEOs in private businesses, SSV has grown from a state-based organization to helping veterans all over the country.
William Webb, president of SSV, is a retired colonel out of the U.S. Army. In 2008 he left a successful career in private business to devote his full-time efforts to SSV. In 2010 alone SSV opened over 750 new cases for individual veterans, held over 2,500 one-on-one counseling sessions, and directly assisted 71 vets get hired at an average salary of over $50,000.
“Our goal this year is to assist 100 veterans with employment, and we are already at 96 around the first of the month,” Webb noted. “We link up with other organizations to find the appropriate assistance and to help translate veterans’ military skills into the workforce.”
In a day and age where upwards of 20% of veterans in the 20-24 age grouping are unemployed, the dedication and services of SSV have never been more important. Equally important to this good work is the active support and funding that allows organizations like SSV to continue their efforts. While SSV has secured several grants to facilitate their work in the past, the tightening of government funding has raised some concerns, and more than ever hopes are being placed on funding from private sources.
Stewart Cooper & Coon specializes in career transition services for senior-level military decisions makers and government agency employees by assisting candidates in locating companies who welcome both their leadership and organizational talents.