Ambassador Families

This year, the participants in Easterseals programs for military veterans and their families are serving as our Walk With Me Ambassador Families!

We are proud to have served nearly 2,000 veterans and their families in the last year with programs tailored to their distinct needs. Support for mental health, workforce transition, and more enables veterans and their families to integrate into civilian life and helps create a more hopeful, inclusive community for all of us!

• Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Easterseals. The Cohen Clinic provides high-quality, accessible outpatient mental healthcare to post-9/11 veterans, active-duty service members, and their families and caregivers, regardless of role or discharge status.
• Veteran Staffing Network. VSN is dedicated to finding meaningful jobs for veterans and military spouses. Our career coaches prepare job seekers for all levels of employment with resume building, interview practice, networking, and more.
• Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. HVRP helps homeless veterans and veterans at risk of homelessness prepare for long-term employment and receive support for complex transitional needs. We also serve incarcerated veterans and the families of  homeless female veterans.
• Military Family Respite Programs. We offer respite care for military, veterans, and wounded warrior families with children with and without disabilities. Parents and caregivers receive a much-needed break while their child receives individualized care at Easterseals one Saturday per month. In-home specialized respite care is also available to active-duty Navy families who have a child with a disability.
• Little Warriors Child Development Program. Children of wounded warriors can receive scholarships to attend Easterseals Child Development Centers. We support children and their families as they focus on their service member's recovery.

Here’s what people are saying about our programs for military veterans and their families:

It hasn’t been an easy few years for Maria and her five children.* Her ex-spouse is a wounded warrior and after this discharge, was offered a job in Washington, DC, far from their home in Texas. Once they moved here, however, he was no longer able to work. Stresses on the family multiplied. Easterseals Respite events “provide my kids with something to look forward to,” Maria says. “As you know, I am now a single mother. I am also going back to school on a scholarship to get a college degree. These events allow me to finish school assignments or take a much needed break. Easterseals was also a huge help for us when my two children received Little Warrior scholarships. We have struggled non-stop financially since we moved here five  years ago. We are also grateful for the Cohen Clinic offering therapy to my family. ... I don’t know where I would be without Easterseals.”

For another first responder and National Guard family, Easterseals Respite Saturdays offer not just relief, but a way for their child to grow. “These [Respite] events have been so much fun for my 6-year-old daughter, but most importantly, have helped her flourish,” says Ellen enthusiastically. Ellen’s daughter needs support with both physical and emotional development, and everyday activities can be a challenge. “At these events, she can truly be a kid, bond with her volunteer, meet children in her situation, and have a blast!” Ellen adds. “It has also helped her self-esteem and confidence to be around such loving, caring, and positive people. [My daughter] is able to do things we otherwise would not be able to do.”

Not long ago, a retired Air Force captain came to the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic  at Easterseals for help managing his post-combat experience. Having completed therapy, he emailed the Clinic, noting that the experience made him realize how much more the process benefited him than he had expected: “I would have never even recognized (or agreed) I needed work without you pushing me! Thanks for being there for me :).”

When a Veteran Staffing Network recruiter spotted Terry’s resume, she reached out to Terry to screen her for an open opportunity with one of VSN’s employer partners. After confirming Terry's skills and experience matched the job’s requirements, the recruiter worked with Terry to finesse her resume before submitting it to the client. The client agreed Terry was a fit – and it couldn’t have come at a better time for Terry. “My husband, a Navy Veteran, died very suddenly two weeks after we'd moved to our new home. Besides being devastated by this loss, I was unable to accomplish much of anything for about three months,” Terry affirms. “I don't think I would have landed this position without the help I received. The VSN is an invaluable organization, helping both veterans and their spouses. There aren't words to describe how much I appreciate all their help.”

*All client names are pseudonyms to protect their privacy.