Nonprofit Organization Develops Veterans Day Card Program to Help Homeless Veterans

Online, October 27, 2011 (Newswire.com) - An innovation in Veterans Day Cards that gives them a new and special meaning has just been introduced by the not-for-profit organization, Teens Opposing Poverty (TOP). For a donation of $25, they will send a card in honor of a living veteran or as a memorial to the family of a deceased veteran. The donation helps to support TOP's outreach to the homeless in Washington, DC and several cities in Virginia.

Approximately 40 percent of the homeless men the organization serves are veterans. According to Steve Jennings, TOP's Executive Director, veterans comprise an even larger portion of the homeless men who do not stay in shelters, but sleep on loading docks, under bridges and overhangs, or out in the open, exposed to the elements. Based on conversations with some of these veterans, they have developed an aversion to large groups of people and prefer spending their time alone or in a smaller community of trusted friends.

Teens Opposing Poverty trains and leads youth groups in outreaches to the homeless. They meet physical needs by providing food, clothes, toiletries and other necessities, but they go beyond that and spend time with the people they serve to learn their stories, offer hope and encouragement and direct them to resources that provide other assistance.

The organization's goal is to encourage homeless veterans to seek the help they need to get off the street and provide information about resources that can assist them in their quest for a better life. Much of what keeps veterans homeless is their own mindset and a lack of knowledge about the services that are available to them.

The full-color cards, designed by TOP's staff, feature a soiled flag on the front with the words "Service, Sacrifice, Honor." On the top panel of the inside of the cards is a montage of photos showing the plight of the homeless and the care given them by TOP's youth volunteers. The bottom panel is where the personalized inscription to the veteran being honored is located. There are separate inscriptions for honoring living veterans and as a memorial to the families of veterans who are deceased.

The name of the donor is hand written in the card given in honor of living veterans. For the memorial card the name of the deceased veteran and the donor are inscribed by hand.