Statements
Mission
The Montgomery County Veterans Coalition advocates for our Veteran community through education, collaboration, and resourcing.
Background
The Montgomery County Veterans Coalition (MCVC) began meeting in August 2014, to connect like-minded organizations serving veterans. It began with just a monthly meeting, but our Executive Director had a firm vision as to what this Coalition could accomplish. She believed MCVC did not have to be limited to a monthly meeting but could be a daily functioning organization. One that brings our veteran community together to create a centralized place of information and resources that unify agencies, organizations, veteran businesses, and that empowers the community to care for themselves and each other. With this determination, MCVC achieved 501c3 status in November 2016.
In 2019, the State of Tennessee issued an official proclamation recognizing MCVC for bringing together the community to share information, knowledge, support and resources in order to become a unified voice for advocating for our community, and for identifying issues and creating solutions, without a duplication of services.
As our VSO Director Andrew Kester said, "MCVC is the glue that holds us together." The members' commitment to the Coalition ultimately ensured that the Coalition became a local flow of veteran information, a portal for education, a resource locator, and ultimately a state leader in veteran advocacy and problem solving. As an umbrella organization, we work to problem solve and create solutions for members. Our goal is to ensure our veteran community has access to resources and receives education on risk factors that impede their ability to live healthy, productive lives that contribute to the betterment of our community.
Our organization is inclusive in that everyone who wants to help the veterans of our community are invited to the table. It is this diversity and collective impact that makes us successful. We work behind the scenes to ensure our organizations have the resources and support needed, to identify gaps in services, and to advocate for veteran needs at every level. At present the coalition consists of over 300 individual members that represent over 200 veteran organizations, non-profits, veteran owned businesses, governmental agencies, and churches. Our organization was recently chosen in the Top 10 of the nation by the VA for their first ever Community Catalyst Award. This award is given to recognize Veteran-serving organizations for outstanding achievement.
Impact
In 2022, MCVC's Community Impact included:
-More than 20,000 referrals for resources via the MCVC Community Resource Guide.
-6000+ Suicide Prevention cards distributed.
-5000+ Website Resource Cards distributed.
-450+ attendees at Monthly Meetings
Education
There are many organizations ready to assist veterans. But a Veteran family rarely has only one issue to address. Our program serves to address issues by providing an online searchable Community Resource Guide, Education Page, & Community Calendar.
Events
80% to 91% of returning soldiers do not have chronic PTSD, there has been a misconception created that being a Veteran equates to being unstable. MCVC provides opportunities to network among local non-profits, Veteran businesses, Veteran organizations, governmental agencies, & religious organizations. Our events allow both civilians & Veterans a new way to view Veterans & educates the community on Veteran issues & benefits.
Suicide Prevention
Our approach to reducing suicide is to intervene before crisis intervention is needed:
• Reducing the risk factors that lead to suicidal ideations such as financial instability, addiction issues, isolation, lack of purpose, marital problems, mental health issues, firearm safety, medical issues, & unresolved adverse childhood experiences.
• Providing suicide prevention classes to front line workers that may be the first to see risk factors & the least likely to have training.
• Empowering every individual in our community to become part of the solution by giving them tools to use.
Access to Resources for All
• MCVC ensures community organizations, & Veterans, have the resources & education needed to serve the multifaceted issues impacting the local Veteran community. This is accomplished by enhancing communication & providing educational opportunities through technological solutions.
• We provide access to resources, education & events that increase the financial, physical, & mental well-being of our Veteran community, while reducing the risk factors that lead to suicidal ideations, thereby increasing the quality of life for our Veteran community.
• Increase awareness of & increase the numbers on the national registries via the website.
• Education page with links & videos by local subject matter experts.
Membership & Monthly Meetings
Dedicated Veteran advocates & community workers are often unaware of resources outside of their discipline or area of expertise. Even when such resources are known, the ability to do a warm hand off for a Veteran family with unique or challenging needs is not available.
• Brings the Veteran community together to fuel our flow of Veteran information, & to ensure information flows to & between organizations in our community.
• MCVC serves as the catalyst for bringing together the right people, at the right time, for the right solutions.
• We serve as a liaison between organizations to assist them in working together to implement solutions without creating unnecessary duplications, thereby filling gaps in services and being good stewards of community resources.
As we have surpassed 20 years of back-to-back deployments, we must be better prepared to meet the needs of our Veteran community. With a 25% retention rate of exiting soldiers from Ft. Campbell, our area continues to grow, not only in our Veteran numbers, but in disabled Veteran numbers. Currently Montgomery County is the 2nd largest veteran population in the state, & the largest in 100% disabled Veterans. Future veteran population predictions show our county having the largest veteran population within the decade. As these numbers grow, the burden on the Veterans Coalition increases to ensure gaps in services are eliminated, a complete flow of information is established, easy access to resources is available, and veteran community issues are identified and solutions are created so the quality of life improves for veterans and their families.
Needs
MCVC has identified the following needs in our Veteran community:
-Reduction of suicidal ideation:
According to the VA, the suicide rate for Veterans aged 18-34 years old has doubled since 2001. Montgomery County experienced a suicide rate of 21.4% in 2021, which is only made more concerning by comparing other large counties in Tennessee to Montgomery County. Veterans who engage with the VA are 20% less likely to die by suicide, highlighting the importance of MCVC connecting Veterans to the VA, which emphasizes the importance of connecting Veterans to their earned benefits.
-Access to resources for Service members, Veterans and their families, civilians, community workers and leaders.
More than 20,000 resource referrals were sought and provided in our Community Resource Guide in 2022.
-Options for Veterans to get out, get active, and find a new mission.
In a June 2022 report, Reducing Military and Veteran Suicide, the CDC named economic insecurity, isolation, and stress among important risk factors that contribute to increased suicide risk among veterans.
-Educational links and videos that assist surviving spouses in finding needed benefits.
-Caregiver support, respite, and resources
-Information on education and housing resources for those transitioning out of the service
CEO Statement
Our organization is a true grassroots organization. In the beginning of the Coalition's existence, we operated wherever we could but without a true home. In the early days a Chick-Fil-A booth served as MCVC headquarters. Since then, we have utilized office space provided by those generous enough to allow us to use a desk, a room, or a closet for storage. However, our team has grown along with the Coalition, since our early days, our community has provided us with a generous stable office space to work our mission. MCVC has survived and thrived solely due to the commitment and support of our community. We are unique and inclusive in that we invite anyone to our table that wants to better the lives of our Veterans, whether the organization or agency is Veteran specific or not. While working in every area of a Veterans life, we identify gaps in services and build bridges for access to services or build capacity within our community.
The first rule of MCVC is that everyone is to be treated with respect and dignity at all times. We base our work on issues discussed during the open discussion portion of our monthly meeting. We believe those working directly within Veterans understand the issues facing our Veteran community and know the needed solutions. However, to due limits time and and capacity most members are unable to address these issues themselves, which is where MCVC steps in to bring organizations together to create solutions that utilize resources in the most efficient way and avoid a duplication of services.
MCVC weaves suicide prevention throughout our organizational fabric. Our upstream approach to reducing suicide is to intervene before a crisis point by reducing the risk factors that lead to suicidal ideations through a whole community health-based approach. MCVC's model comprises of 8 best practices; ensuring access to resources for all, community collaboration and capacity building, education on and advocating for Veteran needs, reducing stigma and restoring Veteran image, gatekeeper training, coalition building in surrounding rural communities, peer support and finding purpose, and harnessing the influence of our Veteran leaders to initiate harm reducing efforts and promote peer support.
The work of our Coalition has been so successful that surrounding communities have asked us to step in and and assist in creating something similar in their community. We use regular surveys to evaluate and adjust our efforts based on this direct feedback. It has been my great privilege to serve our members and the Veterans of Montgomery County.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Public & Societal Benefit - Military/Veterans' Organizations |
| Secondary Category: | Human Services - |
| Tertiary Category: | Community Improvement, Capacity Building - Community Coalitions |
Areas Served
Our surrounding counties depend on services from our county including Ft. Campbell, Ky - Many active duty and soldiers live in our community versus on the installation.
| TN - Montgomery |
