Walmart Foundation Grant Continues to Support Women Veterans

The Walmart Foundation continues its support of female veterans with a $250,000 grant to BUSM’s Women Veterans Network (WoVeN).  This builds on an existing $500,000 grant bringing the Foundations’ total commitment to $750,000.  The additional funding allows WoVeN to continue strengthening the public/private community-based initiative.

WoVen is a nationwide system of peer support groups that connects women veterans from all conflict eras and service branches and provides them with information, education and resources, as well as social connections with other women veterans, to improve their quality of life. Over the past 40 years, the number of women serving in active duty military has grown rapidly, with women currently representing about 15 percent of the armed forces. As the number of female service members continues to expand, there is also a growing need to address the unique needs of women veterans.

“Before joining WoVeN, I had no idea how to connect with other women veterans. I had been out of the military for more than 20 years and was trying to cope with major life issues all alone,” said Tina Brice, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and WoVeN participant. “My journey with WoVeN began just over a year ago, and I had no idea something so simple could be so life changing. Thanks to WoVeN, I have connected with other women veterans nationally and locally, developed new healthy hobbies like mountain biking and completing my first 5K, decreased the stress in my life and reconnected with family and friends. I am so grateful to WoVen and the Walmart Foundation for empowering me with an opportunity to take my life back.”

“WoVeN is designed to be a home for women veterans regardless of when they return from active military service and to help them form lasting connections with other women veterans both within their individual communities and around the country,” said Tara Galovski, PhD, WoVeN executive and Boston University School of Medicine Associate Professor of Psychiatry. “We are incredibly grateful to the Walmart Foundation for the support they’ve given to this project from day one and are proud to continue our partnership to provide ongoing support for the millions of women who have sacrificed so much to serve us.”

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have a long history of supporting veterans, service members and their families. In 2011, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation committed $20 million by 2015 to support veterans and their families with assistance for programs that provide job training, transition help and education. With the early completion of the commitment in May 2014, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation renewed the commitment, announcing an additional $20 million through 2019 to support job training, education and innovative public/private community-based initiatives that address challenges many veterans face when returning to civilian life.