Each month, Thurston Community Media (TCMedia)’s Mission Nonprofit connects with local organizations and agencies that are making positive impacts in our communities. This month, Mission Nonprofit host Robert Kam sat down with Neil Blitstein, executive director for the Veterans Independence Foundation.
Veterans Independence Foundation is a nonprofit created to help veterans in need. Neil started the nonprofit in 2018. A veteran himself, Neil was injured in Iraq. “It just got to the point where I could almost no longer walk,” he shares. “So, I was discharged and then the VA took over all the stuff. Well, between the time the VA benefits kicked in and the time I got out, there was a huge gap, it was a couple of years. So, there was no resources. Luckily, I had family that was able to help but I did lose my water heater and I did lose my refrigerator and it all happened in a couple of months.”
He couldn’t afford to replace them, but he was fortunate that his brother was able to help him out. “My wife and I thought about it, we said, ‘You know if we’re in this boat, there’s got to be a ton of veterans in the same boat that have a one-off issue that they can’t afford to resolve themselves,’” he continues. It was this thought that led them to start the nonprofit once they got back on their feet themselves.
The nonprofit has programs to help in a variety of ways, including short-term financial help for basic home repairs, minor transportation issues, education assistance and short-term child care. These are things that are not covered by the GI-Bill or the VA.
“Nobody out there can help you with that, so we do,” explains Neil. He says eligible veterans have to meet just three criteria: honorably discharged, registered with the local VA, and have a demonstrated need for whatever assistance you’re asking for.
“We help with pretty much anything the veteran would need help with that they can’t get help someplace else,” he adds.
They work hard to give a response within 24 hours to anyone needing assistance.
The Veterans Independence Foundation also has programs for physical health. Their physical health programs include outdoor activities that are family-friendly such as fishing, hiking, river rafting and more, as well as indoor activities like exercise or poker games. The goal is to give veterans a way to be active and connect with other veterans.
For mental health, Veterans Independence Foundation provides trips and vacations at not cost to veterans. These including individual getaways and family trips to help veterans re-acquaint themselves with their family. They also have group and individual counseling that teach and reinforce coping techniques. They also have a prescription intake reduction program, that works toward reducing medication intake.
Helping Veterans in Thurston County
The Veterans Independence Foundation is able to help veterans through their all-volunteer staff. Everyone on the board is a veteran, because Neil believes they know the issues veterans face better than anyone else.
They raise funds through donations, concerts, golf tournaments and comedy shows. The Annual Blue Skies Veterans Benefit is coming up in Tacoma on September 30 with Emo Philips and Girl Trouble.
The Thurston County nonprofit is always looking for volunteers, especially to help with events. You can also make a donation.
For more information, watch the full video above and visit the Veterans Independence Foundation website.
You can watch Mission Nonprofit on channel 77 on Sundays at 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. You can also watch on TCMedia.org, Video On-Demand or our Roku channel. To learn more about what TCMedia does, visit the Thurston Community Media YouTube channel or the TC Media website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
