McCormick Foundation Awards $2.6 Million to Support Returning Veterans

The Chicago-based McCormick Foundation has announced $2.6 million in grants as part of a national public awareness and fundraising initiative to address the mental health and employment needs of U.S. veterans and their families.

Statistics indicate that approximately 300,000 veterans who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, while about 320,000 may have experienced traumatic brain injury during deployment. The Welcome Back Veterans campaign aims to raise public awareness of the mental health and employment challenges faced by veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families and provide the financial support needed to meet those challenges.

To that end, the campaign had raised more than $4.5 million as of April 30, with the foundation providing an additional $2.2 million in matching funds. Because the foundation and its partner, Major League Baseball, pay all administrative costs of the program, more than $5.5 million has been distributed over the past year to twenty-four nonprofit agencies targeting veterans' most pressing needs.

"As our warriors return and seek to reconnect with families, friends, and society, it is important that we support their successful reintegration into our communities," said McCormick Foundation president and CEO Brig. Gen. (Ret.) David L. Grange. "That re-integration can be difficult without help and appropriate resources. Welcome Back Veterans is an opportunity for us to ensure that these brave men and women have the best care and the best start with their new lives at home."

“McCormick Foundation, Major League Baseball Announce $2.6 Million in Additional Grants for 'Welcome Back Veterans'.” McCormick Foundation Press Release 5/28/09.

Primary Subject: Health
Secondary Subject(s): Human Services
Location(s): Chicago, Illinois

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