Noteboom The Law Firm

The American Veterans Empowerment Team Project Is Gaining Momentum

February 2, 2011 - The American Veterans Empowerment Team (AVET) Project is a nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers. Its purpose is helping veterans in many different forms. Help ranges from care packages being sent to troops deployed overseas to running retreats aimed at helping troops cycling back to the US reintegrate to their civilian lives. AVET also counsels veterans on their VA benefits and couples itself with other veterans groups to help provide innumerable necessary services to veterans.

The care packages contain various items such as food, writing journals, and even stuffed animals like Beanie Babies that the soldiers can distribute to local youth overseas. Right now the focus for the care packages will be on Afghanistan. Objects like the Beanie Babies are given to Afghan children and are used to build positive relationships between the US soldiers and the Afghani locals.

Ultimately, the goal is to help veterans and wounded warriors both overseas and when they must reintegrate into the civilian world. In addition to offering various types of counseling, the AVET Project also helps homeless veterans get necessary medical attention and any benefits for which they qualify. One of the founders of the Project has personally hired 3 wounded veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

While initially encountering some resistance from other groups due to territorial issues, the AVET Project is gaining acceptance. With so many people willing to help, the AVET Project will continue to grow, which means more help for deployed soldiers and veterans.