IAVA Mission and History

• Our Programs

• Health
• Education Support
• Employment
• Community
• Leadership Development

• Our Model
• Assistance
• Awareness
• Advocacy
• Our Mission and History
  
• Mission & Vision
• History

ABOUT IAVA

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is the first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for new veterans, with over 200,000 Member Veterans and supporters nationwide. IAVA is a 21st Century veterans’ organization dedicated to standing with the 2.4 million veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan from their first day home through the rest of their lives. Founded in 2004 by an Iraq veteran, our mission is to improve the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.

IAVA strives to build an empowered generation of veterans who provide sustainable leadership for our country and their local communities. We work toward this vision through programs in four key impact areas: supporting new veterans in Health, Education, Employment and building a lasting Community for vets and their families (HEEC).

We create impact in these critical areas through assistance to vets and their families, raising awareness about issues facing our community and advocating for supportive policy from the federal to the local level. 

OUR PROGRAMS

IAVA’s programs empower and support our community both online and offline, expand our reach and sustain our organization to make a deeper and lasting impact on veterans and their families for years to come. Our programs are scalable, flexible and durable to make a positive influence on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in an ever-changing landscape of support and public awareness.

Health Programs:
We know how hard going to, and coming back from, war can be. So IAVA makes it a priority to ensure that both mental and physical health needs are being effectively addressed in our community.

• IAVA has connected more than 20,000 veterans with mental health support through our programs and referrals to best in class service providers. We recently announced a partnership with the Veterans Crisis Line to help our members in their toughest times of need. The partnership will provide a direct support line for IAVA members and our staff. And that means no waiting, no bureaucracy and saving more lives.

• IAVA is also focused on the health of military families. Recently, IAVA helped spearhead passage of the Caregivers Act to help our nation's full-time caregivers for wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Education Support Programs:
With hundreds of thousands of new veterans headed back to school under the New GI Bill, IAVA provides them the tools and support needed to make informed decisions.

• Over 560,000 veterans have already visited NewGIBill.org and used our innovative New GI Bill calculator to calculate their benefits and get one-on-one support from our New GI Bill experts on staff.
• IAVA has also partnered with companies like Veritas Prep to provide scholarships to our members for college test preparation courses to support them through every stage of the education process.

Employment Programs:
No veteran should come home from Iraq or Afghanistan to an unemployment check. And to fight shockingly high joblessness rates, IAVA has stepped up in a variety of ways through our Combat to Career initiative.

• This offers groundbreaking resources to our members, like providing 6,000 free business suits to veterans, helping hundreds of them navigate the job market at Smart Job Fairs and providing critical training to vets through Google Resume Workshops.
• IAVA is also a force to be reckoned with on Capitol Hill. In 2011, when Washington was in a stalemate, we led the way to pass the Vow to Hire Heroes Act, our top legislative priority. This bill helped over 200,000 unemployed veterans during one of the worst economic situations in decades.

Community Programs:
Less than 1% of the country served in Iraq and Afghanistan – a stark contrast to the 12% that served during WWII. Building community, both online and on-the-ground, is a critical factor in fulfilling our mission, which means bridging geographical divides to create a united, supported and proud movement of new veterans.

• IAVA built Community of Veterans (CoV) to be the first and largest online social network exclusively for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. CoV, which can be accessed only by paperwork-confirmed veterans, has message boards, affinity groups and resources for over 20,000 confirmed members currently inside.
• On the ground – IAVA had over 350 local events in 2011 – bringing veterans together in their local areas in unprecedented numbers. We made this happen by building The Rucksack, a groundbreaking online platform that connects our members with products, services and experiences – all for free. We have already given away over 25,000 rewards. From Sierra Club wilderness expeditions to tickets for LA Dodgers games, IAVA is bringing our community together in innovative and new ways.

Leadership Development Programs:
IAVA strives to build an empowered generation of vets who provide sustainable leadership for our country and their communities. Through a variety of ways, IAVA guides vets into leadership roles to show the country that we are the New Greatest Generation.

• Since 2006, IAVA has brought over 120 Member Veterans from across the country to Washington, DC for Storm the Hill. Through meeting with top lawmakers and officials on Capitol Hill, we advocate for veterans’ issues and share our own unique stories with our country’s leaders.
• IAVA strives to develop our members into leaders in their communities by teaching them how to organize locally, like with Veterans Week events across the country.
• We also encourage them to be influencers. IAVA knows the value of our members’ personal stories – and know that the country needs to hear them. And that’s why we train leaders across the country to be IAVA spokespeople. From CNN to FOX News, and from The New York Times to TIME Magazine, IAVA is leading from the front to make sure that our issues stay front and center in the media.

OUR MODEL

IAVA strives to build an empowered generation of veterans who provide sustainable leadership for our country and their local communities. We work toward this vision through programs in four key impact areas: supporting new veterans in Health, Education, Employment and building a lasting Community for vets and their families (HEEC). We create impact in those critical areas through Assistance to veterans and their families, raising Awareness about veterans’ issues and Advocacy for supportive policy from the federal to the local level (AAA).

Assistance: Through both online and on-the-ground engagement, IAVA creates, optimizes and expands assistance to veterans that directly impacts HEEC. IAVA hosts hundreds of events nationwide each year, creating opportunities for veterans and their families to connect with each other and gain access to customized health care, education and employment services. Online, IAVA provides a unique support network that empowers veterans to connect with one another, fostering a strong and lasting community.

Awareness: IAVA advances public awareness around the unique challenges and opportunities facing veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. IAVA makes veterans a part of the national media conversation, shaping the dialogue and connecting the 99% of the population who have not served in Iraq or Afghanistan with the 1% who have.

Advocacy: IAVA advocates for policies that benefit veterans and their families by increasing support and access to HEEC.

OUR MISSION AND HISTORY

Mission & Vision:

Mission: To improve the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.

Vision: We strive to build an empowered generation of veterans who provide sustainable leadership for our country and their communities.

History:

Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff founded IAVA in 2004, alongside fellow Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. After returning home from overseas, they quickly came together after becoming concerned with the way the wars were being portrayed in the media and the overall plight of newly returned veterans.

There were many policy experts and talking heads on TV, but very few people who had actually served on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan. There was no one talking about what veterans needed and the issues they faced. The creation of IAVA has allowed hundreds of thousands of veterans to join the national dialogue and to explain what is really happening on the ground overseas and back home.

Meet IAVA's Staff and Board of Directors.

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