Beyond Crisis: New Campaign Builds a Lifeline for US Veterans

AUGUSTA, GA – January 05, 2026 – In a significant move to reshape veteran support nationwide, America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) today launched “Know a Vet? Tell a Vet!®”, a national campaign designed to proactively connect America’s 18 million veterans with vital resources. The grassroots initiative moves beyond traditional crisis-response models, aiming to build a network of support that reaches veterans before they face overwhelming challenges.

The campaign mobilizes everyday Americans—family, friends, and coworkers—to become “AWP Champions.” These volunteers will serve as a crucial first link, helping to bridge the often-silent gap between veterans in need and the complex web of available services.

A New Model for Proactive Support

The core of the initiative addresses a pervasive issue: many veterans struggle quietly, hesitant to ask for help or unsure where to turn. Research highlights the stark reality of these unseen battles. Fewer than 50% of returning veterans who need mental health services receive them, and veterans face a disproportionately high risk of suicide. The “Know a Vet? Tell a Vet!®” campaign is engineered to shift this paradigm from reactive intervention to proactive, preventative care.

By empowering ordinary citizens, AWP is decentralizing the outreach process. The campaign is built on the simple premise that everyone knows a veteran, and those personal relationships are the most powerful conduits for connection. It encourages a “neighbor helping neighbor” ethos, transforming passive concern into tangible action.

“Even with a nationwide network of community partners, no single organization can reach every veteran on its own,” said Jim Lorraine, President & CEO of AWP, in the campaign announcement. “But together, we can. This campaign empowers people who already care about veterans to take action - to listen, to connect, and to make a real difference in the lives of veterans and their families.”

This approach aims to destigmatize seeking assistance by normalizing it through trusted, personal networks. When a referral comes from a friend or family member, it can feel less like a clinical intake and more like a helping hand.

QR Codes for Courage: Tech-Powered Outreach

Fueling this grassroots movement is a simple yet sophisticated digital referral system. Each AWP Champion receives a unique QR code and a personal link that they can easily share. When a veteran is referred through their link, it becomes part of the Champion's personal “referral tree.”

This technological backbone offers two key advantages: scalability and feedback. The shareable nature of the codes and links allows the network to grow exponentially, moving through communities at a pace traditional outreach could never match. More importantly, it creates a closed-loop system for measuring impact. Champions receive de-identified feedback that demonstrates how their personal advocacy is helping veterans, turning goodwill into visible, measurable outcomes without compromising veteran privacy.

AWP’s commitment to data security is a cornerstone of the system. The organization's privacy policy ensures that personal information is handled responsibly, and the use of anonymized data for feedback is designed to build trust among both Champions and the veterans they refer. When a veteran completes the short referral form, they can directly request assistance with a spectrum of needs, from navigating VA benefits and securing stable housing to finding employment and accessing healthcare.

To facilitate this, AWP supports its Champions with comprehensive, ready-to-use toolkits, social media content, and printable materials, making it easy for anyone, anywhere, to participate and help reach veterans who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

Addressing the Spectrum of Unseen Battles

The campaign's goals extend far beyond mental health support. It aims to provide holistic assistance, recognizing that the challenges facing veterans are interconnected. In 2023, an estimated 35,574 veterans experienced homelessness, a stark reminder of the housing instability that can follow service. Many veterans also face significant barriers to civilian employment, struggling to translate their unique military skills into terms that resonate with hiring managers.

Furthermore, accessing healthcare, even through dedicated systems like the VA, can involve frustratingly long wait times and complex referral processes. The “Know a Vet? Tell a Vet!®” initiative acts as a simplified front door, connecting veterans to a vetted network of resources equipped to handle these specific challenges. By providing a single, trusted point of entry, the campaign helps veterans bypass the bureaucratic hurdles that often deter them from seeking help in the first place.

This proactive model is designed to address the root causes of crises, such as unemployment or housing insecurity, before they can escalate into more severe problems like homelessness or acute mental distress.

A Foundation Built for National Scale

While the goal of reaching 18 million veterans is ambitious, America’s Warrior Partnership has built a robust foundation to support this national undertaking. The organization holds a top-tier “Four-Star” rating from Charity Navigator, with perfect scores for impact and community engagement, reflecting a history of effective program delivery.

AWP already operates a vast network of nearly 4,000 public and private partners, managed through its community integration model. This infrastructure is powered by sophisticated platforms like WarriorServe®, a Salesforce-based case coordination system, and “The Network,” a digital platform that connects local veteran-serving organizations with vetted national resources. Since its inception, AWP has served over 60,000 veterans, demonstrating its capacity for large-scale case management.

This work is further informed by deep, data-driven research, most notably “Operation Deep Dive™,” a multi-year study conducted in partnership with the University of Alabama to uncover the root causes of veteran suicide. This commitment to evidence-based strategy ensures that the resources and support offered through the new campaign are not only accessible but also effective. The existing infrastructure and data-informed approach provide the necessary backbone to handle the anticipated influx of referrals and ensure that every veteran connected through the campaign receives high-quality, holistic support. For those who know a veteran and wish to become a Champion, comprehensive toolkits and signup information are available on the organization's website.