New York, Nov. 11: On this Veterans Day, Veterans Across America™, a non-profit organization dedicated to being an advocate on behalf of America’s veterans, is pleased to announce that the Coors Brewing Company (CBC), a long-time champion of veterans and veterans’ causes, has committed to make a substantial contribution to Veterans Across America (VAA).
Coors, headquartered in Golden, Colorado, has pledged to make annual contributions to Veterans Across America over the next five years. The generous contribution will help VAA achieve its overall goal: creating a greater employment demand for our veterans among a broad network of leaders of American business, labor, and other organizations and institutions.
Wesley Poriotis, the founder of Veterans Across America, said: “Coors has a well-deserved reputation as a champion of veterans. Long ago they realized that the skills and talents of veterans represent a valuable, competitive asset for Coors—and for American business--and Coors has been in the vanguard of the companies known for hiring veterans. We are grateful that their contribution will enable us to accelerate our efforts to help veterans continue their service to Nation, compete for quality employment—and lead better lives.”
Veterans Across America was created by The Center for Military and Private Sector Initiatives, Inc., a New York-based organization which conducted a landmark 1995 survey of veterans. This study—commissioned by The Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the White House—documented the formidable obstacles many veterans face in making the transition from service in the armed forces to jobs in the private sector. The study reported that 25% of the veterans surveyed were unemployed, and that another 22% were under-employed, in dead-end jobs. The study also found that minority veterans were particularly disadvantaged in terms of getting equal access to compete for quality employment.
Veterans Across America has launched several initiatives: 1) Established a “Veterans Center for Career Advocacy,” which is forging employment links between veterans and a broad network of leaders of American business 2) Become a strong champion of minority and female veterans, and worked to bring this neglected talent pool to the attention of employers 3) Launched the “Veterans Branding Coalition” (VBC), a consortium of advertising and marketing executives committed to creating a “branding” campaign, designed to create demand in the marketplace for the veteran as valuable and competitive asset.
Contact: Dr. Ray Healey, Jr., Executive Dir., Veterans Across America (212-684-1122)
Contact: Tina DiDonato, Coors Brewing Company (303-277-5557) |
