Work Vessels for Vets Volunteers had a BUSY September
Ending Third Quarter with Successful Fund-raising, New Connections and Top-Ratings – All to Help Veterans Succeed!
The volunteers of Work Vessels for Vets packed in a ton of activity to end the third quarter with a flurry of fund-raisers, grant awards, new partnerships and the highest national ratings.
“The month of September was crazy!” said Executive Director Cathy Cook. “After sitting on idle for many months due to COVID restrictions, we raised almost $60,000 in one month! And we forged strong partnerships while attending FARM AID with Michael O’Gorman, founder of Farmer Veteran Coalition.”
Dominion Energy Foundation kicked off the month by presenting a grant of $20,000 to be used for equipment awards for veterans in CT, RI, VA, NC, & SC. Skydive for Veterans of CT and MA held their annual Jump for Vets with dozens of skydivers who each pledged at least $500 so they could jump out of perfectly good airplanes on September 11th. Proceeds from this event is shared by Work Vessels for Vets and to a veteran nonprofit that deals with homelessness in CT.
We launched our 2nd Annual Online Auction, featuring many items crafted by our veterans. We are still tabulating the proceeds, but so far it was $6000!
Once again, our great supporters at Enterprise Builders of Newington, CT dedicated proceeds from their 10th Annual Charity Golf Tournament where 220 golfers played both championship courses at Foxwoods Casino’s Lake of Isles Troon Golf Center. Funding from the golf event will add well over $20,000 to our kitty. WVFV past awardees Marc Harrell (founder of Mystic Oysters), John Green (founder of J & N Commercial Cleaners of RI), Gulaid Ishmail (founder of INI Sips Premium Coffees and Teas), and Ryan Salvas (Radical Roots CT Farms) shared their warrior stories and the challenges of starting a business after military service. WVFV is proud we helped them with critical equipment.
We capped the month off by partnering with another nonprofit, Warrior Bonfire. This charity arranges regional retreat adventures for groups of Purple Heart recipients. Work Vessels for Vets co-founder and President, John Niekrash took the group of 9 plus a service dog out for a New England fishing trip aboard his lobster boat. Everyone caught lots of sea bass and even a puffer fish! A nice way to say, “Thank you for your service!”
And finally, we are thrilled to announce that (once again) Work Vessels for Vets earned the 2021 Top-Rated Nonprofit Award from Great NonProfits in recognition of our five-star performance as a public charity. We pair this high praise with our PLATINUM Rating from Guide Star and the Integrity Award from the Better Business Bureau as we maintain the lowest possible overhead under 2%. Thank you to all who commented on our work.
