On the Scene: The McCormick Foundation Blog

by Megan Everett, Veterans Program Director As 2017 quickly comes to a close, the Veterans Program continues to build and strengthen relationships with our grantees that serve veterans and military families through partnerships with Chicagoland businesses and nonprofits throughout Illinois. This year we have invested more than $2 million in Illinois-based organizations and national organizations that are doing this important work in Illinois. We strive to work alongside our partners, and public and private donors to support impactful work that best supports Illinois veterans. The McCormick Foundation Veterans Program supports high-quality, integrated, and coordinated services in the areas of education, employment, health and wellness, along with providing capacity and technical support for veteran-centered institutions. To ensure Illinois is the best state for veterans to come home to, we believe collaboration and coordination among partners, in addition, to delivering high-qua...

A look at several community collaborations working together to serve veterans. by Megan Everett, Director, Veterans Program When veterans come home they do not return to federal agencies; they return to communities across the country. And many of these communities do not have the knowledge, capacity and/or resources to support veterans, especially those facing service-related challenges. While most veterans successfully transition into civilian life, those who need assistance find that the post-service process can be frustrating and support hard to come by. There are approximately 415,000 veterans in the Chicagoland area, 700,000 in the state of Illinois. The McCormick Foundation veterans program strives to make Illinois the best state for veterans and military families to thrive. One way we approach this mission is to support pathways and networks to coordinated outcome-based programs that provide transitioning service members, veterans and military families ease of access to ...

by Megan Everett, Director, Veterans Program There are a lot of misconceptions about veterans. PTSD or on the brink of committing suicide. Physically aggressive. Broken heroes. The list goes on and on. Veteran-stereotypes are just that, stereotypes. And like most stereotypes they are not true. The reality is most veterans are neither heroes nor broken, they are normal people looking to lead happy lives, have loving families, and obtain meaningful, successful careers. Sadly, this is not reality that most veterans face when returning from service. According to a recent survey issued by the University of Southern California and Loyal University of Chicago, Chicago veterans are unprepared for the shift from military to civilian workforce, and, consequently struggle during the transition process. The study also showed about half of post-9/11 veterans, returning to Chicago, will experience a period of unemployment. Here’s the thing — veterans ARE trained leaders for whom account...

by Megan Everett, Veterans Program Director The Robert R. McCormick Foundation recently granted nearly $1.2 million to eight nonprofits supporting veteran services, reintegration and public health initiatives in Illinois. To help promote the important work of these organizations, we are sharing short vignettes that capture how these organizations are impacting local veterans. Since September, we have had the privilege to speak with four incredible individuals on how our partner organizations such as, National Able Network , Bunker Labs , Chicago Lighthouse , and Thresholds  have helped them transition back into civilian life. The stories below reveal hardships, successes, and self-reflections faced by these veterans upon leaving the military. To view the full interviews follow @McCormick_Fdn on Twitter and Like the McCormick Foundation on Facebook . Deneen Gayles, National Able Network I am a National Guard veteran. I retired in 2014 after serving in the military for ne...

by Megan Everett, Veterans Program Director Where does one go in times of struggle? Every person’s response is different based on their current and past experiences. This holds especially true for veterans returning home from service. The success of a veteran’s transition from military to civilian life is dependent upon a number of factors including length of service, and experiences during one’s service, family structure, resources available in the communities’ veterans are returning to, and much more. The question remains – with a varied veteran population, how can we best support successful transitions? Rev. Oluwatoyin Hines of the Multi-Faith Veteran Support Project, leading a Spiritual Integration Training. Last January, I wrote about the Foundation’s partnership with the Steans Center's Egan Office for Urban Education and Community Partnerships (UECP) at DePaul University to launch the Multi-Faith Veterans Support Project (MVP). For over a year, this initiative has b...

by Megan Everett, Director, Veterans Program Last August, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, in partnership with Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work and the University of Southern California Center for Innovation and Research on Military Families (CIR), commissioned a study, the Chicagoland Veterans Study . This comprehensive study is intended to survey more than 2,000 veterans in Cook, Will, Lake and DuPage Counties to examine the needs of veterans living in Chicagoland area, and identify gaps and opportunities for program and service development. A range of issues are being surveyed including housing, employment, barriers to care, physical and mental health, and transition from the service to civilian life. In 2013, CIR first conducted this comprehensive study in Los Angeles County. You can find the results of the study here . Veterans can still participate in the Chicagoland Veterans Study . Once completed, participants will receive a $15 gift card. A comprehensive ...

by Megan Everett, Program Officer  Have you used the Chicago 311 Call Center recently? In January 1999, Chicago implemented the 311 system to enhance access to all city services and to decrease 911 calls for non-emergency police services. The system centralized satellite call centers so that citizens did not have call several different departments to reach the services that they need. Fast forward to 2015, after a series of meetings with staff from the Mayor’s Office, the Advisory Council on Veterans Affairs for the City of Chicago welcomed the news that the city would enhance the 311 intake assessment to better identify military veterans and active duty service members so they could be directed to specific resources and services. On June 24, 2015 Mayor Emanuel’s office announced that residents who call 311 to request a range of services, including homeless prevention, employment services, senior well-being checks, emergency food, and crisis referral services, will be asked...

by Megan Everett, Program Officer, Veterans  Through the month of March, Student Veterans of America Illinois hosted a signature event series called Bridges To Employment (BTE). The BTE event series assembles executives and senior managers from the public and private sectors to engage in a panel discussion educating veterans on the strengths they bring to future careers. Following the panel, veterans in attendance connected in a networking forum with professional partners to empower student veterans with networking skills necessary to succeed. BTE seminars were designed to arm veterans with pertinent networking skills and provide an opportunity to effectively market their skills. The BTE events took place at colleges across the state of Illinois. BTE visited Northwestern University in Chicago, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and Illinois State University in Bloomington/Normal. Through the four events over 150 student veterans w...

by Megan Everett, Veterans Program Officer  Veterans from all eras face a unique set of opportunities and challenges when transitioning from military service back to civilian life. When servicemembers return to their communities, it is often challenging and overwhelming to navigate the various services and matching them to their own needs. Faith is a natural place for people to turn to in times of need. It is this pre-existing infrastructure that has prompted the faith-based and the social service communities to come together to help veterans and their families.  In fall 2014, faith-based leaders, mental health practitioners, veteran service providers, pastoral care practitioners and other interested parties came together to launch the Multi-Faith Veterans Support Project (MVP), a new effort to pilot projects that will enhance the quality of life for veterans and their families. The Steans Center's Egan Office for Urban Education and Community Partnerships at DePaul ...