National Partnership to Honor Veterans

WASHINGTON — Washington National Cathedral and We Serve, Inc., announce their new partnership to honor those who serve. Together, We Serve and the Cathedral will give veterans a voice by bringing attention to the programs and people working to heal veterans in body, mind, and spirit. The first component of the partnership is the We Serve Awards, which will recognize non-profit organizations helping our nation’s veterans. Nominations for the awards open July 1, and awards will be announced at a program at the Cathedral in November.

“We Serve is very excited to be working with the National Cathedral,” said Matthew Beaghley, president/co-founder of We Serve, Inc., and a Navy veteran. “Currently, we have no national-scale event dedicated to the service of veterans on Veterans Day. We hope that our partnership will help shine a light on the small- and large-scale nonprofits across America doing the best work to heal veterans.”

“This Cathedral has long served as a central place for honoring and commemorating those who have selflessly fought for freedom and protected our country,” said Cathedral Dean Gary Hall.“Outreach to veterans is a top priority for the Cathedral through programs that seek to recognize and pay tribute to them. Our collaboration with We Serve provides yet another way to show our commitment to those who have served our nation.”

The goal of this partnership is to bring attention to the often-overlooked element of spirit in the healing of veterans. Beginning July 1, We Serve, Inc., will conduct a campaign series of nominations and voting, allowing only veterans, active-duty military, and their families to nominate and vote for the veterans organizations, 501(c)(3) charities, they believe have been the most helpful to them.

The nomination and voting process will be conducted independently. ID.me (a veteran-owned and founded company) will use its award-winning Troop ID technology to authenticate participants as veterans, active-duty, or military family members. Once authenticated, participants will go through a series of questions to nominate or vote on the most effective organizations that have helped them and their families, with a focus on healing the mind, body, and spirit. All of the 501(c)(3) charities eligible for nomination will be authenticated as legitimate, IRS-designated charities using the Guidestar (www.guidestar.org) database. The entire award process is managed by OpenWater, a Washington, DC-based technology firm. It is a tremendous opportunity for veterans to inform America about what is working, and which organizations have been there to help. The winning organizations will receive a significant financial award, but most importantly, recognition from veterans as one of the best veteran charities for 2014.

SOURCE: Washington National Cathedral