Beck PRIDE Center Receives $25,000 Grant From Walmart Foundation
JONESBORO, Ark. – The Beck PRIDE Center for America’s Wounded Veterans at Arkansas State University has received an grant for $25,000 from the Walmart Foundation.
The grant will support capacity building for direct service or to facilitate the following: career testing, career counseling and advisement (career coach), résumé writing/interviewing skills, small business development, identification of specialization credentials that would improve marketability and employer recruitment/graduate placement.
“The Walmart Foundation has continued to be very financially supportive of our work with veterans,” noted Dr. Susan Hanrahan, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions. “We are so fortunate Walmart has made ‘veterans in the workforce’ one of their priorities.”
The goal is to increase the number of disabled student-veterans and place 100 percent of them into “best-fit” occupations using a logical and supportive educational continuum model.
With the grant, the Beck PRIDE Center will identify 25 new employer partners to work with student-veterans to support their leadership and development skills.
The Beck PRIDE (Personal Rehabilitation, Individual Development and Education) Center began in 2007 to provide combat-wounded veterans a program of rehabilitation, social re-integration and education in a university environment, and prepare wounded soldiers for post-service careers. Throughout its tenure, the center has won numerous awards and serves as a model across the country to aid veterans.
The program offers resource support for the veterans and their families for issues including accessing the higher-education experience, mental-health counseling, physical rehabilitation, advocacy, benefits/financial assistance, career/vocational development and support achievement of post-military service goals.
“As a company founded by a veteran, we have a deep commitment to providing our nation’s heroes the tools and opportunities to enter and succeed in the civilian workforce,” Anne Hatfield, Walmart Director of Communications said. “The Beck PRIDE Center organization shares our values and we are proud to support their work helping our local veterans.”
The Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better, awarding grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the U.S.
To be considered for support, perspective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation State Giving Program’s online grant application. Applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the program’s minimum eligibility criteria. Additional information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process is available online at www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better through philanthropic efforts. By operating globally and giving back locally, Walmart is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the communities it serves and makes a significant social impact within its core areas of giving. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit foundation.walmart.com.
