Local Veteran to Give Away $100,000 to Veteran Service Organizations

Dec. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Austin, Texas – December 17, 2012 – Texas veterans have been volunteering and donating to make up for the financial deficit in non-profit organizations.

Tim Stroud served as a combat medic in the United States Army for five years. He was deployed to Kosovo and Iraq (OIF) and served honorably as a non-commissioned officer. After exiting the Army, he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and sought out help.  “I thought I was the only one having difficulties,” said Stroud. He found help through the VA in Temple, TX and many non-profits that are not funded by the state or federal government.

Stroud realized that working with other veterans in the community helped him showcase his leadership skills while healing at the same time. He worked with Horses for Heroes in Georgetown, Bring Everyone In The Zone (BEITZ) in Killeen, Heroes Night Out (HNO) in Cedar Park, and The Mission Continues from St. Louis, MO. He helped build TexVet, a resource website dedicated to connecting veterans to their benefits and continues to be a veterans’ advocate. He has testified before Congress to fight for additional resources to fund non-profits in Texas.

However, these veteran service organizations, often called VSOs, rely on the benevolence of the communities they are in, local corporations, and grant funding. When funding sources dry up – benefits to veterans also disappear. As the national average of suicides among veterans is 18 per day, Stroud says one of the key answers is finding organizations that actually engage the veterans and allow them to be more active in their communities.

After working with Paul J. Meyer from Waco, TX, Stroud has pledged to do the same thing that his mentor did – donate half of all that he makes to charity. He has pledged $100,000 in 2013 to support these organizations. Stroud has already set up a charity in Killeen, TX for their police department and it has disbursed over $100,000 to officers, staff, and families of the KPD.

Tim Stroud is a subject matter enthusiast on transitioning benefits for U.S. veterans and runs his business just north of Austin, Texas.