The DAV

Great people, Doing Great Things to Help America’s Disabled Veterans

As anyone with a wallet and an email inbox can attest, we live in an age of unprecedented crowding in the philanthropy and charitable giving space. Americans donated $485 Billion in 2021, and with charitable organizations jockeying for the biggest slice of that pie, many folks seek out the organizations that are delivering the most benefit.

This is why we want to take a moment to highlight the charity Disabled American Veterans (DAV). For the sake of clarity: KCR has no relationship with DAV and this is not a solicitation for you to donate. Like our prior piece on the Kindness of Strangers, this piece is designed to highlight a positive story.

Founded over 100 years ago, in the wake of World War I, DAV has led efforts to advance the interests of disabled veterans. DAV fights for their rights in Congress and builds programs that deliver direct assistance to Vets who have made profound sacrifices in the line of duty.

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DAV puts the donor money where it is meant to go. Not to flashy marketing, glitzy galas, or bloated executive salaries, but to the veterans. Charity Navigator rates other nonprofits on efficiency, efficacy, and transparency. They recently gave DAV a perfect four star rating, noting that a remarkable 95 cents out of every donated dollar goes directly to programs for veterans.

And those programs are truly impressive.

DAV has a national office and a network of local chapters across the country, which lead potentially life-changing initiatives like job fairs and scholarships for disabled veterans interested in pursuing higher education.

On the national level, DAV not only lobbies for the rights of Disabled Vets in Congress, but maintains a team that helps veterans take advantage of the government benefits they are entitled to. DAV also provides career support, and has an ongoing initiative, Patriot Business Boot Camp, which provides critical support and advice to disabled veteran entrepreneurs and small business owners.

The DAV’s Patriot Boot Camp program has been a boon for Disabled Veteran entrepreneurs. Since its founding in 2012, more than 1,000 alumni have raised over $150 million in venture capital and employ over 1,900 individuals. Among alumni, nearly 70% have a service-connected disability. Last year, the Patriot Business boot camp ran a popular Shark Tank-style pitch competition that mimicked the format of the famous reality show, giving disabled veterans a chance to receive useful advice on their small business while competing for prize money for their ventures.

This year’s winner of the pitch competition was Marine Corps Capt. Jonathan Kuniholm, who wowed judges with his two-minute pitch of his custom prosthetic ecosystem StumpworX, which strives to create prosthetics that better meet the needs of amputees. Having lost part of his right arm in combat in Iraq, Kuniholm is working to create a more comfortable, practical prosthesis and socket. His innovative product uses performance textiles and industry-leading manufacturing techniques. The prize will further his mission to deliver his product to amputees across the world.

What a remarkable story of great people, doing great things, for America’s Disabled Veterans.

KCR’s team has decided to do non-financial write-ups like this one for a very specific reason. Popular media often seems intent on drowning consumers and users in negativity. A documentary recently noted that “….you go on Twitter and it seems like the…apocalypse just started.” View the trailer here: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

KCR suggests that we have much more in common than the internet might have us believe.

While our research on DAV and its Patriot Boot Camp inspired KCR to become a supporter, our goal is not to solicit or encourage you to do the same. It is rather to blast one minor snippet of “good” into a world where anger and antipathy sell. Learning about the DAV reminded us of the profound sacrifices others have made for us and the tremendous kindness that surrounds us but is, in our opinion, too rarely seen.

We hope this brief read brought a smile and a bit of gratitude into your day like it did ours. For more information on Disabled American Veterans, visit Dav.org.