Enable America Endorses Bob Woodruff Foundation Recommendations in Support of Employment for Wounded Warriors

Tampa, FL, May 01, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Enable America, a nonprofit working to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities, is endorsing recommendations made by the executive director of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Anne Marie Dougherty, who wrote there are “three steps we must take right now to soften the landing for veterans — especially those with injuries — in the civilian economy.”

In an article on Time.com, Dougherty noted that non-profit organizations must do a better job of collaborating in order to meet needs in the areas of greater employment, entrepreneurial support for veterans who want to start small businesses, and assistance in transitioning from combat to college.

“We concur with the recommendations of the Woodruff Foundation, they align with our experience to improve employment opportunities for wounded warriors and disabled veterans,” said Richard Salem, founder and chairman of Enable America. “Most importantly, we welcome the opportunity to team and collaborate with other non-profits in order to address those needs. Working together, we can get it done.”

Enable America offers programs that build bridges between people with disabilities and employers, though its Career Mentoring Programs, Job Skills Workshops, Community Connections and Business to Business Meetings. In addition, Enable America has devoted specialized resources in support of wounded warriors through its VetConnect program.

Founded in 2007, the mission of VetConnect is to help wounded warriors and their family members readjust to society, pairing them with mentors who have faced similar challenges and experiences. Working with the USSOCOM Care Coalition, VetConnect provided services to 173 USSOCOM Care Coalition Recovery Program (CCRP) participants, including wounded warriors, their spouses and parents. VetConnect also provided quarterly training to the 78 CCRP mentors working in conjunction with the Care Coalition staff to support the Recovery Program.

“Our VetConnect experience demonstrated what Ms. Dougherty advocates in her article, that transitioning wounded warriors benefit from a peer support network,” Salem said. “This experience, combined with the network of corporate employers Enable America has built, provides several critical components that will benefit a collaborative approach with other organizations committed to the same cause.”

Enable America was founded in 2002, and marked its tenth anniversary last September with expansion of programming into the Washington DC area, including its first mentoring program with a federal agency, the FBI. Companies, agencies, organizations, and individuals who want to participate in Enable America programs can learn more at the organization’s website, EnableAmerica.org.

About Enable America: Established in 2002 by attorney Richard Salem, Enable America builds bridges between employers, social service agencies, and people with disabilities, including disabled veterans and wounded warriors, through programs that improve employment opportunities. The organization’s Community Connections, Business Connections, Employment Mentoring, Job Skills Workshops and VetConnect programs unite members of the disability community and business community to raise awareness and increase employment opportunities for the more than 56 million Americans with disabilities. Information and success stories can be found at EnableAmerica.org.