Bank of America Donates $50,000 for Program to Enhance Employment and Training Opportunities for Vets

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Nov. 11, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bank of America has donated $50,000 to the Foundation of UMDNJ for a program to help US veterans returning from deployment and looking for work.

The grant will be used to expand the Vet2Vet program operated by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-University Behavioral HealthCare (UBHC) that assists the State's service men and women and their families with issues ranging from post traumatic stress syndrome and other behavioral health matters to marital and financial matters.  With the additional Bank of America funding, NJ Vet2Vet will now assist veterans in learning about and pursuing employment and training opportunities as they reintegrate into society.

"The Vet2Vet program offers critical support to New Jersey veterans returning to civilian life, many of whom struggle with that adjustment," said Robert H. Doherty, Bank of America New Jersey president.  "This grant will expand the program to help provide employment opportunities for the brave men and women who have served our country."

Christopher Kosseff, president and CEO of UBHC, pointed out that this new support will be available to the veterans as long as is necessary.  "Working with resources within UMDNJ and throughout the State, we are confident that this will be an invaluable program for returning veterans," he said.

UMDNJ, through UBHC, and the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs collaborated in developing NJ Vet2Vet five years ago as a program of outreach activities for soldiers, veterans and their families based on peer-to-peer contact.  UBHC provides and manages four primary service components of the NJ Vet2Vet program: peer support; veteran telephonic clinical assessment; referrals to the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs PTSD provider network, veterans' centers, veterans' affairs services, and military behavioral healthcare providers; and case management in collaboration with veterans' service organizations, family assistance centers and national and regional military specific resources.

The primary point of entry for NJ Vet2Vet is a peer-operated helpline, 1-866-838-7654 (1-866-VETS-NJ4), which provides callers with immediate, direct contact to a fellow veteran counselor.  It is available to all military personnel in New Jersey and their families for issues ranging from stress reactions, PTSD and other behavioral health problems, to marital and financial matters.

For more information about the Vet2Vet program, contact Mr. Kosseff at 732-253-5900 or at [email protected].  To learn more about how to financially support the program, contact Denise Gavala, vice president for development at the Foundation of UMDNJ, at (908) 731-6595 or [email protected].

Bank of America

Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, last year Bank of America embarked on a new, 10-year goal to donate $2 billion to nonprofit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods.  Funded by Bank of America, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation gave more than $200 million in 2009, making the bank one of the largest corporate cash donors in the United States.  For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.

UMDNJ

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is the nation's largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 6,000 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and its only school of public health on five campuses. For more information, visit www.umdnj.edu.  

The Foundation of UMDNJ

The Foundation of UMDNJ is an independent, not-for-profit organization that connects individuals, corporations and foundations that want to advance healthcare with those at UMDNJ who are pursuing those same passions. For more information, visit www.foundationofumdnj.org.

SOURCE Foundation of UMDNJ