Final Salute Inc and Ms Veteran America

This one’s for the ladies! We’ve been talking about resources for homeless veterans this week and today we’re going to talk about one that specifically serves women, and especially women with children. But, first, we’re going to talk about an opportunity to get glammed up for a good cause.

I’m talking about the Ms Veteran America competition. The annual competition is the primary fundraising event for Final Salute Inc, a non-profit which provides transitional housing and other assistance to homeless women veterans. Ms Veteran America gives women servicemembers and veterans the opportunity to showcase “The Woman Beyond the Uniform.” And I’m not talking about strutting in a bikini, either. The competition is open to women of all ages (previous contestants include an 89 year old, WWII Coast Guard SPAR!), shapes, sizes, and configurations (a 2013 finalist was a double, below-the-knee amputee) and competitors will be judged in the following categories: “Interview, Talent, Military History, and Advocacy.”

Registration for the 2014 Ms Veteran America competition is currently open – but you have to hurry as it closes April 30^th! Registration is $100 and competitors will be required to pay for their own travel (food and lodging for finalists will be provided), unless they can find sponsors to cover it. West Coast Regionals will be held 31 May in Las Vegas and East Coast Regionals will be held in Arlington, Virginia, 7 June. The actual Ms Veteran America 2014 competition will be held 12 October at the National Convention Center in Leesburg, VA.

(If strutting your stuff on a stage isn’t your thing, be sure to read to the bottom for other ways to support Final Salute Inc’s mission – hint, they involve jewelry and Bond, James Bond!)

Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about this resource. Final Salute Inc was founded in 2010 by Jaspen Boothe, a former Army Reserve Captain with 13 years of service, a 2013 “CNN Hero,” and one of four finalists for the Live with Kelly and Michael show’s “Unstoppable Moms” contest. While going through pre-deployment training in Oklahoma in 2005, Boothe’s New Orleans home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. A short time later, she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. While being treated, Boothe, then a single mother (she’s now married to a Marine combat veteran), began wondering what she would do when her treatment was up.

She didn’t have a home, she didn’t have a job in her unit, and she didn’t have civilian employment. She began exploring the DoD and VA options available to her and found the most of the programs were set up for male veterans and even the majority of programs for women veterans were not equipped to handle women with children. Boothe, thankfully, found another Reserve position, but her experiences led her to begin researching resources for homeless women veterans and, ultimately, to start her own non-profit to help this population.

Final Salute Inc’s mission is to provide homeless women veterans, and their children, with “safe and suitable housing.” Based out of Alexandria, VA, they currently maintain three transitional homes (one in Alexandria, VA, one in Martinsburg, WV, and one in Columbus, OH), housing between 8 and 10 individuals apiece, and have helped over 135 women veterans become self-sufficient and move into their own residences.

Their programs include:

– Housing Outreach Mentorship Encouragement or H.O.M.E.: This program provides transitional housing and, through partnerships with other organizations, additional resources, such as child care and employment assistance, as well as mandatory financial education classes. This program is available to homeless, honorably or generally discharged veterans, who have completed their initial obligation (or who have been medically discharged prior to completing it), primarily those residing in the DC metro area. This program currently has a waiting list.

– Savings Assessment Financial Education or S.A.F.E.: This program assists female veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless by providing them with emergency interest free loans (paid directly to the billing agency) for rent, utilities, and other necessities (a list of what S.A.F.E. will not pay for is available on their homepage). This service is provided as funding is available and is open to female veterans who have completed their initial obligation, unless medically discharged as above, and to current Guard/Reserve members.

Final Salute Inc also sponsors and partners with other organizations sponsoring events targeted towards helping women veterans, such as the “Stand Up for Women” event, designed to prepare women veterans for the work force. Scheduled for 10 May at the Women’s Memorial, the event will offer free head shots, free business attire, and free makeovers to women veterans. (Details on Final Salute’s events page.)

Other ways to raise funds:

– PAVE the Way to Independence Campaign: Mother’s Day is coming up and, if you are looking for a gift that will make mom happy AND support a good cause, then you need to check out the Pave Tag, a blinged up version of a dog tag necklace. Cost is $60 (plus S&H), $25 of which goes directly to support Final Salute Inc’s mission, providing one day’s worth of services for a homeless female veteran. (Can be purchased on Final Salute‘s PAVE Page.)

– Spies and Heroes: This is a 007-themed gala, sponsored by the Technology Science Corporation and complete with a Bond car display, martini bar, and wounded warrior appreciation ceremony, which this year will raise funds for Final Salute Inc. Scheduled for 9 May in Tyson’s Corner. Tickets, which include options such as the “Ultimate Bond Girl Experience,” available here.

If you’d prefer to volunteer, you can join their MeetUp group to keep tabs on the latest opportunities.

You can find out more about Final Salute Inc from their webpage, Facebook page, or Twitter account. You apply for the Ms Veteran America page here or find out about the other 2014 contestants on the MVA Facebook page. And don’t forget to come back tomorrow to read my “Front and Center” Interview with the reigning Ms Veteran America!

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