Justin Verlander Donates $1 million to Launch Wins for Warriors

By Debbie Gregory.

Detroit Tigers pitcher, Justin Verlander, is joining with the Detroit Tigers Foundation by making a one million dollar commitment to launch the Wins for Warriors initiative. The initiative is designed to support the mental health and emotional well being of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and their families in Detroit, Richmond and Norfolk.

Reports indicate that as many as one in three Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who saw combat will eventually experience significant mental health challenges. Many don’t seek help because of the stigma associated with receiving mental health care. Wins for Warriors is devoted to remove the sense of shame or fear around Veterans and their families that seek mental health services and helps to provide the support and care they need.

Funds from the $1 million commitment will be distributed to Give an Hour and The Mission Continues. The groups have the expertise to have a long-term impact on the health of America’s Veterans. Whether you’re a U.S. service member returning home from a tour of duty with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or a young military wife whose four-year-old has had nightmares since her father’s deployment to Iraq, a nonprofit organization known as Give an Hour is ready to connect those in need with a volunteer mental healthcare professional.

Give an Hour has created a network of nearly 1,200 mental health professionals nationwide who donate an hour each week to provide free mental healthcare services to military personnel and their families. The mental healthcare professionals participating in Give an Hour offer a range of services, including individual, marital, and family therapy; substance abuse counseling; treatment for PTSD; and counseling for individuals with traumatic brain injuries.

The Mission Continues is a 501(c) nonprofit organization that serves as framework for U. S. military Veterans to perform community service work toward issues ranging from disaster preparedness to education for low-income youth, to the training of service dogs for wounded veterans. The Mission Continues was founded in 2007 after CEO Eric Greitens returned home from service in Iraq as a Navy Seal.

With Verlander’s contribution, more Veterans and their families will receive the help they need and deserve from these wonderful programs. Verlander has brought his fame as well as his donation to the table and helped to raise awareness to the needs of returning military heroes/heroines.