As a proud sponsor of Brian Stann, Veterans United Home Loans, the nation's leading dedicated VA lender, is honored to donate $25,000 to the UFC star's unique nonprofit organization that helps veterans find jobs.

Hire Heroes USA provides transition assistance and job placement to those who have honorably served our country. The organization also helps veterans and spouses secure the education and opportunities necessary to support themselves and their families. Stann, who serves as executive director of Hire Heroes, will accept the donation during a news conference.

"This donation is just one more sign of Veterans United's commitment to improving the lives of those who have proudly served our country," said Stann, a former Marine Corps captain. "I'm proud to call them a sponsor and to be a Veterans United customer."

The donation will help fund new and ongoing initiatives at Hire Heroes. The organization targets veterans who are most likely to be unemployed: Those who served during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and veterans with disabilities.

Hire Heroes USA also works to educate employers about this deserving demographic. The veteran unemployment rate is twice the general unemployment rate, which means service members are being denied the American dream they fought to preserve.

"We hope this donation also raises awareness of the significant employment problems facing our returning service members, who have sacrificed so much," said Nate Long, CEO of VA Mortgage Center.com. "Veterans possess a diverse skill set and an unmatched degree of adaptability. Employers that skim over this group are doing themselves a serious disservice."

In his role as executive director, Stann has traveled the country meeting with Congressional representatives and corporate executives. He's even taken to the airwaves, talking about the difficulties facing returning veterans on programs like C-SPAN's "Washington Journal."

But Stann also garners support for the cause in a less traditional way: The former Navy linebacker has emerged as one of the leading faces of mixed martial arts.

He became the official spokesman of Veterans United earlier this year.

About Veterans United Home Loans

Missouri-based Veterans United Home Loans is the nation's No. 1 dedicated VA lender. More than 500,000 service members have come to Veterans United for help with their home loan benefits in the last nine years. The company expects to finance more than $1 billion in loans in 2011. Its mission is to help veterans and active duty military members take advantage of the home loan benefits earned by their service.

About Hire Heroes USA

The mission of Hire Heroes USA is to offer transition assistance, job search assistance and job placement services to those who have honorably served in the U.S. military — and to their spouses — in order to reduce veteran unemployment. Services are provided at no cost to the veteran.