Skip to Content

Veterans United Foundation grants $100,000 to Give an Hour

February 1, 2014

Give an Hour Awarded $100,000 Grant from Veterans United Foundation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Give an Hour™, a national nonprofit organization providing free mental health services to members of the military, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, their loved ones, and their communities, announces a $100,000 grant from Veterans United Foundation, the charitable arm of Veterans United Home Loans.

"We are so grateful to Veterans United Foundation for this generous financial support," said Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour. "This grant will allow us to add resources to our commitment to the Army National Guard and to recruit and train more mental health professionals to ensure help is available in every community."

Give an Hour's national program with the Army National Guard will harness the nonprofit's expertise in coordination and collaboration to make all Guard units aware of the services available to them and to work directly with local communities to create a comprehensive system of care for Guard families. The program will encompass trainings and presentations to Guard units across the country, outreach to national mental health associations to recruit more volunteer providers, and training for mental health professionals on the issues that affect those who serve and their families.

"Through the dedication and donations of our employees at Veterans United Home Loans, we are able to support such worthy initiatives as this," said Megan Sievers, director of Veterans United Foundation. "The work Give an Hour is doing with the Army National Guard aligns perfectly with our core mission of enhancing lives."

About Give an Hour™

Give an Hour is a nonprofit 501(c) (3), founded in September 2005 by Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a psychologist in the Washington, D.C. area. The organization is dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of military personnel, their families, and the communities affected by the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. To date, Give an Hour has nearly 7,000 providers across the nation - in all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam - with more volunteer mental health professionals joining its network every day. In addition to counseling, providers also consult to schools, first responders, employers, and community organizations. Give an Hour has already provided approximately 104,000 hours of free service, valued at more than $10.4 million. To learn more, visit giveanhour.org or connected.giveanhour.org.

Veterans United Facts

  • $34 billion
    in loans financed in 2022
  • Defense Employer Support Freedom Award Recipient
    by the Secretary of Defense
  • More than 4,300 employees
    in more than 36 states
  • More than $130 million
    raised for nonprofit charitable arm, Veterans United Foundation since Nov. 2011
  • No. 8 Best Place to Work
    according to Glassdoor Best Places to Work in 2022

Featured In

  • Chicago Tribune
  • Los Angeles Times
  • Yahoo! Finance
  • US News & World Report
  • CNN Money
  • The New York Times
  • INC 500

Newsroom

Media Team

Chad Moller
Communications Manager
(573) 876-2600 ext. 6924
communications@vu.com

Tierre Banks
Sr. Media Relations Specialist
(800) 814-1103 ext. 3220
Tierre.Banks@vu.com

Meet The Expert

Chris Birk, Director of Education at Veterans United Chris Birk
Author, The Book on VA Loans

Chris is the nation’s leading expert on VA Loan benefits. He authored The Book on VA Loans in 2011, and maintains the VA Loans Insider blog. His analysis and articles have appeared at a host of sites and publications, including the Washington Post, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, USA Today, the Houston Chronicle and more. Members of the media may request a free copy of The Book on VA Loans to learn more about the VA loan program.

See Chris' Bio »