The Semper Fi Fund

America is a nation that loves its service members, and many business owners are choosing to reach out to them in any way they can. Military service members frequently come back to challenges acclimating outside military life, and it is only recently that the support they deserve has started to become readily available. A large measure of this is coming from business owners, particularly those that have served in the military themselves. What follows are just a few of the ways business owners are reaching out to service members.

Bob Parsons GoDaddy recently donated one million dollars to the Semper Fi Fund. The Semper Fi Fund is a very direct organization that takes on the causes of injured and critically ill service members. These are very expensive circumstances to cope with in the best of times, and the time to cope with them is ideally not when one is still trying to adjust to civilian life. Bob Parsons is also an example of a service member returning for their own; he himself is a decorated veteran, and his donation was made to express his loyalty even after he’s moved on to run the business he does. Needless to say, it is deeply appreciated. Donations to groups like the Semper Fi fund are the simplest, most direct ways business owners are stepping up to be accountable for service members.

Employment consideration is a more common trait that is being displayed on private qualifications. Military service has long correlated to government service, and public sector jobs have a rubric for mapping experience with one to the other. This hasn’t always translated as cleanly to the private world, however. The efforts of a variety of business owners are changing that to make military service something that is prioritized more highly on applications and resumes. Military service implies great discipline and respect, making this a very sound decision from a number of perspectives. It also covers one of the biggest problems that many veterans face: receiving the assistance they need while still being allowed to work for it.

Finally, we are seeing more and more business owners make their own veteran status known. While not so direct as the other two, putting veterans out in the world and making them visible shows to the recently returned that there is a future and a way up. These can be very important beacons for those that are still trying to find their way after military discharge and retirement. Our image of success generally skips stages like “internships” and “military service” on the way to and up the corporate ladder. Many find themselves unable to consider finding a job, let alone running a company, so seeing people that have prospered after the military is important and can have a great impact.

These are just a few of the ways businesses and business owners are going to bat for our veterans. Between direct monetary aid, assistance with employment and the simple reminder that there is success after service, there are many ways that private business owners are stepping up. As time wears on we will only see our troops honored in more ways as they return, and business owners are in a unique position to make very big, real, tangible and wonderful things happen in that respect, so keep your eyes peeled.