For the second year in a row, the Eight Eleven Family of Companies has continued its tradition of supporting Veterans and those within the Veteran community. During the month of November, Eight Eleven launched its Eleven Days of Giving campaign powered by Project Patriot, its Veteran advocacy program. During Eleven Days of Giving, we spotlight several remarkable Veteran advocacy organizations that partner with us throughout the year to help Veterans transition into civilian life and the workforce. The missions of each organization recognized, closely align with our core values here at the Eight Eleven Family of Companies, from service to grit, and many more, their impact and support remind Veterans that the skills learned during their enlistment can be transitioned into a promising civilian career.

A brief wrap-up video to highlight the organizations honored during this year’s Eleven Days of Giving.

About Project Patriot

Starting the post-military career journey can be a challenging experience for any Veteran. At Eight Eleven, we value the often-overlooked skills, leadership, and motivation that each Veteran brings to the workforce. That is why we are proud to provide opportunities for those who embark on the tough transition from military service to the civilian workforce. As Anne Erpenbeck, Director of Elevate, explains, “It shows Veterans that not only are we supportive of them, but we are ready to help them enter the workforce.” It is with great honor and excitement that we showcase our Veteran advocacy program, Project Patriot. This program is designed to empower Veterans as they navigate through the challenges and opportunities of the professional landscape, all while serving as a tribute to these heroes and a celebration of their tremendous contributions and sacrifice.

At the heart of Project Patriot is its mission, impact, and most of all the stories of diligence and resilience from Veterans across the nation that help define this program. “Since we first launched, the idea of serving this underserved community and giving back to our Veterans by helping to career coach and support them as they transition from the military to the civilian workforce, I believed, from the bottom of my heart in this mission,” says Julia Lindenschmidt, Director of Professional Development and member of Military & Ally Community (MAC). The training and work-and-learn opportunities offered by Project Patriot not only help with upskilling Veterans, but also create a supportive environment where they can thrive! Lindenschmidt shares, “My Grandpa is a Korean War Veteran in the Navy, and my husband was in the Marine Reserves and had two deployments overseas. Eight Eleven Group could not have been more supportive during this time, which I will be forever grateful for.” Although job training is a crucial part of the value that Project Patriot, and fellow groups like it, bring to Veterans, sometimes it is just knowing that the Veteran community has an ally and emotional support network that makes the biggest impact. It is with the same hope that Eight Eleven will continue to make seamless transitions like this, for many more Veterans and their family members for years to come.

Eleven Days of Giving

The purpose of the Eleven Days of Giving campaign is to highlight fellow Veteran advocacy groups who have joined Project Patriot in supporting the Veteran community and express our deepest gratitude for everything they do. In addition to giving a platform for these groups to share their message, we donate $5k each day leading up to Veterans Day to an organization honored by the campaign. It’s our hope that this will help them continue to grow and share their missions with others. Organizations including Hire Heroes USA, St. Michael’s Learning Academy, Veteran Project Manager Mentor Alliance, Microsoft, and Onward to Opportunity are just a few of the amazing organizations that we have and continue to support through the Eleven Days of Giving campaign.

In addition to positively impacting many organizations through our support, the Eleven Days of Giving initiative has also left a memorable impression on many Eight Eleven employees. Lindenschmidt expressed that she is so thankful for the campaign’s donations to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, the oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships to military children. This organization holds a special place in her heart as it paid for the college tuition of her husband's unit member and fallen Marine, Sgt. Brock Babb’s children. Another organization we are proud to support is Fifty for the Fallen, a non-profit dedicated to finding Veterans in crisis, facilitating their mental health treatment, and supporting them like family, every step of the way. “We build these partnerships to assist Veterans in their job search through market insight, salary negotiation tips, resume translation, and more to aid in the culture shift Veterans experience when transitioning into the civilian workforce,” says Elevate Team Lead, Scarlet Harrod. “Our goal is to assist in a seamless transition into the civilian workforce through technical upskilling and our transition accelerator.”

Brianna Morales and fellow Brooksource NSC members presenting a donation to Hire Heroes USA.

Remembering Veterans

With many Eight Eleven employees having family members associated with the military, Project Patriot has allowed them to honor and give back through their daily operations. Brianna Morales recently came to Brooksource to be involved in Project Patriot following her work with Hire Heroes USA for 6.5 years, helping Veterans and military spouses gain employment. With her entire family having served in the Army and military, she found the Veteran community to be particularly meaningful to her and those around her.

The Eight Eleven Family of Companies is committed to sustaining these initiatives year-round and fully intends to provide ongoing support to these organizations and Veterans, alike. Our dedication to making a positive impact remains, and we look forward to contributing to such efforts. To all these great organizations, we are extremely grateful, and appreciate all that you do! To our Veterans and their families, thank you for all the sacrifices you have made for our country. Please let Eleven Days of Giving serve as our humble thank you. If you are interested in learning more about how Project Patriot is supporting Veterans in their transition into the civilian workforce and beyond, you can do so by visiting our website.