Aaron’s Donates $25K to Mission 22, Supports Veteran’s Mental Wellness

January 6, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

"As anyone with family members or friends in the service knows, sometimes the greatest battles for veterans come when they return home," said Douglas Lindsay, CEO of The Aaron's Company. "When we learned about the work Mission 22 was doing to support our heroes here at home, we were inspired to step up and show our commitment to veterans within our team and beyond affected by these challenging conditions."

The purpose behind Mission 22 is the fight to decrease the rate of veteran suicide, as the name of the organization references the number of veterans who take their own lives every day. Mission 22 attacks this devastating problem by promoting three main initiatives: veteran treatment programs, memorials and community social impact. In addition to providing direct support for veterans, Mission 22 also has an ambassador volunteer program to allow civilians to get involved. Ambassadors educate the public on veterans' issues, provide veterans with specified treatment programs and create local resources in their communities.

The donation by the Aaron's Foundation, Inc. was driven by the efforts of all four of Aaron's employee business resource groups, internal teams of employees representing the voices of the following communities: Black, female, Latinx and LGBTQ. Through their combined power, the groups sought to recognize both National Caregivers Month in November and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which was celebrated on Dec. 3.

"Given the incredible service of veterans and the sacrifices they and their families make on a daily basis, we wanted to support an organization that was truly making a difference," said Karen Schukle, senior director of diversity and inclusion at the Aaron's Company. "In addition to raising awareness, we hope our donation serves as a call-to-action for our team and the community to engage with this critical cause."