250,000 members of our military transition back to civilian life each year. No matter how much respect we hold for our veterans, it’s hard to show it when, out of uniform, they’re more camouflaged than ever.
“A lot of people don’t know how to say thank you, a lot of people don’t know how to show that they care,” she says. “So having something as simple as a green light bulb is amazing because it says, ‘I care. I may not know how to say it, but I care.’”
There are 22.5 million veterans in the U.S., and more than 2.5 million Americans have served our country in uniform since 2001, according to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University. In addition to finding jobs, many of these veterans need other types of transition support. That’s why Walmart is committed to greenlighting veterans in a variety of ways:
- Hiring 250,000 veterans by 2020 through its Welcome Home Commitment
- Supporting organizations focused on job training, education and community-based collaboration
As of last month, Walmart has hired 100,000 veterans over the past two years, and along with the Walmart Foundation, recently committed $20 million to organizations focused specifically on transitioning veterans.
How can you support a veteran? Changing your
porch light to green is one simple step, but volunteering, hiring and raising
awareness on social media can also make a huge difference. See how others are
embracing the greenlighting movement here, and visit GreenlightAVet.com for more
information.