The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Boeing South Carolina announced the creation of the Boeing Veterans Leadership Award. The annual award will highlight an organization that has shown an outstanding commitment to South Carolina’s veterans and their families. The inaugural recipient of the Boeing Veterans Leadership Award was chosen based on a competitive application process from a pool of highly-qualified, nonprofit organizations dedicated to engaging South Carolina’s veterans. Boeing and the Chamber are proud to announce the 2019 recipient of the Boeing Veterans Leadership award will be Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS), an organization that connects veterans and their families to resources and opportunities.
“Upstate Warrior Solution is the model of what a company serving veterans should be,” said Ted Pitts, President and CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. “They serve not only veterans and active duty members, but their families as well – helping them get connected to resources and find South Carolina jobs. It is our honor to recognize an organization who has done so much for those who have served our state and our nation.”
“Upstate Warrior Solution is an organization that is benefitting our entire state through their work with our nation’s veterans,” said Lindsay Leonard, Senior Director for Boeing National Strategy & Engagement. “It is an honor to be able to thank them for their tireless work to ease veterans’ transitions from active duty to civilian life.”
UWS was honored at the Chamber’s 40th Annual Summit banquet on Thursday, November 21st at Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms.
About Upstate Warrior Solution
Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS) is a community-based, nonprofit organization that generates quality of life solutions for Upstate veterans, active duty, National Guard, and Reserve warriors and their families. UWS services span the following counties in the Upstate: Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens.
The UWS model is built on face-to-face outreach to the warrior community. Service lines include Mentorship, Healthcare and Benefits, Education and Training, Housing, and Employment. The model does not facilitate handouts. The warrior walks alongside his or her peer mentor, program manager, or social worker in a team environment to generate goals and an actionable solution. UWS follows the Four Step Plan of Community Integration for serving the warrior community:
- CONNECT: Locate and link warriors and their families to the UWS network of resources.
- EDUCATE: Inform warriors of services and opportunities available to them.
- ADVOCATE: Ensure warriors receive the support they've earned via peer & social work care coordination.
- COLLABORATE: Work with partners on all levels in the community to facilitate total warrior care.