The Bob Woodruff Foundation will host a golf outing benefit at the Westhampton Beach Country Club on May 22. The foundation invests in innovative programs supporting the veteran community. To date the organization has invested over $124 million to serve the military and veteran populations. We caught up with the nonprofit’s CEO Anne Marie Dougherty to learn more.
Can you tell us about Bob Woodruff and the foundation’s work.
Bob and Lee Woodruff turned a life altering injury into a force for good – one that has touched the lives of over 12 million veterans, service members, their families, and their caregivers.
In 2006 Bob was the world news anchor for ABC. He was reporting from Iraq, and a roadside bomb hit the vehicle he was in. He and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, were wounded. Bob sustained a very serious traumatic brain injury. The soldiers with Bob, the military medics, and the military healthcare system saved Bob’s life.
While Bob was hospitalized at Walter Reed, his wife Lee spent time with the families of service members also receiving treatment. Lee noticed many suffered similar injuries to Bob’s traumatic brain injury. However, not all received the level of support Bob received. Lee wondered how these veterans could receive the care and support they deserve.
The idea for the Bob Woodruff Foundation was born. Today, 17 years later, the Bob Woodruff Foundation ensures that our nation’s veterans, service members and their families — those who stood for us — have stable and successful futures.
Tell us a little about your background and how you began working with The Bob Woodruff Foundation.
As someone who comes from a long line of family members who served and are serving, and as a former military spouse, I understand the sacrifices that military families make, the worries and challenges, and the rewards that come with serving. The mission of the Bob Woodruff Foundation is personal for me. I’m proud to lead an organization that supports our veteran and military community, and that works to ensure that those who stood for us have access to the support and resources they’ve earned for as long as needed.
Shortly after the Foundation was created in 2006, I started as a volunteer while I was a Marine spouse. In 2011, I was named executive director. With the support of an amazing team – many of whom are veterans, military spouses, or military family members – we’ve grown the Foundation from a kitchen table operation to one that’s a national leader.
To date, we’ve invested over $124 million in innovative programs and services that serve the military and veteran populations, awarded over 585 grants, and reached over 12 million veterans, service members, and their families. That’s something I am incredibly proud of.
You noted that one in six military families are food insecure. Talk a little about the foundation and the work you do to help with food insecurity in the military and veteran community.
In 2020, as we began to witness Covid-19’s impacts not only worldwide but, more specifically, on our veteran and military community, we made our first food insecurity investments. Since then, we’ve invested nearly $12.4M to address food insecurity, and have supported over 1.5 million veterans, caregivers, and their families.
Food insecurity is a complex issue that requires a comprehensive approach. We know veterans and their families need food immediately. But we also know that putting healthy food in their hands doesn’t solve the need long term. Our funding in this area has the highest impact when we also address underlying factors that contribute to food insecurity, including employment, housing, and legal services for example.
Talk a little about how the foundation is meeting the emerging and long-term needs of these individuals. What are some of these needs in addition to food insecurity?
The Bob Woodruff Foundation works to improve the health and well-being of our military and veteran population and to ensure that communities across the nation have the resources to meet those needs. That’s a big goal, I know.
In addition to food insecurity, we focus on the most critical issues affecting veterans and military families today. These include:
- Mental health and wellbeing for those who are injured or who have chronic illnesses. In addition, in 2022, we committed to investing $1M to improve military children’s mental health.
- Employment assistance to help veterans and service members find meaningful employment after military service, including job training and career counseling.
- Housing assistance for veterans and service members who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of being homeless.
- Education and training for veterans and service members who are transitioning to civilian life or who are interested in higher education.
- Community building so that our veterans create strong social connections.
The Foundation also helps veterans navigate the 40,000+ organizations that provide services to them. Can you tell us more about this process?
Each year approximately 250,000 men and women leave the US military, return to civilian life, and join the ranks of earlier veterans. Some veterans struggle with that transition and need additional resources and support. We know that the organizations in the communities where our veterans live are important in helping with the transition from military to civilian life.
We identify and invest in organizations that serve veterans in their communities. We also learn from organizations nationwide about the evolving needs of our veterans and their families. Our investments in and collaboration with veteran-serving organizations nationwide help us ensure that current and former service members and their families are supported in the next chapter of their lives, and have what they need for successful futures.
What can guests expect at this year’s Veterans Classic?
We want all our guests to know that the Veterans Classis is an opportunity to be part of something much larger than golf. By participating in the Veterans Classic, we’re coming together as a community to support our veterans and service members, to honor them in advance of Memorial Day and to address food insecurity among our veterans and service members.
Our Veterans Classic kicks off at 10:30 AM with registration, followed by an appearance by the Patriot Parachute team – they’ll jump in at around 11:30 AM. We’ll welcome them with a color guard and national anthem. The event includes a golf round robin, pickleball clinic for those who prefer not to golf, lunch, dinner, cocktails, and an awards ceremony.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t send a shoutout to our event co-chairs and board members Colin Heffron and Mike Hoffman who’ve done an incredible job bringing this event to life in Westhampton.
You can find more information or register through our website bobwoodrufffoundation.org/events.
