Target and VolunteerMatch Respond to Veterans' Report - Help Returning
Servicemen and Women Find Service Opportunities
Target-Sponsored Survey Uncovers 92 Percent of Veterans Report Serving Their
Community is Important to Them
MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Target today announces its partnership
with VolunteerMatch to help connect military veterans, active military, and
their families with community and civic service opportunities across the
country. The partnership is an immediate response to a report based on the
first ever nationally representative survey of veterans from Iraq and
Afghanistan which found that these men and women have a strong desire to serve
their country on the home front through community service and volunteer work.
The report entitled, "All Volunteer Force: From Military to Civilian Service,"
was written by Civic Enterprises and underwritten by Target and the Case
Foundation.
The report highlighted that only 13 percent of veterans strongly agreed their
transitions home from deployment were going well. However, those veterans who
had participated in service opportunities since arriving home had smoother
transitions than those who had not. Given the pressing need to help ease
veterans' re-entry into the community, Target and VolunteerMatch have taken
immediate action on the report results to make it easier for veterans to find
service opportunities, for citizens to support the military through community
service, and for service organizations to more effectively recruit volunteers
in local communities. Available now, military families, veterans and
supporters can visit www.VolunteerMatch.org to help connect with service
organizations that are available nationwide. The VolunteerMatch home page
features a link to its Advanced Search page where "Military Families &
Veterans" has been added as a new Interest Area -- making it easy for
visitors to find military-related volunteer offerings.
"At Target, we have a profound connection to this survey, as we are proud to
count many veterans and military reservists among our 350,000 team members. I
can't think of a better way to show our continued support to veterans and
active soldiers serving in our Armed Forces than to listen and swiftly respond
to their needs," said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target.
"This online resource provides an easy way for veterans to find meaningful
volunteer and service opportunities and make connections in their local
community."
"Military service and community service are both strong in our nation, and
volunteering at local organizations is a great way for these traditions to
come together to strengthen local communities." said Greg Baldwin, president,
VolunteerMatch. "We are happy to work with Target to salute the men and women
who defend our nation and help ease their transition home."
Target helps to support veterans in many ways throughout the year, and to
further showcase its continued commitment this Veterans Day, Target is a
sponsor of ServiceNation's MISSION SERVE care package assembly at George
Washington University. In partnership with ServiceNation, the military family
organization Blue Star Families, event participants and GWU students, the
volunteers will create more than 500 "Thx Box" care packages for military
families during the event's service project. The care packages will include a
reusable Target bag, games, spa items, photo albums, playing cards, DVDs and
more. The event is sponsored by Target, Blue Star Families and the
forthcoming PBS documentary, "This Emotional Life."
Target currently has thousands of team member veterans, as well as many active
duty personnel and countless team members who have a family member currently
serving in the military. To help provide ongoing support and resources for
any Target team member soldier and/or family member connected to the United
States military -- before, during and after deployment -- Target developed the
Military Service Network (MSN). MSN is an onboarding social network that
serves as a resource conduit for Target team members, which offers service
opportunities, support groups and educational presentations.
And because Target understands the difficulty and importance of communicating
with family members who are deployed as part of the military, Target
Technology Services (TTS) has created a solution that allows team members to
communicate with deployed family members using Microsoft Communicator,
Target's standard instant messaging (IM) software. The Military IM program is
open to any team member with a Target computer who has a family member
deployed with one of the armed services.
"As a Target team member the past thirteen years and active member of the
military for twenty-four years, Target has provided me, my team member
counterparts, and our families with every opportunity to stay connected, help
ease our transition home from deployment, as well as provide ample ways for us
to get involved and volunteer," said Bill Lieder, Target team member and
active member of the Army National Guard. "There are thousands of military
men and women throughout the nation that have a passionate desire to serve and
continue their dedication to their country, and it's our duty to help them do
just that."
For years, Target has donated funds and volunteer hours to local and national
veterans' and military organizations that align with the company's core areas
of giving - education, arts and social services, which includes:
-- Voice of Democracy: Target is the national sponsor of the $3 million
scholarship competition in which students write and record a broadcast
script based on a patriotic theme. Local VFWs gather volunteers to
judge the competition, which culminates in a Target-sponsored trip to
Washington, DC for the state finalists.
-- United Through Reading Military Program: With Target's support, the
United Through Reading Military Program now reaches all branches of
the
military, helping parents and children stay connected while separated
during long deployments through the medium for reading aloud on DVD.
-- Our Military Kids: Target provides support through grants and
education
scholarships, as well as pro bono efforts, for Our Military Kids,
which
provides support to the children of deployed and severely injured
National Guard and Military Reserve personnel.
-- Operation Gratitude: Volunteers from Target stores and distribution
centers participate annually in the Patriotic Drive to assemble care
packages for troops overseas.
-- American Legion: Last month, Target and the American Legion joined
forces to raise more than $100,000 for care packages to send to the
Army
service members of Bravo Troop 3-61 Cavalry, who lost all their
possessions when their base camp in Afghanistan was attacked and later
destroyed.
Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its income to support education, the
arts, social services and volunteerism. Today that's more than $3 million
every week.
About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at 1,743 stores
in 49 states nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a
fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly
differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has
given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take
Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.
About VolunteerMatch
VolunteerMatch is a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities
by helping good people and good causes to connect. Its award-winning online
service, www.VolunteerMatch.org, makes it easy to find a way to make a
difference by location, expertise, or availability. VolunteerMatch provides
many of the nation's most recognized businesses, campuses and organizations
with Web-based solutions to facilitate and track volunteer engagement at local
and national levels. As the #1 ranking for "volunteer" on Google and Yahoo!,
the VolunteerMatch network regularly welcomes more than 180,000 visitors each
week and has become the preferred volunteer recruiting service for tens of
thousands of participating nonprofits across the country.
About Civic Enterprises
Civic Enterprises is a public policy firm that helps corporations, nonprofits,
foundations, universities and governments develop and spearhead innovative
public policies to strengthen our communities and country. For more
information, visit www.civicenterprises.net.
SOURCE Target Corporation
Kristen Jones of IMRE, +1-410-821-8220, or Target Communications,
+1-612-696-3400, Visit the Target Pressroom: Target.com/pressroom
