Markets Wired

Vero Beach, FL, October 07, 2019 –(PR.com)– Dragon Digital Agency, a subsidiary of GoSIMC Inc., recently announced the launch of their Veterans Saving Veterans℠ program, a marketing mentorship and advertising assistance program offered at no cost to nonprofit organizations with a mission related to helping prevent military veteran suicide throughout the U.S.

“Supporting veterans in distress and at-risk of suicide should be a cause at the forefront of concern in our American society,” stated Cheryl Carradini, MBA, owner of Dragon Digital Agency, Ph.D. graduate research student, and U.S. Navy Veteran. “In many cases, there are numerous resources available that could have prevented a tragedy, but the sad reality is that we are not reaching the over 6,000 veterans that take their own lives every single year.”

According to a September 2019 journal article in Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research on Awareness of Suicide Prevention Programs Among U.S. Military Veterans, only 5% of surveyed military veterans have ever participated in an event related to veteran suicide. Depending on the purpose and scope of the research, military veterans are shown to have a 21% to 150% higher risk of death by suicide than the general public. And it is not just male veterans that are at-risk. In recent research, female veterans now show a startling increase in the incidence of suicide over their male counterparts.

Richard Sisk of Military.com published an article on September 23, 2019, addressing the release of a Department of Veterans Affairs report that shows a 150% higher veteran suicide rate when compared to the civilian rate during the same period. In that article, Sisk points out that both the Veteran Administration Secretary, Robert Wilkie and Dr. Richard Stone of the Veterans Health Administration admitted that the problem is too much for these federal organizations to handle without help from community partners around the country.

Carradini created the Veterans Saving Veterans℠ Program after being inspired by Facebook posts by Vero Beach American Legion Post 39 Chaplain, Barry Roberts. Chaplain Roberts frequently posts about national events with Gold Star Mothers, Gold Star Families, and he also shares news articles with current events indicative of the staggering nation-wide suicide statistics among military members and veterans.

“It is heartbreaking to realize that right now, somewhere in the U.S., a veteran that made it home is in the process of taking their own life. It is even more disturbing to understand that, according to research averages, another U.S. veteran is contemplating suicide right now.” Carradini comments, “There are thousands of organizations across the U.S. that hold events to raise PTSD awareness, provide suicide-prevention information, and to assist at-risk veterans. However, as research clearly shows us, our society does not reach nearly enough at-risk veterans. No veteran should ‘give all’ after they come home.”

The Veterans Saving Veterans℠ program is designed to provide the knowledge and resources needed by nonprofits to reach more military veterans. Through the program, Dragon Digital Agency helps nonprofits to quickly implement free marketing tools and in-kind advertising services into their outreach programs.

To qualify for the program, the nonprofit organization must be a 501(c)3, have received a determination letter from the IRS, and have a mission related to preventing veteran suicide. In addition to providing a nonprofit business mentor, the company sets up marketing tools and advertising services through Google. The G Suite for Nonprofits and Google Ads Grant programs are both free for eligible nonprofits. Qualifying 501(c)3 nonprofits can claim an in-kind advertising budget of $10,000 a month to be used on the Google Advertising platform.

Dragon Digital Agency helps nonprofits set up free accounts and create targeted ads that attract donors, volunteers, and business sponsors. The purpose of the ads is also to encourage military veterans to join community events. The company does not charge for services provided through the Veterans Saving Veterans℠ program.

“The resources that we set up for these nonprofits are already available to all nonprofits and charities with a 501(c)3 determination letter from the IRS. Similar to at-risk veterans, these organizations are simply not aware of the resources that are available to them,” stated Carradini on the reasons for creating the progra. “They also may not have the time, expertise, or human resources to implement awareness and event campaigns that are critical to their missions.”

For more information on the Veterans Saving Veterans℠ Program for 501(c)3 nonprofits, visit: https://www.DragonDigitalAgency.com/veterans