The Quality of Life Plus Program

Goal 1. Identify injured or ill veterans, first responders and military personnel who can be helped by QL+ - we call them "Challengers."
Goal 2. Establish and maintain a relationships with colleges and universities to support the QL+ program and STEM education.
Goal 3. Establish and maintain a "Mentor Program" to provide industry professionals an opportunity to mentor the students in the various engineer disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, biomedical, and computer science.
Goal 4. Pursue corporate sponsorships, Foundation grants, and individual donations to support the continuation of the QL+ mission.

Strategies for Goal 1. We partner with other non-profit organizations as well as providing information for these communities on our website and through social media. We have partnership agreements with several regional Innovation Centers of the Veterans Administration. We build a relationship with our Challengers by obtaining feedback while they are in our program and after they leave our program.
Strategies for Goal 2. We identify those engineering programs that will provide QL+ an opportunity to sponsor Senior Capstone Design projects as part of their ABET accredited curriculum. We work with the Dean of Engineering, Department Heads and Faculty Advisors to ensure a successful project for both the students and the Challenger. We send a letter to each faculty advisor and their supervisor at the end of each academic year to recognize their contribution to the success of the project and the QL+ mission.
Strategies for Goal 3. We obtain mentors from our corporate sponsors who benefit by having their employees interact with the engineering students. Most often our mentors say they gain as much from the relationship as they give to the students. We recognize the mentors at the end of each academic year.
Strategies for Goal 4. QL+ would not exist except for the financial support for the mission from corporations, Foundations and individual donors. We continually work to identify corporate sponsors that desire to help injured veterans and first responders, as well as to support STEM education. We apply for Foundation Grants where the QL+ mission aligns with the Foundation's goals and objectives. And we work to maintain a communication link with our individual donors so they see how their dollars are contributing to the goals of the organization.

Quality of Life Plus has a dedicated staff of 6 including a Physical Therapist. QL+ now has a virtual office arrangement with staff in the Washington DC metro area, as well as Ohio, Colorado, Virginia and California. We have several consultants, including a CPA and attorney, to provide technical support. We also have a Mentoring Program of volunteers to mentor the university students assigned to work on QL+ sponsored senior design Capstone projects. Mentors are professionals from the private sector with experience in managing projects and with expertise in various engineering and related disciplines. QL+ also has informal partnerships with over 20 other non-profit organizations which refer injured veterans and first responders (Challengers) to us and have provided projects (Challenges) for QL+ sponsored projects. We also have a partnership with the Veterans Administration's Innovation Ecosystem that allows us to complement the work of the VA.