CLEAR PATH FOR VETERANS INC

Simply, Clear Path aims to serve as many veterans and families as possible because in doing so, we will transform communities one veteran (and family) at a time. We seek to be a welcoming place for all, not just those in need of something. We embrace a model as diverse and all-inclusive as those we serve and strive to be enduring in our support, not transactional.

Clear Path embraces an enduring model of service to our veterans, their families and communities. By their nature, veterans and their families give themselves over to the greater good and ask little in return.

Accepting of this foundational premise, we employ a community-centric strategy - not just to bring veterans together with one another, but just as importantly, to connect veterans and their families with their communities ... and vice versa. We do not seek to be "one size fits all" - rather, "one size fits one." We view the veteran population as a spectrum spanning from those in crisis to those excelling and look to support all in an unconditional, individual approach. For some, that might begin with our weekly Canteen luncheon where we host veterans, families, neighbors and friends for a complimentary lunch prepared in house by our culinary team. For others, we offer an internationally accredited service dog program, whereas some might require peer and family support, career services and wellness activities.

In short, we seek to join a veteran or family wherever they are and help them to get where they want to be.

Applying sound business practices, we continually look to diversify our funding sources while also maintaining a diverse team of staff and volunteers drawn from the communities we serve. We maintain a 10:1 ratio of volunteers to paid staff (as of April 2023, 400+ active volunteers with 42 staff members). Of our staff, we seek to balance veterans with non-veterans, consisting maintaining a 50/50 percentage. This keeps us connected to our foundational mission - to bring veterans and families together with their communities.

Since our founding in 2011, Clear Path for Veterans has maintained consistent growth year over year as measured by any metric. In 2022, we had an annual operating budget of $4+M that delivered a surplus. We maintain a 85:15 ratio between programs and expenses. As for mission achievement, we delivered almost 10,000 direct services to more than 2,200 veterans and their families across 33 counties in New York State. In November 2022, Assistance Dogs International (ADI) certified our service dog training program as meeting the highest standards of excellence, making it one of only 153 ADI programs in the world.

In 2023 and beyond, we will expand our internationally-accredited canine program to serve a more national audience at increased scale. We will seek to serve even more veterans, families and communities across New York State and the Nation.