Battle Buddies for Life
Mission
Mission Statement is to help and assist Veterans and their Immediate Family Members during their times of need or crisis, while focusing on Life-Enabling Skills in order to Prevent Suicide.
We refer Veterans and family members to counseling centers in their area from all over the Nation. We track the progress of the Veteran's counseling and receive periodical updates on the counseling center's performance by those in which we send to them.
We do so by taking classes on Suicide Awareness and Prevention and by our Life-Line Telephone Number:
803-768-LIFE (5433)
We assist Spouses and Dependents as well that needs assistance coping with their spouse who has PTSD or other mental illnesses by our Dependent Life-Line Telephone Number:
803-567-3345
Notes from the nonprofit
My name is Gene Bryant, I am the Founder and CEO of a 501©(3) called Battle Buddies For Life (BBFL). I chose that name because a service member is issued or assigned a Battle Buddy from day one of Basic Training. We also have Battle Buddies that we are with when a unit or a company deploys. The intent of a Battle Buddy is to have someone that knows you and can assist you or cover your back in time of need, they are normally the first to notice a change in personality. Through my nine deployments in totally different operations, I have lost several friends whom I called my brothers and sisters, 25 in total. 25 is not a huge number when you look at the big picture, I mean, that's 2.7 friends per operation that was KIA.
I challenge you, take a look at the Veteran Suicide statistics. That is a lot higher and scarier. 22 Veterans commit suicide DAILY. That's per day! That's 8030 lives lost in a year, which is a lot more than both the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars combined. My goal with BBFL is Suicide Awareness and Prevention amongst our Veterans. This is done through support group meetings on a monthly basis with a phone number exchange so that if a Battle Buddy needs help, the help is local, understanding, compassionate, and in most cases can identify with the person in need.
The transition from military life back to civilian life is NOT an easy one. Help is NOT READILY AVAILABLE. The military doctors that you were seeing, and know your history and past treatments and experiences, you can no longer see. The waiting list to be seen at the VA medical facility is 90-120 days if not longer and that depends on your issues. The disability compensation does not come in for up to 12 months after you leave the service. The struggles to make ends meet from month to month get harder and harder, yet your creditors don't care, they only want their money.
My goal is to help ALL Veterans, First Responders, and their family members relieve some of the transitioning stress as well as to inform and ensure them that they are not going through their situation alone, that there is a network of Veterans, First Responders, and family members willing to reach out and help. Battle Buddies For Life's motto is: “Always Strong, Always Faithful, Always Together".
That is Battle Buddies For Life, a network of individuals that have been where you've been, and have the WANT to HELP! If you are interested in finding out more about who we are or to donate to our cause of 22-0 and Veteran Suicide Awareness and Prevention, please go to our website at: www.battlebuddiesforlife.com
Twitter @BB_4L
FB at: [email protected]
Yours Truly,
Bailey “Gene" Bryant
Ruling year
2015
President
Mrs. Raina K Bryant
Vice President
Mr. Tom Reddick
Main address
825 Meeting Street
West Columbia, SC 29169 USA
EIN
46-5169637
NTEE code
Hot Line, Crisis Intervention (F40)
Nonprofit Management (S50)
Military/Veterans' Organizations (W30)
IRS filing requirement
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
The Battle Buddies For Life-Line
This telephone network connects veterans to a group of volunteers whose job it is to listen and share experiences. Each volunteer is a veteran who suffers from depression, PTSD, or other emotional trauma as a result of their service. Call the Battle Buddies For Life-Line once, provide some contact information, and you will be connected with a volunteer listener. The service provides emotional support in the lives of veterans in order to keep them from contemplating suicide. Telephone number for this Life-Line is: 803-768-LIFE! If needed, we contact the local police department in their city and request that they do a "Wellness Check" on the Veteran and then we refer them to one of our Counseling Centers to be seen.
The Battle Buddies For Life Counseling Program
Battle Buddies For Life-Line volunteers use their unique personal experience to recognize the signs that a caller might be contemplating suicide, and will offer to refer the caller to one of the counseling centers around the Midlands. When funds are available, Battle Buddies For Life will pay for up to one but NO MORE THAN five co-pays for counseling sessions so that certified counselors can help get the Veteran or First Respondent to a higher place.
Where we work
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of suppliers with whom the SME/Coop/Enterprise has an agreement, contract, or ongoing business relationship as a result of the nonprofit's efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
The Battle Buddies For Life-Line
Context Notes
Put Veterans in Counseling in order to help get them back to a higher state mentally. Started a Life-Line that went Live in August 2016 that is manned 24/7 by other Veterans that understand.
Number of people working at the SME/Coop/Enterprise on a part-time basis (< 35 hours per week) as a result of the nonprofit's efforts
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
The Battle Buddies For Life-Line
Context Notes
All of our Volunteer's put in about 20-30 hours per week of their time working the non-profit organization in order to keep it up and running efficiently.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To lower the national Veteran suicide rates by providing assistance 24 hours a day to those in desperate need by saving lives.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Phone tree that is manned 24 hours per day.
Referral to counseling centers that agree to see them within a 3 day turn-around time.
If in dire need, contact Police Department in the Veteran's location and have them do a "Wellness Check" while still on the phone with the Veteran.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Caring board members that are passionate about saving lives by constantly answering the phones, e-mails, and watching social media posts in order to save a life by being available.
In a Partnership with the South Carolina United Way Association in which has a large reach to other organizations around the states that we can provide extra help.
Associated with the South Carolina Association of Non-Profits
Counseling Centers that we have partnered up with to help send referrals to if needed all across the nation.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Our organization has accomplished its goal of reaching and saving of lives through different means.
We have over 200 counseling centers or private counselors across 13 states that are ready to see a Veteran or their Immediate Family member based on our referral.
We are in communication with other states'/cities Police Department's asking them to do "Wellness Checks" on Veterans and their Family Members if we think it is necessary to do so.
Have partnered up with Midlands Technical College to help get Veterans into jobs by sending them to get Certification classes offered by the college using scholarship funding.
Partnered up with the United Way of South Carolina to assist us in areas that we do not have coverage.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Battle Buddies for Life
Board of directorsas of 02/09/2017
Mr. Jason Beckett
Battle Buddies For Life
Term: 2017 - 2020
Board leadership practices
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
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