ARMing Heroes Bestows Inaugural Award on Coast Professional for Support of Veterans

ARMing Heroes is pleased to announce that Coast Professional, Inc. has been recognized as the first ever recipient of the organization’s newly-minted Corey Davis award for 2013, given out annually to companies that go “above and beyond the call of duty” to raise awareness and money for military veterans facing financial difficulties.

Combining employee donations with a corporate match, Coast Professional raised more than $10,000 since last month in support of ARMing Heroes’ grant-making programs.

Funds raised by Coast Professional will largely be used to help veterans and qualified spouses like past ARMing Heroes grant recipient Corey Davis, the organization’s first grant recipient and the veteran for which the award has been named.

For companies that follow the leadership Coast Professional has shown in helping U.S. military veterans, the ARMing Heroes Corey Davis award brings with it:

• Automatic inclusion in the One for a Warrior program, in which the company’s collectors can refer consumers who may be veterans or spouses or children of veterans to ARMing Heroes for possible relief through a grant.

• The ability to display a plaque or signage at all company offices recognizing the company’s generous support of military veterans.

• A unique logo for presentment on the company’s website.

• Access to ARMing Heroes’ planned jobs board for veterans.

• A dedicated page on the ARMing Heroes website to enable company employees to share stories of their personal connection to the military.

• Expedited processing of any application submitted by key company personnel to join the ARMing Heroes Board of Trustees.

• Continued recognition through public relations initiatives throughout the year.

“Coast is honored to be recognized by ARMing Heroes,” said Brian Davis, CEO of Coast Professional. “The mission of ARMing Heroes is an important one, and we are so proud to support this organization. We are thankful and humbled to be selected as the first recipient of this award.”

Everett Stagg, President of Coast Professional, praised the efforts of his employees. “I am thrilled our teams were so responsive to this fund drive,” said Mr. Stagg. “This particular philanthropy hits close to home for a number of us who have friends and family members in the armed forces. I myself proudly served our country for eight years in the Navy and the reserves. We were so glad to have the opportunity to be able to give back to our troops.”

This significant achievement by Coast Professional for veterans comes at a time when more help for veterans is needed.  To underscore the continued plight of veterans and their families, the Center for American Progress has noted on their website that:

• 30.2 percent of veterans ages 18 to 24 were unemployed according to unpublished 2011 Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

• More than 968,000 of veterans ages 18 to 64 had been in poverty in the past year as of 2010.

• According to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a 2007 survey showed that more than one-third of employers were unaware of protections they must provide to service members, and more than half spent less than 2 percent of their recruitment budget on military advertising and/or did not understand the qualifications of military service. In that same survey more than half of all veterans were unsure of how to professionally network, and nearly three in four felt unprepared to negotiate salary and benefits and/or unable to effectively translate military skills.

“I am thrilled to recognize Coast Professional as the first-ever winner of this major award,” said Nick Bernardo III, President of the ARMing Heroes Board of Trustees, continuing, “I’d like to invite the entire collection industry to hop on board this industry-specific initiative to help veterans with problems they face every day.”

The signature ARMing Heroes grant-making program is its No Debts for Vets initiative, in which, each year, veterans apply for grants to help pay down or pay off specific bills.  This year, grant applications will be accepted from July 4th through September 11th, and grants will be announced by Veterans Day, November 11th, and paid out in time for the holidays.

Coast Professional has concentrated on being the most effective collection agency in educational receivables since 1976. Our years of experience have allowed us to refine the art of recovery. Custom software programs and carefully designed protocols allow us to achieve consistently proven successful results. Our mission is to preserve the integrity of educational institutions before, during and after the collection process. We help increase profitability for our clients by assisting borrowers in the resolution of obligations, while enhancing their future educational and financial opportunities. We are dedicated to maintaining the highest knowledge in the field of educational receivables, superior customer service, and respectful communication.  Learn more at www.coastprofessional.com.

ARMing Heroes was founded and began operating in March, 2009.  The organization’s mission is to serve the needs of U.S. military veterans, including their spouse and children. ARMing Heroes fills a charitable niche by linking people identified with employment, credit, and financial counseling needs with the accounts receivable management industry, an industry uniquely poised to help in these areas.  Persons interested in volunteering their time and others interested in applying for benefits or pledging other forms of support are encouraged to contact the organization at www.armingheroes.org.

What Can I Do Right Now to Help?

• Visit www.armingheroes.org and join our One for a Warrior Program, sign up to help in other ways, or donate now.

• Friend us and post this article to your page on Facebook.

• Tweet about this article on Twitter.

• Join our group on LinkedIn, the ARMing Heroes Veterans Charity Supporter / Assistance Center.

• Comment on this article online and ask us to contact you.

• Forward this article via email to your key contacts.

• Print this article and fax it to your local congressional office and ask them to post our website on theirs as a resource for vets.