Our mission is to reduce the barriers Veterans and their families face readjusting to civilian life after their military service.

 

They’ve served us.  Now they need us to serve them.

Veterans returning home from war and reintegrating back into their home communities have alarmingly high incidents of suicidal deaths.  Between 18-22 Veterans die from suicide each day.  That’s a suicide rate 50% higher than those who did not serve in the military.

Minnesota has the 10th largest State Guard and the second highest suicide rate in the Nation among members of the National Guard.

With the support of WSWWS, we hope to decrease the incidents of suicide among Veterans and relieve the stresses on them, their families, and their communities they return home to.

22
Veteran Suicides Every Day
50
Higher Suicide Rate

What We Do

It’s important that we provide Veterans with outreach, direct readjustment counseling services, and referrals to local services they need. WSWW’s Foundation is designed to provide easy access to services with minimal bureaucratic barriers in order to counter the stigma associated with seeking and accessing behavioral health services. A key aspect of our foundation is to provide the support, education, and resources communities need to serve their Veterans returning home.

How You Can Help

With the help of your generous donations, we will be able to continue to grow our impact and accomplish our mission to help Veterans readjust to civilian life safely and successfully.

You can join us by donating a monetary gift, volunteering services, and by helping us spread the word.

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Common Readjustment Issues

  • Finding a job
  • Traumatic experiences / PTSD
  • Family issues
  • Anger
  • Parenting & childrean
  • Relationship issues
  • Drinking / drug abuse
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Isolation
  • A sense of belonging
  • Grief / bereavement
  • Guilt / shame

Joan Bullemer – Founder & CEO

Our Beginning

My name is Joan Bullemer, a US Navy Veteran.  My ex-husband is a retired Veteran of the US Navy and my daughter is a Veteran of the US Air Force National Guard.

Women Serving Women Who’ve Served was born out of graduate studies at Adler Graduate School where I earned a Masters in Adlerlian Counseling & Psychotherapy.  I graduated with an emphasis in Co-Occuring Disorders and my Masters Project focused on helping Veterans and their families through re-entry and adjustment issues after their service.

It became clear that there’s an urgent need to bridge the gap in the services available to assist and support their integration back into their families and communities.  The Veterans’ families and the communities they return home to need support to help Veterans transition when they return home.

They’ve served us.  Now we need to serve them.  WSWWS was founded to give families and communities the support and resources  they need to serve our veterans when they come home.

Dedicated To

I would like to dedicate WSWWS to my daughter, a Veteran of the US Air Force National Guard, Rosemary Ball.  When she got out of the service after serving for 6 years, she was in need of health care and was denied care by the VA hospital in LA.  She had to wait months to get on the healthcare reform program in California, all while her health was at risk.  Luckily, she was eventually placed on the next enrollment and was able to get care, and she ended up in the hospital on large doses of antibiotics and has been working her way back to health.  When we were going through this ordeal, it was heartbreaking for us as parents who served our country, and even more heartbreaking for our daughter to be turned away from life saving care.  I know this happens to far too many of our service men and women, and it is why too many of our veterans have died waiting for health care and mental health/chemical health care.  Thankfully my daughter did not give up!   I am dedicating this foundation to the women who’ve served and especially in honor of my daughter, Rosemary, and all of the other courageous women veterans who have been forgotten or fallen through the cracks trying to get the help they need, when they need it!

Rosemary Ball

Support Us

WSWWS’ mission is near and dear to my heart and it has become one of my greatest passions in life.  I hope you will join me – in whatever way you can – to raise funds and create the resources so many of our Veterans need to return home to a warm welcome and a helping hand.  I, and our Veterans, are so very grateful for any and all of your contributions.

Please Donate