Welcome to Home Front Military Network’s blog! This blog will be the place for monthly updates and stories within our organization and community. It will also be a center for informative articles, reflections, best practices, and current events.
If you’re interested in being a contributor for this blog, please contact our Communications & Outreach Assistant, Hannah Saunders at HSaunders@HomeFrontMilitaryNetwork.org
Hitting the half-way mark of our first year, we would like to take a moment to reflect on all the services we have provided, accomplishments we have achieved, measures we have taken in fighting COVID-19, and what we are looking forward to in the future.
We started January 2020 by focusing mostly on our merger and rebranding. Even though that process started long before January, the start of the year marked the official merger of Peak Military Care Network (PMCN) and The Home Front Cares (THFC) into one streamlined and efficient entity—Home Front Military Network (HFMN). As HFMN, our updated mission reflects the scope of work previously provided by both entities: to connect military service members, veterans and their families to essential resources, including financial assistance provided by HFMN and our partners, in order to meet the full range of needs of individuals and families.
Initially, our greatest task internally was getting to know each other in this new capacity. We made sure members from both THFC and PMCN were represented within our staff and leadership. Seven board members from THFC and seven from PMCN came together to form our current HFMN Board of Directors.
In fact, our presiding Board Chair, LTG (Ret) Ed Anderson, has previously served as Chairman of both organizations in the past. Ed’s leadership is just one example how HFMN made it clear that our identity does not derive from one former organization over the other another—but rather a mutual, symbiotic union. Because of intentional measures such as these, we have been able to smoothly transition from two nonprofits into one collaborative and cohesive team.
These past few months we have also been focused on rebranding and then revealing that updated brand to our community. With help from the marketing firm Red Energy Public Relations, we conducted focus groups and market research to determine the best color scheme, logo, organization name and tagline for our fully integrated brand identity. The result of those efforts are the logo, branding and website you see today.
On reflection of 2020, one must mention the COVID-19 pandemic. When the state recommended working from home, HFMN was fortunate that over the years we have been deliberately focused on being agile and able to meet our clients in their comfort zone. Hence, most of our operations are able to function efficiently remotely. To this day, the majority of our team works in their home offices or at their kitchen tables to continue our mission while doing our part to keep everyone safe.
Since mid-March, our case managers have recorded that 60-90% of calls going through our call center are COVID related. Now, more than ever, it is abundantly clear how critical HFMN is in supporting and assisting our clients.
In the first six months of 2020, Home Front Military Network has assisted more than 1,600 service members, veterans and family members. Since January, we have provided more than $148,000 in emergency financial assistance grants, preventing veterans and families from becoming homeless, having their utilities shut off, and helping ensure reliable transportation so they can remain employed. Collectively, THFC and PMCN have served more than 500,000 service members, veterans and families across all programs, including emergency financial assistance, navigation (case management support), and Welcome Home Heroes (a program that welcomes and greets every returning soldier that arrives in Colorado Springs).
We are immensely proud of the impact we have made possible for our clients, and the opportunity to continue providing that impact in the years to come. For the remainder of 2020, we are putting our creative minds to work by seeking innovative ideas and ways to engage with our community and stakeholders. We are also constantly researching and sourcing vital resources that enable us to help those who need it most.
We are Home Front Military Network—a result of experience, passion, and knowledge seeking to bring hope and help to our heroes.
