Boots2Roots staffs up to help more returning vets land on their feet
Photo / Renee Cordes
Bill Benson started this week as program director for Boots2Roots, a nonprofit that helps transitioning military veterans find meaningful employment in Maine.
Boots2Roots, a nonprofit that helps former members of the military find meaningful employment in Maine, has hired its first outside staffer — a veteran — to help more vets land on their feet when they return to civilian life.
Bill Benson, who served in the U.S. Army for 24 years, started this week as the Portland-based organization's new program director. He will work closely with Executive Director Jen Fullmer, a U.S. Air Force veteran and 2017 Mainebiz Next honoree.
While there will be some overlaps in their duties, Benson will concentrate on the day-to-day responsibilities while Fullmer will focus on what she calls a sustainable development strategy.
"We're not looking to do a bunch of new programs," Fullmer said. "We're filling an important gap that needs to be filled, and we need to do that as efficiently and effectively as possible. Bill will help tremendously in that regard."
Boots2Roots, incorporated as a 501(c) nonprofit in 2016, has a 2019 budget of $95,000. according to Fullmer.
Fullmer works full-time on a voluntary basis, while Benson is the first staff hire for a newly created position that reports directly to the executive director.
Benson started his new job this week, just after he and his wife sold their small business in Gorham, called New England Treads, to another husband-and-wife team after five years of ownership.
"We just felt like this was a great opportunity to do something else," he said.
Benson said that while he had been reluctant to get involved with charities and other organizations that focus more on thanking veterans or giving them handouts, he was attracted to Boots2Roots because of a mission that resonates with his own thinking.
"I really wanted to be involved in something that championed veterans, and amplifies the value that most veterans can bring to businesses and companies," he said. "That's the message I'm really passionate about."
Boots2Roots is the only Maine nonprofit specifically focused on connecting with soon-to-be veterans before they come to Maine. It aims to help them prepare for a successful transition and find meaningful employment.
Volunteers help with the job search itself along with resume and job interview preparation, networking with potential employers and connecting returning military members with veterans' organizations, realtors, educational resources and training opportunities.
This year looks to be busier than ever, with 20 transitioning veterans so far reaching out to Boots2Roots, up from 25 for all of 2018, 21 in 2017 and six in 2016, the year it began.
Besides development and corporate partnerships, Fullmer said a priority this year will be to keep working with the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services and U.S. Department of Defense contacts to help all states "proactively connect with soon-to-be transitioning service members six months before they begin their transition."
As for attracting more vets to the Pine Tree State, Benson says, "We have to change the narrative for Maine outside of Maine and say, 'Hey, think of Maine as a place to come and move your family,' because there is opportunity here."
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