TRUE NORTH: FOUNDING PATRONS
by Leslie Parsons
“Leading by Doing.”
These are the first words you see on The True North Foundation’s website. These words can be applied both to the work that we do as an organization and the work being done by those we serve – veterans of the United States military who are in the process of transitioning to civilian life.
This transition can be challenging- something that the founder of True North, Greg Parsons, knows all too well. A former infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps., Parsons struggled to readjust to civilian life once his service was complete. Within two years of leaving the Marines, he was divorced, unemployed, and living on a friend’s couch. With the support of other veterans who had gone through their own transition journeys, Parsons was able to slowly rebuild his life and career and he became determined to help others the way he had been helped.
Greg began by donating his time and money to non-profit organizations that serve the veteran community and encouraging others to do the same. When he founded CAVU Securities in 2013, Parsons made a point of sharing his work with his employees and colleagues in the finance industry. This eventually became a corporate initiative where CAVU entered into partnership with several non-profit organizations, including the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, Stay in Step, and Dog Tag Inc.
Parsons’ passion and commitment has inspired others to lend their support to transitioning veterans in need. In order to give them a way to make their own contributions safely and securely, Parsons founded The True North Foundation in April 2022. In addition to the organizations listed above, True North has also formed partnerships with Merging Vets and Players and The Heroes Journey.
Each of our partner organizations focuses on a specific need within the veteran community. The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation helps the children of current and former Marines pay for post-secondary education, relieving their families of what can often be a significant financial burden. Stay in Step is a spinal cord injury rehabilitation center that was founded by a U.S. Army veteran who was wounded in combat. Dog Tag Inc. provides veterans, military spouses and military caregivers with leadership and career guidance, training, and experience through their bakeries and Fellowship program. Merging Vets and Players uses physical activity as a foundation for providing veterans and former professional athletes with the skills and support they need to reconnect with their communities. The Heroes Journey uses the power of storytelling to help veterans cope with the challenges of transition and learn to communicate more effectively with loved ones.
As we look towards the future, True North aims to become a centralized resource for veteran support across all areas of need to include physical rehabilitation, education, vocational training, psychological support and so much more. We continuously strive to create a strong network of veteran community partners who help to insulate the oftentimes challenging journey between active duty service and civilian life.
To accomplish this, we rely on the generous support of veteran advocates and have now launched a special initiative- the Founding Patrons program. This program gives those who are passionate about veteran causes and are committed to making a long-lasting impact the opportunity to affect positive change in the lives of the brave men and women who serve our country. Becoming a Frounding Patron will give donors access to information and opportunities not available to the general public. These include invitations to exclusive events like the Leatherneck Ball and the Stay in Step Gala, where Patrons can meet and hear the stories of those who have received support and assistance from our partner organizations. Founding Patrons will also receive regular updates about the work our partners are doing and ways they directly contribute their time and expertise to those organizations. We see our Founding Patrons as a central part of the True North community and we believe that their commitment to assisting transitioning veterans in need can serve as an inspiration to others. To that end, we will recognize them in printed materials, including our Annual Report.
To learn more about our Founding Patrons program or to join, please visit the Founding Patrons page of our website. If you’d know anyone who might be interested in becoming a Founding Patron, please be sure to share this article with them and if you’d like to learn more about True North and our partner organizations, please subscribe to our mailing list.