Navigating anything administrated by the federal government can be a challenge, and for veterans and their families, getting the benefits they're entitled to may feel like an uphill battle.
That's where Project SOUTH comes in.
Its name alone is a good indication of the nonprofit's mission; SOUTH is an acronym that stands for Serving Our Units at Home.
"This is the easiest way to sum it up: We're the middle man," said Christie Ashley, the nonprofit's president.
From health car to education to employment, Ashley said Project SOUTH volunteers help veterans and their families figure out what they need to do to get the help they need.
"We have a direct relationship with other local organizations here in the tri-county area," she said, referring to Union, Ouachita and Columbia counties. "We're able to point a family, a soldier, a veteran that may be in need to that direct source. So if it's financial, 'Here, talk to them,' or if it's mental, 'Okay, well listen, this is who you can reach out to.'"
Ashley said Project SOUTH works with any other organizations that serve veterans, active duty service members or their families. The nonprofit is open to new partnerships as well.
"Seeing all these different organizations come together to take care of these service members and veterans and family members, it's an amazing thing," she said. "a team effort of us putting our heads together and asking 'what can we do, how do we do this, how can we fix this?' It's the collaboration for me."
Project SOUTH also holds monthly meetings for veterans, often featuring special guest speakers. This month, Wes Holt, of the Jonesboro organization "We are the 22," a first-response team that focuses on veteran suicide intervention, spoke.
"We meet at the Armory, the National Guard Army Reserve Center, located on U.S. 167," Ashley said. "We meet the first Wednesday of every month."
Toward the end of each month, Project SOUTH volunteers also host "Vet Talk" at PJs. Ashley said vets who attend are treated to coffee, and the monthly meetings are meant to give them the opportunity to make connections with others who have gone through or are going through similar things.
"It just kind of opens up those doors and you realize you really have somebody to talk to," she said. "It's not a formal session, it's just everyday veterans getting together for a cup of coffee, reliving memories."
She noted that veterans have a higher likelihood of experiencing the need for mental health care.
"Our love is different. We love a little bit different than a normal person would. We tend to love harder – and that's with friendships, relationships, anything," she said. "We tend to go a little bit harder for things and for those that we do love. We know what it's like to experience loss. We know what it's like to have to just up and leave, say goodbye abruptly.
"If you've got somebody that served... Just know that we love a little bit differently. Some of us have lost, you know, those that we care about deeply, whether that's combat zone, whether that's to suicide, or whatever the case may be," she continued. "You've just got to be kind of understanding, patient, and know that it takes time, it takes work... It's not a switch; we can't turn it on and off. Peace, understanding and patience is the only thing we hope a civilian would understand about us."
For more information about Project SOUTH, or to get involved, attend one of their meetings, visit their Facebook page, email [email protected] or call 870-310-2003.