A grant from the Alabama Board of Veterans Affairs will fund the establishment of the Victory Center on the JSU campus in Jacksonville, Alabama. JSU recently received the $250,000 grant to provide mental health support to its local military community.
“When we started looking at the numbers, we knew that it was a growing need for this population. We’re just trying to serve the gap, fill the gaps for these folks,” said JSU Registrar Emily White. According to the Veteran’s Administration, there are about 53,000 veterans in JSU’s service area.
The Victory Center will provide comprehensive support for active-duty military and veterans throughout the region as well as their families. Offerings will include mental health support and counseling services to ease the transition from military to civilian life.
In addition to supporting the local military community, the Center will also provide valuable internship opportunities for JSU students, particularly those pursuing degrees in social work and clinical mental health counseling. Both undergraduate and graduate students may apply for these internships.
The Victory Center will begin accepting clients in June of 2024. Current funding for the Center will keep it open for a year’s time, but the university hopes to secure additional funding for the future. Dr. Marie Valentin, lead author of the grant proposal said, “We want this to be part of Jax State’s legacy to the area.”
U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Jacksonville State University among the top 65 regional universities in the South and one of the 30 best public schools nationwide. Here at CVO, the school appears in our rankings of the Best Parks and Recreation BS Programs, Best Values in Occupational Safety Degree Programs, and Top Affordable Master’s in Emergency Management Online Degree Programs.
Source: Jacksonville State University Receives Grant Money to Serve Military Community
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