Employees of Veterans United Home Loans to give more than $1 million to charities across the country during Week of Giving campaign

May 11, 2017

The campaign will give $50,000 to more than 25 communities from now until December

SAN ANTONIO, Texas Veterans United Foundation kicked off a nationwide Week of Giving campaign this week in San Antonio, announcing charitable organizations from across the country will receive more than $1 million from employees of Veterans United Home Loans. The employee driven foundation has previously held a Week of Giving in the company's headquarters of Columbia, Mo. for the last two years; this will be the first year the company is taking the campaign on the road.

Giving back is part of our culture at Veterans United, said Greg Steinhoff, executive director of Veterans United Foundation. Our employees created our foundation in 2011 on the premise of enhancing and changing lives for the better. Our Week of Giving was so inspiring to our 1,800 employees in Columbia we decided this year we wanted to involve all 2,400 employees. Now for the rest of the year, each employee at Veterans United will know what it's like to give back on a personal level.

Employees at each of the company's locations selected five charities in their local community to receive $10,000 each. The employees will surprise the groups during their specific Week of Giving. The organizations on the receiving end this week are: Homes for Our Troops, Fisher House, San Antonio Food Bank, Haven for Hope and Green Beret Foundation.

We are surprised and very grateful for this, said Kenny Wilson, president and CEO of Haven for Hope. We have about 1,700 people living here. Nearly 10 percent of them are Veterans. So many of the Veterans who come here have so many challenges, they are homeless and have mental health and physical difficulties. One said to me just last week, everything I need is right here. This big contribution allows us to continue to operate and provide good services to Veterans who deserve it.

We're proud to kick off our foundations nationwide Week of Giving campaign right here in San Antonio, said Chris Cano, branch manager (NMLS 879294) of Veterans United Home Loans of San Antonio. Our crew hand-picked these organizations because they have such a positive impact on our community. We are incredibly humbled and happy to be in a position to give back and support them.

More than 90 percent of employees at Veterans United donate at least one percent of their paychecks to the foundation. Because of employee contributions, the foundation has raised more than $30 million since 2011. Earlier this year, Veterans United was recognized as No. 3 on the 50 Best Workplaces for Giving Back list by Great Place to Work® and Fortune.

Veterans United Foundation donated more than $6.6 million to charities and organizations in 2016 alone. The Week of Giving campaign will conclude on Dec. 22 in Clarksville, Tenn.