ORGANIZATION HISTORY
VALOR was founded in 2012 as a 501(c)3 by Mark Baylis in response to the chronic lack of resources and support available to Veterans returning from war, specifically with PTSD trauma. As a Veteran himself, he works tirelessly as a champion for other Veterans, seeing them as family members who deserve to be treated with the same dignity and respect in civilian life they received as soldiers. He understands how Veterans think and what resources they need to heal and regain a solid foundation, and because of that VALOR has become an incredibly successful model for other organizations to follow.Mark Baylis served 26 years in active duty in the US Army, and is personally aware of the difficult road that Veterans face once they return home from duty. Mark worked as a formally trained performance counselor in the US Army with very strong positive outcomes for all the units he was responsible for, and received more than forty military awards and decorations during this time. After retiring from Active Duty, he trained with Dr. Sylvia LaFair, a psychologist who was using effective methods for overcoming social conflict between employees in corporate America. After two years of this training, he gathered a core group of Veterans and they developed Veterans Unstoppable – a five-phase program designed to reset the unconscious behavior, or the psychological id, of the soldier coming back from war to re-enter civilian life in a safe, productive, and meaningful way. VALOR has implemented four core programs since 2012 and we are extremely proud and encouraged by the great gains we have made during this time. These are offered at no-cost to all qualifying Veterans. Each year we work with over 850 volunteers to provide support almost 5,000 Veterans and distribute over 800,000 items.
VALOR PROGRAMS REPORT 2024
1. Hope for the Homeless: A program to provide immediate relief and support as food, shelter, and counseling services. In 2024 we:- Provided 1,412 Veterans with 34,044 meals,
- Provided 5,100 nights of shelter
- Furnished 24 apartments for homeless Veterans and their families and donated items such as couches, beds, desks, utensils, lights
- Provided help to 429 Veterans
- Provided 5,766 hours of retreat counseling & education to 83 Veterans
- Provided 857 hours of Veteran community peer group support to 343 Veterans
- Provided 6598 hours of free counseling with 1,800 meals provided
- Hosted 111 Veterans for recreational therapy events
- Zero participant alumni suicides since program inception in 2012
- 46 Companion and Service Dog placements since 2012
In 2024 we:
- Provided 1,680 Veteran families with 50,400 meals
- Provided help to 48 Veterans
- Provided a combined $700k plus dollars per month, $8.4 million annually back to our Veterans by getting them back into society receiving their social security and VA benefits
VALOR relies on its volunteer base to make these programs effective and possible. We have a core team in place for the four programs, and more than 850 volunteers who get involved throughout the year. They directly contribute their time and talent through local recruitment with their churches, scout troops, legion posts and civic groups to donate and food and clothing drives for us.
If you are interested in volunteering with VALOR please fill out our VOLUNTEER APPLICATION!
Click HERE to Donate!
