The GI Joan Project and American Legion Walton H. Walker Post 55 in Belton, Texas, have joined forces to support and uplift women veterans, a growing yet often overlooked group within the veteran community. Their collaborative programs center on healing, honor and empowerment, addressing critical issues like military sexual trauma (MST), PTSD and spiritual crises many women face after their service.
Key accomplishments include:
Hosting a Veteran Women’s Resource Fair that served 124 women veterans and featured 24 veteran-focused vendors, connecting attendees with vital services and support networks.
Launching a faith-based mental wellness initiative, which reached over 800 women with spiritual and emotional resources tailored specifically to their experiences.
Distributing 650+ wellness packages across Texas and 100 nationally, each containing VA service guides, trauma recovery tools, suicide prevention resources, inspirational literature and healing crafts donated by Help Heal Veterans.
Conducting four six-hour MST healing workshops in Belton, Waco and Jarrell, led by Dr. Miette Wells, a combat-disabled veteran and nationally recognized trauma expert. These sessions combined education, peer support and spiritual care, offering many attendees their first real step toward healing.
This work has been powered by the support of local American Legion posts, the American Legion Auxiliary and businesses like Just Crafty LLC and DM Wellness, all committed to serving women who served.
One Marine Corps veteran, after a session, told Wells, "I felt alone and at the end of a rope - this saved me." For many, the GI Joan Project provided not just support, but a renewed sense of hope and community.
Looking ahead, the project plans to distribute 1,000 wellness packages, host another Veteran Women’s Resource Fair, and conduct four more MST healing workshops in the upcoming year. Continued donations and sponsorships are essential to keeping these programs alive.
To learn more or offer your support, visit www.GIJoan.org or email Miette@Gijoan.org. Your help could be the bridge from suffering to healing for a woman who served.
