How We Fulfill Our Mission

At Shield Down, we fulfill our mission by:

  1. Empowering Veterans by providing coaching and mentorship on life’s challenges. In the areas of work, faith, social, and other elements of life alike, we strive to connect veterans to positive change.

  2. Honoring Legacies by offering financial aid and support to the widows and children of fallen service members, so that they too may be free to pursue fulfillment and that they might know their loved one’s legacy is valued and remembered.

  3. Empowering Through Education by leveraging our network and channels to reach and help others not enrolled in our programs.

  4. Community Engagement by creating a strong support network through community events, partnerships, and advocacy efforts.

For more information on our two programs, please click the drop-down icon below. To apply, please visit our “Contact Us” page.

  • We understand that new challenges face widows and children left behind when a service member dies in the line of duty. Whether it be trying to pay that past due electric bill, trying to get a laptop for your child for college, help purchasing a vehicle for your 16+ year old to get around, or many other needs.

    To apply for a grant:

    • Navigate to our "Contact Us" page

    • Submit the required information

    • That's it! :)

    Then, our board will review applications and approved on a case-by-case basis, with available funds permitting.

    Timeline? Once you apply, you will receive an outreach within two weeks, letting you know that we are reviewing your application and we may ask for additional information. You will then receive a subsequent outreach informing you if you have been approved or denied for funding. If you have been approved for funding, Shield Down is committed to paying out your grant as the earliest opportunity available.

  • As veterans ourselves, we understand that life hits us all with a host of new challenges when we transition to civilian life, and long thereafter. As such, we’ve found that many veterans face obstacles that they need help climbing, or need guidance on what next step to take. Sometimes this presents itself as finding meaningful work, finding ethical resources to help file disability claims, assistance with resources to combat homelessness or food insecurity, faith-based connections, a connection to qualified and effective mental health resources, and much more.

    As such, while we are not licensed medical or psychological professionals, we've developed 5 pillars a veteran can pick to request coaching/mentorship in.

    These pillars (below) spell out TFABO. Why does that matter? Our Founder, John Kelty, and the Board of Directors, all served in Crash & Salvage together on the flight deck of the USS Eisenhower. In that, one of the things you learn to do when conducting a cockpit rescue is "TFABO" -- the essential steps to perform the rescue, shutting off: Throttle, Fuels, Auxiliary, Battery, and OxyComms. It is only then that you can proceed in an environment more conducive to safety and success.

    As such, we believe these are the essential areas of life that veterans strive for contentment in, to live a fulfilled life:

    • T: TEAM - We believe that life is not meant o be lived in solitude, we as humans are not just scientifically nor biblically designed that way. If you select this pillar, your coach will work with you to identify and provide guidance and resources to help you establish a community, a support system or "village" if you will.

    • F: FAITH - Research shows that one of the most common critical missing pieces to those who lack a life of contentment or purpose, is lacking of a foundation built on belief in Christ. If you select this pillar, your coach will provide guidance and/or connect you with Christian resources near you.

    • A: ACTIVE - Studies show that an active life, whether rigorous or casually recreational, is beneficial to mental health, and has other benefits in social, personal, and professional relationships. Your coach or mentor will provide guidance and resources to help strive for living an active life; whether that be in exercise, recreation, gainful employment, social relationships, or a combination of any of the above

    • B: BOUNDARIES - If you select this pillar, your coach will work with you to identify and provide guidance and resources to aid in establishing boundaries, after understanding weaknesses and vulnerabilities, aimed at creating sustainable healthy boundaries for you and those around you.

    • O: OBSTINATE COMMITMENT - If selected, this is a pillar where your coach will help you build habits and resources that create a level of commitment to your improved areas that are stubborn to being moved or broken down.

    What if I don't want help in all of these areas? Or what if I don't want an out of the box solution? No worries, there is no out of the box solution here. Once you navigate to our "Contact Us" page to request to be assigned a coach, you can expect that within two weeks a representative of Shield Down will reach out to schedule an intake call where we will work to review the a la carte options you selected and the why behind that so that we know how to best serve you. From there, if accepted into our coaching program, your coach will work off of what you give him or her, to help you how YOU need it, not how somebody else needs it.

    To get started:

    • Navigate to our "Contact Us" page

    • Submit the required information

    • That's it! We'll be in touch with next steps and/or any additional information needed :)