The Alaska Veterans Emergency Fund:
how it works
Provide food, transportation, and laundry vouchers to veterans and their families in times of crisis.
Helps low-income veterans acquire the clothing they need for work like jackets, boots, socks, and gloves
Veterans can also receive assistance acquiring business attire that will ensure an effective job interview
Veterans seeking assistance must be eligible to enroll in the VA Healthcare System
The fund may provide assistance of up $1,000 per household per year, the typical amount ranges between $100-$300
Veterans seeking assistance are also expected to work with Coalition case managers to ensure a successful and lasting outcome
Continuing Education
The Alaska Coalition for Veterans and Military Families strives to provide free continuing education opportunities wherever and whenever possible so service providers are equipped to better serve Alaska’s Service members, Veterans and Families. To augment our in-person training events, we have identified leaders in the field who provide online trainings and continuing education for free.
The Alaska Coalition for Veterans and Military Families does not endorse any training platform, but seeks to provide quality and free training opportunities whenever possible.
Our Five Alliances
The Alaska Coalition for Veterans and Military Families is a network of organizations throughout Alaska who work together to assess and meet the needs of our Service members, Veterans and their Families. The Coalition’s mission is to educate, inform and help connect this population with services within Alaskan communities to ensure healthy futures.
Through statewide coordination and collaboration, the Coalition forms partnerships with service providers who have programs and resources available to assist the Military and Veteran community. Coalition members provide information, training and resources to ensure a consistent, comprehensive approach to supporting our Military and Veteran population.
Formerly known as the Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition the Coalition was formed in 2011 as a result of Army OneSource (AOS), Alaska National Guard (AKNG) initiatives and a comprehensive study of Veterans in Alaska, conducted by the Alaska Department of Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA).
The DMVA, AOS and the AKNG joined forces to create the Alaska Forget Me Not Coalition. The DMVA, AOS and AKNG worked together to identify key stakeholders throughout the state of Alaska and requested their participation in the outcome-driven coalition.
As a result of the initial meeting, five alliances were formed to focus on specific needs of the SMVF community: behavioral health and healthcare; finance and employment; faith and other services; legal; and child and youth.
As of 2018, there are four operating alliances: employment, legal, behavioral health and child and youth.
The Alaska Coalition for Veterans & Military Families is a 501(c)3 with the Internal Revenue Service. Our EIN is 83-2855885.
INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING THE coalition?
Donating cash in the easiest way to support the Coailtion. We also accept non-cash financial instruments like stocks, bonds, shares ETFs/Mutual Funds, artwork, and real estate. The Coalition does accept donations from Donor-Advised Funds. If you would like to donate your non-cash assets to the Coalition, please contact [email protected].
If you would prefer to directly steward your donation, you can donate gift cards. While gift cards for any vendor are appreciated, we ask you to consider donating Instacart and Lyft gift cards.
Instructions on how to do so are below
COVID-19 pandemic
In March of 2020, the Alaska Coalition for Veterans & Military Families recruited military spouses who lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to produce cloth face masks. The masks were provided free of charge to Alaskan service members, veterans, military families, nonprofits, and civilians alike. The "Project Face Mask" initiative successfully produced and distributed approximately 7,000 masks into communities across the state.
BOARD
David Chapa has lived in Alaska since 1999 when his family first moved to Joint-Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The son of a Post-9/11 veteran and the brother of an active-duty sailor, Chapa has dedicated his life to serving the community at the grassroots level. Having graduated from the University of Alaska, Chapa began working in development and communications for various nonprofit organizations both in and out of Alaska, raising money for crucial community programs. In 2018, he served as the fundraising liaison on the board of directors for the Alaska State Science & Engineering Fair. In 2019, Chapa graduated from Purdue University with an MS in Strategic Communications Management. He joined the Coalition in March 2020 to help navigate the agency’s mid- and post-COVID fundraising and communication strategies. In August 2020, Chapa will assume the mantel of Executive Director for the Coalition and work to enhance program offerings and outreach.
Ganay Metoyer was born and raised in Arizona and began her career by leading corporate training initiatives through the development of technical manuals, companywide education, and program evaluation for consistency, accuracy, and knowledge gaps. After college, she married a Marine Corps veteran, which helped her to gain a better understanding of veteran family needs. She used this knowledge to help develop a nonprofit organization designed to connect veteran and military families with their local communities and provide resources to support thriving lives. Ganay joined the Coalition team in April 2020 to assist with data migration projects and continues on as the Director of Operations, overseeing operations, training, human resources, and technology.
MaryBeth Goodman, MA LPC, NBCC is the Clinic Director at the Cohen Clinic at Alaska Behavioral Health, a role she took on in January 2020. MaryBeth received her undergraduate degrees in mathematics, physics, philosophy, and education from The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. She continued her graduate studies in counseling and psychology at Liberty University, in Lynchburg, VA.
MaryBeth has a background in administrative and clinical leadership and has worked collaboratively with others to achieve program goals in previous employment. She is dedicated to the Cohen Veterans Network philosophical approach and to supporting the clinical team in her role as clinic director. Her passion for direct work with veterans and military families over the years enhances her ability to be connected to the needs of clients and families and also to the staff.
She has over 20 years’ experience as a clinician working directly with active duty military, veterans and military family members. MaryBeth has been a successful advocate for military spouse licensure reciprocity, championing law change in 2 different states.
MaryBeth was raised by two Army veterans and has been married to her Air Force husband for 25 years. She has two amazing children and two not so well-behaved basset hounds. Her true passion is helping realize that hope and change are possible no matter how tough life seems at times.
Christina Gamache is on a mission to help women and minority business owners prioritize their goals and organize their financial solutions so that they can nourish the things that count. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry and worked with hundreds of financial advisors. She’s completed hundreds of financial plans for tech entrepreneurs, ultra-high net worth families, political officials, high earners and business owners. Christina has lived in eight U.S. States and three countries; she currently lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband and two precocious daughters. They enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling and volunteering. At home she has a revolving door and a house full of friends and family from all over the world. She is a member of the ISFP (International Society of Female Professionals), the XY Planning Network, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, Association for Corporate Growth (Seattle Chapter), the Anchorage Estate Planning Council (NAEPC) and Ellevate Women’s Networks (Executive Member of the Seattle Puget Sound Bellevue Chapter).
Magen James is the owner and operator of James Construction LLC (JCL) and Fortune Tiger founder. She primarily works in residential construction, assisting clients with high-end, functional design solutions for their homes.
Previously, Ms. James was the founding Executive Director of the Alaska Coalition for Veterans & Military Families. She successfully grew a grassroots movement into a statewide social service agency that is continuing to grow at an exponential rate.
Ms. James comes from a military family, growing up in multiple states and traveling the world. She is married to her high school sweetheart and Fairbanks native, Sean James. Together they operate JCL and go on outdoor adventures around Alaska with their two golden retrievers.
Magen James obtained her BBA with the University of Fairbanks, School of Management in 2011 and her Master’s of Business Administration from Alaska Pacific University in 2014.