America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP), a national veteran-serving nonprofit based in Augusta, celebrated on Tuesday night its recently acquired office space in the Enterprise Mill building on Greene Street.
Attendees to this invite-only event were able to get a tour of the office space, notably a board room dedicated to Colonel Leo K. Thorsness, an Air Force pilot involved with the organization who was held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for six years.
Also recognized was board member and organization developer Jim Hull who is stepping down from his role with the organization after 17 years.
A fresh start in the Enterprise Mill building
AWP staff have been settling into their relocated worksite in the Enterprise Mill building for close to four months, according to Jim Lorraine, AWP president and CEO.
They were previously located on the second floor of the Hull Property Group Headquarters on Interstate Parkway; a space owned by Jim Hull.
“We were growing and he was growing and, it was, it was the right time for us to move,” said Lorraine.
Thorsness memorialized
Col. Leo K. Thorsness has been immortalized in AWP’s new home with a board room dedicated to his memory.
Thorsness was an Air Force pilot who was awarded the congressional medal of honor. He also spent six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
He was involved with AWP before passing away in 2017.
“We wanted to make a room, a board room that was committed just to him,” said Lorraine.
The Col. Leo K. Thorsness Board Room features a gallery wall of photos of Thorsness.
Hull’s contributions celebrated
Tuesday night’s festivities didn’t just involve an inside look at the organization’s new space.
Long-time Augusta resident Jim Hull – the visionary who dreamt up AWP in 2007 – was also recognized following his decision to step down from his role on the board after nearly two decades.
“He has made his mark and improved the quality of life for people in Augusta,” said Lorraine about Hull.
A mission of veteran suicide prevention
AWP is a nonprofit which officially began in Augusta in 2011 and now serves 1200 counties throughout the United States.
Its mission is to partner with communities in order to prevent veteran suicides.
“We see suicide prevention as an outcome of really great work in improving veterans’ quality of life,” said Lorraine.
According to Lorraine, this is done through providing veterans with stable housing, meaningful employment and access to education and health care.
When the organization was first founded, it served only the local community, and was first called the Augusta Warrior Partnership until 2014 when it became America’s Warrior Partnership.
With programs now spread throughout the country, Lorraine said that the organization will have helped 10,000 veterans this year.
AWP’s model is replicated across the country, everywhere from Buffalo, New York to the Permian Basin of Texas to Orange County, California.
Impact on veteran homelessness
AWP has had a significant effect on veteran homelessness locally.
“I don’t think a lot of people in Augusta realize the amount of impact that was started here and that continues here,” said Lorraine.
He said that in 2011, there were 157 homeless veterans in the Greater Augusta area, which was brought down to just seven in the organization’s first 18 months. According to Lorraine, this number remained in single digits for years.
“It showed that the model works,” he said.
The numbers were determined by the Point-in-Time Count, a yearly event in which volunteers survey Augusta’s homeless population. According to the most recently available Point-in-Time reports, there were 24 homeless veterans in Augusta in 2022.
