SWA Community
Support The Enlisted Project
Patriotism runs deep at Southwest Airlines , and we are proud of all those who serve , especially the active duty , reservists , veterans , military spouses who are part of the Southwest Family and of course , all our customers as well . We treasure our partnerships with organizations who support our armed service members as it ’ s a small way we give back to those who have given so much for us . At Southwest Airlines were proud to support STEP as part of our 50th Anniversary Million Acts of Kindness campaign . We hope you will enjoy reading how they are building financial self-sufficiency among junior active-duty enlisted members and recently discharged enlisted Veterans and their families facing financial crisis through counseling , education and grants .
Kelly Knox Sr . Community Outreach Manager
Southwest Airlines
In 2012 , Support The Enlisted Project ( STEP ) was started by a group of Veterans who saw a problem and worked on a solution together . STEP began as an organization supporting the most vulnerable in the military - young , junior enlisted service members who are asked to do dangerous , important jobs , with some of the lowest incomes in the country .
Today , STEP fulfills its mission by providing financial counseling , and grants directly to thirdparty creditors when military families face a basic needs loss such as eviction , repossession , utility disconnection or food insecurity . STEP has served more than 6,300 junior active-duty enlisted military members , Veterans and their families through their Emergency Financial Assistance ( EFA ), a behavior-based intervention program , working one-on-one with families to find their own path to financial self-sufficiency with a 90 % success rate .
In 10 years of operations , STEP has awarded $ 2.2 million in grants to prevent basic needs losses and has prevented well over 500 in-process evictions . In 2021 , STEP expanded its efforts and now serves Washington State and as a result of this critical expansion , STEP now serves 20 % of the United States Military population , with 13 % in Southern California
50 GBSAN . COM | NOVEMBER 2022