The HBS AFAA sponsored the annual "Tent Drive" to raise awareness and funds for the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans. The NESHV, established in 1990, has helped more than 15,000 veterans achieve the organizational mission - "to rehabilitate and reintegrate homeless, unemployed and under-employed veterans by providing them with the tools they need to move toward self-sufficiency."

The AFAA became involved in this organization several years ago and was astounded by the statistic that one-third of the adult, male homeless population is veterans. Furthermore, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that more than 150,000 veterans are homeless on any given night and that more than 500,000 experience homelessness over the course of a year.


According to NESHV's President and CEO, Larry Fitzmaurice, "The reason why so many veterans find themselves homeless involves many complex factors including: job layoffs, substance abuse, an extreme shortage of affordable housing, lack of access to health care, and a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans who live with the lingering effects of combat-related, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We rely on the generous support from community members, such as the HBS AFAA, to effectively meet these challenges and are very grateful for the tremendous effort, and combined enthusiasm, that the membership has demonstrated in support of the veterans we serve."

The organization helps homeless men and women veterans address the challenges of unemployment, trauma, addiction, and/or severe mental illness. NESHV is not simply a shelter; rather, the organization focuses on and demands lifestyle changes. Homeless veterans must commit themselves to sobriety, non-violence, and working for personal change.

Joe Ewers, a 2007 HBS graduate, interned at the shelter in 2006.

"I imagined a stereotypical soup kitchen, the epitome of a societal hand out. I was surprised to find that, although the shelter serves more than 220,000 individual meals annually, they are anything but a soup kitchen," Ewers explained. "They are a highly professional organization that resembles a military barracks more than a homeless shelter. Not only is this a massive operations on all counts - from real estate to annual budget - it is also very effectively managed by a talented and qualified staff, who both demand and inspire a sense of pride and potential in their clients."

The program is considered to be one of the nation's best and relies on funding from a combination of various grants and charitable gifts. With an annual budget of $6.3M, the organization occupies a ten-floor office building on Court Street and has a 306-occupancy capacity. The NESHV maintains almost 100 employees, and serves on average, over 250 men and women on any given night.

AFAA member and event co-chair, Jamie Holden, (US Army) of the HBS MBA Class of 2008, had this perspective on the Shelter: "Before my visit to the Shelter, I had many pre-conceived notions about what it would be like. After visiting, I was completely blown away by the depth of the support that NESHV provides - not just from a physical well-being perspective but from an educational perspective. Gaining this insight gave me such enthusiasm for raising awareness about the Shelter and its mission. The Harvard Business School Armed Forces Club and the Harvard community really stepped up to show support for NESHV and Veterans. It was very fulfilling to witness the enthusiastic support that we received from the entire community."

The AFAA, together with the NESHV, are most grateful to all event sponsors, including Microsoft for providing the door prize - a basket of software packages - of which three lucky winners won the MS Software Suite and Ipod Shuffles. A special thanks as well to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), for their gift of leadership in sponsoring the event; to the Massachusetts National Guard at Fort Devens, in providing the tent; to Planning Committee Members: Ryan Hamilton, Alex Herzlinger, Jeff Lau and Ryan Beltramini, and a special thanks to Ralph James, the Head of HBS Executive Education Department.

NESHV's Director of Annual Giving, Karl See, summed it up by saying, "The Shelter is so lucky to have these generous students as champions of our cause. Their time and dedication to our mission is truly inspirational."