Walmart Site Helps Military Spouses
and Veterans “Find a Future”
By Gloria Romano-Barrera
“As part of a Fellowship at Sam’s Club, I received an email about the
Find-a-Future program that supports veterans and military
spouses wherever they may be in their journey. I set up an
account to have access to the tools Walmart and Sam’s Club provide during
and post-fellowship,” shares Robin Vazquez, Military spouse participating in
Find-a-Future, a site providing veterans and military spouses with the tools and
support they need to take the next step in their journey toward achieving
their goals.
The Find-a-Future platform brings together resources that can help
veterans and military spouses advance their economic opportunities and
well-being. Since launching this past summer, nearly 300,000 veterans and
military spouses have engaged with the “Find-a-Future” site.
The platform builds on Walmart’s previous commitment to creating
opportunities for veterans and military spouses. Since 2013, Walmart has hired
more than 400,000 veterans and military spouses at Walmart and Sam’s Club.
In the last quarter alone, Walmart hired almost 30,000 veterans and military
spouses – more than ever in a single quarter in the company’s history.
“Available to all transitioning Walmart associates who are service members,
national guard, reservists, veterans, and military spouses, through the platform,
they can find a job they love at Walmart, gain new skills, and grow their business
and bring it to market as an entrepreneur,” shares Sandra Olivarez, Military
Programs at Walmart. “Each participant is assigned a coach who can help audit
their current situation, experience, and skills, which lays the foundation for
creating a path to where they want to go. Their coach will also help connect
them to the right partners and resources.”
According to Olivarez, this program goes beyond employment, education,
and entrepreneurship. While some individuals may only need to engage with one
of those pathways, others may need more than that, potentially all. And, as an
example, the journey to achieve their goals may include requiring a job to pay
the bills while they pursue certification or a degree necessary to obtain their
career goals.
“The same may be true for someone who wants to start their own
business,” she shares. “They may need a job while getting a business degree and
attend an entrepreneurial boot camp with one of our partners to learn what they
don’t already know about running or growing a business. We can help
them explore various resources within the employment, education and/or
entrepreneurship pathways as part of their journey – the best part is this is all
free to them.”
Today Vazquez is one of the many military spouses benefiting from the
platform and program by participating. Today he hopes to gain support
and mentorship from professionals working in Walmart’s corporate
marketing department.
“My goal includes becoming a director in partnerships with influencers,
social media, and event planning,” Vazquez shares. “That’s why I wanted to
participate in the program with professionals in this field at Walmart to help me
with my path.”
LS
Visit “Find-a-Future” https://walmartfindafuture.com/ to learn more.
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38 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle V ol. 27, No. 6, 2021