The History of Pack Parachute CharityPack Parachute Charity came into existence as a result of VetWow, a 14-year-old advocacy organization for active-duty individuals and veterans with MST. Hello, Susan VetWow (originally Women Organizing Women/WOW) was created in 1995 by Susan Avila-Smith, an honorably-discharged veteran of the United States Army. Susan began VetWow as a victims’ advocacy network that focused on assisting veterans through the arduous VA claims process that many people with MST find near to impossible.
Susan has earned international renown as a MST advocate, with appearances in 60 Minutes, Dateline, NPR, the BBC, Time magazine, Newsweek magazine, People magazine, the film Female Faces of War, The Guardian (UK), Il Manifesto and La Repubblica (Italy), etc. Susan and her assistant Laura Watterson both serve on Pack Parachute Charity's board of trustees. Laura, who joined VetWow in 2006, is a United States Air Force veteran. In January 2009 she provided vital testimony at the U.S. Congressional hearings on the military’s Sexual Assault Response Coordinators. Her testimony was directly responsible for new legislation to hold military commanders accountable for the way they handle MST cases. As the director of VetWow, Susan was receiving between 75 and 150 requests for money per day from both males and females with MST. Because people with MST suffer trauma both from their assault and from the way they were treated by their command when they reported the assault, many are too frightened to ask for help from normal veteran’s sources for fear of more persecution. Susan recognized the need for financial assistance for people with MST and in the summer of 2008 asked Kira Mountjoy-Pepka, another advocate, to create and direct a charity for MST.
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VetWow has assisted thousands of people in securing their benefits, and has grown to include providing support to active duty individuals with MST.
Hello, Kira