TRACK
Director Jennifer Silva opened Jacksonville’s TRACK program in the fall in conjunction with the Wounded Warrior Project. Since then, more than 20 wounded soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan have joined the program in hopes of getting their lives back on a successful path.
At TRACK, soldiers go through three program phases spanning one year. During the first phase, soldiers take four college classes offered through Florida Community College at Jacksonville, including math, English, computer skills and life skills courses.
During the second and third phase, soldiers continue to take classes. They also participate in an externship program, which places them in an office setting with one of the program’s numerous sponsors. Throughout their time in the TRACK program, soldiers will work with personal trainers to help them rehabilitate their injuries and get back into a healthy workout routine. They will also receive additional therapy for their injuries outside of TRACK, if necessary.
Soldiers receive APEX training throughout the entire year, decreasing their sessions as they progress.
Each of the soldiers live in pairs in college-adjacent, fully subsidized apartments to help them get used to civilian life. Additionally, each of the soldiers is paid a stipend every other week, which they use to support themselves.
A financial counselor also coaches the soldiers, and they are required to deposit money into a savings account after receiving each paycheck. If they are successful, each soldier will leave with about $6,000 in their savings account.
All told, TRACK spends $40,000 on each soldier throughout the year, Silva said. TRACK is funded mainly through donations from private citizens.
For more information about TRACK, visit https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/content/view/702/1001/.
Source: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/content/view/702/1001/