Showcasing Excellence
VRHRC-SLC Project Wins Community Partnership Challenge 2025 Award
Community Partnership Challenge Award 2025
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Undersea Warriors
Veteran Strong Resource Fair
Project Healing Waters
The Rural WAVE (Wellness and Veteran Engagement) Initiative received a 2025 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) National Community Partnership Challenge Diamond Award on August 28, 2025. The VHA National Community Partnership Challenge is an annual event sponsored by the VHA National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships on behalf of the Office of the VA Under Secretary for Health. The award recognizes outstanding partnerships that advance the health and well-being of Veterans and their communities.
The Rural WAVE Initiative, funded and supported by the VHA Office of Rural Health (ORH), is a collaboration between the ORH Veterans Rural Health Resource Center - Salt Lake City (VRHRC-SLC), the Durham VA Health Care System, Health Systems Research, Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (HSR ADAPT); and the VA Center for Development & Civic Engagement. The Rural WAVE Initiative co-leads are Kimber Parry (VRHRC-SLC) and Dr. Heather King (HSR ADAPT).
The purpose of the Rural WAVE Initiative is to expand volunteer activities to rural locations where opportunities to engage in service are often limited. The initiative leverages relationships with Veteran Service Organizations and non-profit partners to strengthen interpersonal connections, renew a sense of purpose and mission, and improve the overall quality of life for rural Veterans and their families. Veteran volunteers have shared many personal benefits of participating in the Rural WAVE Initiative, including improved mental health.
One Veteran noted, "It really boosts my mental health. It puts that purpose back in my life that I can be missing at times. And It's something I can always fall back on if I'm having a rough time.”
Another Veteran said, "It was really neat to do this... it's made a huge difference in my life... when you do stuff like this, it makes your mind feel good...you know if I wouldn't be doing this, I think my mental health would be a lot worse because I think what it's doing is it takes those bad thoughts that go through my head and it replaces them with the good thoughts and that's one thing that's really helped me..."
Kimber Parry and Heather King Rural WAVE Initiative Co-Leads
Dr. James Watts, ORH Deputy Director, stated, “This year’s National Community Partnership Challenge theme - “The Power of Partnerships” - embodies the spirit of rural. We know that partnerships are the key ingredient necessary to overcome rural Veterans access challenges and limited resources.”
Read more about the Rural Wave Initiative collaboration with Undersea Warriors in The Rural Connection newsletter.
To learn more about the Rural WAVE Initiative, including how your facility can participate, please contact Kimber.Parry@va.gov.
To learn more about Veteran Community Partnerships, visit www.va.gov/healthpartnerships/vcp.asp.
