Mindful Veteran Project Honored with International Wellness Award

LET’S CELEBRATE!

Mindful Veteran Project Honored with International Wellness Award

Community Partners’ fiscal sponsorship partner, Mindful Veteran Project, has been named Best
Veteran Wellness Organization 2026 – USA by Global Health & Pharma as part of its Holistic Health
Awards, which recognize trailblazers redefining care for the mind and body.

For Founder and Executive Director Gail Soffer, the honor affirms more than a decade of service—and
a deeply personal mission. With a background in nonprofit leadership, humanitarian work, and holistic wellness, Soffer launched Mindful Veteran Project after recognizing a troubling reality: despite vast resources in the U.S., too many veterans continue to suffer in silence. With veteran suicide rates still alarmingly high, she believed there had to be another way.

Her approach is intentionally outside the box. Rather than framing veterans solely through trauma, Mindful Veteran Project teaches simple, secular mindfulness practices grounded in situational awareness—the same presence and clarity that keep service members alive in combat. These tools help veterans, active-duty service members, caregivers, and family members manage triggers, flashbacks, and stress responses in real time—shifting from fight, flight, or freeze into grounded choice and resilience.

The organization creates safe, disciplined, confidential, and judgment-free spaces where
participants are not labeled or reported on; instead, they are supported and empowered. Through
retreats, workshops, and cultural excursions—from opera and concerts to Dodgers games—participants
reconnect with joy, creativity, and community. Special gatherings for women veterans and their
daughters, along with practical support such as clothing and household essentials, ensure holistic,
humane care.

“We want every veteran to know they are not alone, irreparably damaged, or hopeless,” Soffer
shares. “No one should feel trapped, stuck, or at the end of their rope. Come and explore
possibilities with us. There are possibilities.”

After 13 years as a fiscal sponsorship partner with Community Partners, Mindful Veteran Project
continues to demonstrate that holistic health is not about endless medication or stigma—it’s about
equipping people with tools to live fully, moment by moment.

This international recognition underscores what participants have long known: lives are being
changed—sometimes even saved—through the power of presence and mindfulness.
Learn more about Mindful Veteran Project.