**Photo taken at WQW’s first-ever Alumni Advisory Council (AAC), National Advisory Board (NAB), and Board of Directors (BOD) joint meeting 2025. (Not all AAC members are pictured.)**

The Warriors & Quiet Waters (WQW) Alumni Engagement Program was established in 2023 to provide ongoing opportunities for engagement, personal and professional growth, learning, and progressive programs that help Warriors and their loved ones continue their Built for More journey and connection to the WQW community and alumni. The Alumni Engagement Program (AEP) offers long-term support for Warriors, spouses, and caregivers after they complete in-person programming with WQW.

The AEP is built on three main pillars. The first is Service. The AEP, in support of continued growth and enabling our Warriors to thrive through the pillars of Built for More, encourages Alumni to lead lives of service so that they may impact the WQW community, their local communities, and future leaders and servants of our Nation. The Alumni Advisory Council—a group of 12 WQW alumni who advise staff on current and emerging challenges and opportunities relevant to post-9/11 combat veterans—exemplifies this virtue of Service through their tenure. They provide feedback on programming and operations to WQW staff and the Board, helping drive continuous improvement. When asked what they love most about serving on the Council, members highlighted their ability to give back to WQW and fellow alumni, to build meaningful connections, and to shape WQW’s mission. They enjoy collaborating to make a lasting impact, the opportunity to represent the WQW brand, and to support others through shared experiences. Council members serve a three-year term and are essential to the success of the program.

Other opportunities to put service into action through the AEP include returning to volunteer in key roles on WQW in-person experiences, where Alumni are able to support, mentor, and connect with new Warriors embarking on their own growth journeys. Alumni also serve as instructors for continued education efforts, galvanizers of regional connection, and in volunteer roles for their home communities and other outstanding Veterans Impact Organizations.

The second pillar is Continued Education. A key component of this pillar is the Warriors & Quiet Waters Podcast, an idea championed by our own AAC Chair and USMC veteran, Brett McCoy. The WQW Podcast launched in 2024 with a 10-episode mini-series focused on the pillars of the Built for More program. It featured guests including WQW staff, alumni, key volunteers, and community members. Season two, currently in production, focuses more on storytelling—while continuing the Built for More theme—featuring veterans and everyday people sharing remarkable stories of hope, strength, resilience, and purpose.

In addition to the podcast, WQW Program Logistics Manager Haley Belanger introduced the virtual fly-tying program, which enrolled over 15 alumni. Warriors gathered every two weeks to learn from Haley how to tie flies. Many participants described the fly-tying evenings as "date nights" with their spouses and even sent photos of fish caught using the flies they tied themselves. The program will resume in September with beginner and advanced courses, taught monthly through April, led entirely by alumni.

The final pillar is Regional Networks. The Alumni Advisory Council has played a key role in launching regional meetups, hosting 25 gatherings across the country in 2024. These meetups help reconnect over 1,800 WQW alumni and family members nationwide. Whether it's fishing, grabbing coffee, hunting, or simply offering support, the goal is to foster strong local communities of alumni. Not only do Council members organize these events, but other alumni also volunteer their time to lead and support them, balancing busy lives to bring fellow Warriors together.

In addition, the Council launched a Scholarship Program to support reunions for future Built for More cohorts. This initiative is part of a broader effort to strengthen long-term connection and community among WQW alumni across the nation. The hope is that these gatherings will become annual traditions that carry forward the values, tools, and bonds established during the Built for More program.

To bring these efforts full circle, several members of the Alumni Advisory Council joined WQW’s podcast with guest host Aaron Demro, a U.S. Army veteran and WQW Board Secretary. On this special episode, the AAC members share their personal stories, offering a powerful glimpse into life after service, the challenges of transition, and how programs like the AEP have helped them reconnect, grow, and lead. Their voices reflect not only the impact of WQW’s mission but also the strength, resilience, and purpose they’ve carried forward into civilian life.

As WQW continues to evolve, these alumni remain at the heart of the journey—living proof that the mission doesn’t end when the program does. It grows stronger through connection, community, and the courage to keep giving back.

We are deeply grateful to The Amicus Foundation and The JTMF Foundation for their generous support of the Alumni Engagement Program. Their belief in our mission and investment in our alumni ensures that Warriors have the opportunity to connect and continue to pursue thriving lives long after their time in the Built for More program.