Veteran-led.
Neighbor-driven.
No red tape.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit built by veterans and focused on one thing: making sure rural veterans and their families get what they've earned.
Our Mission
Why We Exist
"Mountain Valor empowers veterans and their families across rural Virginia by providing them with the tools, resources, and connections to thrive."
We are not a government agency. We are not a membership club. There are no dues, no eligibility hoops, and no waiting lists. We are neighbors who know how to navigate the system, and we work for you, not an institution.
Our vision: a future where no veteran in rural Virginia feels isolated, underserved, or forgotten, but instead connected to the support and respect they've earned.
Our Story
Built Because
It Had To Be
Mountain Valor was founded in 2024 by a retired Navy Command Senior Chief who kept seeing the same problem: veterans living in rural Southwest Virginia had no one coming to meet them where they were.
The distance wasn't just geographic. It was human. No local guide. No reliable broadband. No one who spoke their language, understood their resistance to asking for help, and would follow through until the problem was solved. We are not okay with this.
Most veteran services assume the veteran will come to them. Mountain Valor goes to the veteran and stays. Presence is the intervention. That combination of veteran-led presence, rural fluency, trauma-informed follow-through, and someone who stays is not replicated anywhere else in this geography.
We started with no staff, no budget, and no infrastructure. In the first two years, we reached more than 3,000 veterans and served more than 1,200 in person, entirely with volunteers.
Wherever veterans are, that is where we show up.
Leadership
The People Running This
A 21-year Navy veteran who served in more than 30 countries, including Afghanistan, Katt chose to use skills honed as a leader in the world's greatest Navy to help veterans navigate the services available to them. She started Mountain Valor with the goal to help good folks decipher Veteran Affairs and state-funded veteran programs, as well as the complex network of social services programs available to them. Katt is dedicated to helping veterans and their families get from where they are to where they want to be, even when they don't believe it's possible.
Kate has spent the last 20 years helping friends and family navigate reintegration into civilian life. She understands how daunting it can be to navigate the fragmented resources available to veterans and is dedicated to ensuring no one has to navigate alone. Professionally, Kate's background is in sales strategy and project management. Those Mountain Valor serves don't typically need a canned solution; they need someone to collaborate with who can help them build a roadmap that addresses their specific needs and goals. Kate is passionate about Mountain Valor's grit and growth approach.
Victoria comes from several generations of men who served our country. Additionally, Victoria spent 20+ years as a civilian program manager with several branches of the armed forces, as well as USGS and DHS. After retiring from the IT world, Victoria earned her master's in counseling and developed a program for female prisoners to aid in their reintegration into civilian life. Her love for veterans, their spouses, and military families brings a passionate dedication to honor those who fought for our freedoms by walking beside them in their transition, not to vaguely point to a possible solution, but to roll up her sleeves and help.
Retired North Carolina Army pilot. Dr. Millsaps brings firsthand military service experience to the Mountain Valor board, contributing his perspective and expertise to the organization's mission of serving veterans and their families across rural Southwest Virginia.
Where We Work
Seven Counties. One Mission.
We provide in-person outreach at libraries, senior centers, community spaces, and veterans' homes across all seven counties. We also reach veterans statewide through digital education, podcasts, and direct phone support.
Our work is strengthened through direct partnerships with the VA Office of Rural Engagement; the VA Office of Transition and Economic Development's Rural Veterans Working Group; the VA CEPC Suicide Prevention Initiative; the Virginia Department of Veterans Services; the Virginia Department of Veterans Services Virginia Veterans Network; the New River Valley Veterans Leadership Council; and dozens of rural libraries, senior centers, clinics, and long-term care facilities.
Home base: Floyd, Virginia · mtnvalor.org · support@mtnvalor.org
Ready to Help or Get Help?
Whether you are a veteran looking for support, a volunteer ready to serve, or a sponsor who wants your dollars to matter, we have a place for you.