Thank you for your interest in supporting disabled Veterans in your area with our Undersea Warriors recreational SCUBA program.
Our program welcomes disabled and non-disabled Veterans as well as civilians who want to be involved in the activities of the program. We can always use a Dive Buddy or anyone who supports Veterans!
Everyone can be a member of the Undersea Warriors. However, not everyone can be a beneficiary member. A Beneficiary Member is a Veteran and qualifies with one or more of the mental health conditions SCUBA diving has proven to provide beneficial therapy for said conditions. The funds we raise, corporately and by each local chapter, should be use to fund in part or full for only “Beneficial Members”.
How we decide the who is a Beneficial Member?
First, you have to be a Veteran:
A Veteran is someone who has served in the US military (Air Force, Marines, Army, Coast Guard, Navy or Space Force) and has the official release from service, documented on a DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty)
Although there are several types of discharge, we look for the most favorable “Honorable”. Other types of discharges can be acceptable and should be discussed to understand the reasons.
Second , you have to have a qualifying diagnosis:
A disabled Veteran is a Veteran who has received a disability rating from the Veterans Administration (the VA) with diagnosis of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), CAD (Chronic Adjustment Disorder), TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), Anxiety, Depression or MST (Military Sexual Trama).
However, not every Veteran elects to apply for Veteran benefits through the VA. Many times, that Veteran is someone who can really benefit from SCUBA diving and the camaraderie of being around other Veterans and civilian supporters.
Some Veterans don’t think they are suffering and do not want to take funding from another Veteran who they think is “more deserving”.
In our experience, we have found that many Veterans need and will benefit from a recreational program like the Undersea Warriors. This is why we offer a couple of paths for a Veteran to become a beneficiary member.
A diagnosis can come from a Veteran’s personal doctor as a letter, or a personal interview (in-person, phone or zoom call) with a volunteer mental health professional associated with the Undersea Warriors (a request form is in the registration pack on the JOIN tab on the website), a Veteran can qualify as a beneficiary member.
Whether you are an owner / operator of a SCUBA business or an individual (Veteran or civilian), you can make an impact in a disabled Veteran’s life through “Blue Therapy”
You already know what an hour underwater is like for you. You probably share your dive stories with friends and family. What you’ve seen; the fish, sea life, wrecks, etc. It’s amazing and very therapeutic. You are in the moment and not thinking about anything else.
Through starting a chapter of the Undersea Warriors, you will be part of a national organization of Undersea Warriors chapters located in other areas of the USA*.
All of us love SCUBA and know the mental health benefits SCUBA provides. One of the many benefits of SCUBA is “No One Dives Alone”. Every diver needs a dive buddy! The dive buddy could be you. You can start a chapter with just you and 1 disabled Veteran. Once the word is out, you will have a long line of interested Veterans (beneficiary and non-beneficiary) and non-Veterans wanting to be involved.
If you are an owner of a SCUBA business, selling SCUBA equipment, providing SCUBA education and training, renting SCUBA equipment, servicing SCUBA equipment, running dive trips, filling tanks, starting an Undersea Warriors chapter is a Win - Win opportunity!
You will help Disabled Veterans, non-disabled Veterans, family members and friends an opportunity to become SCUBA certified and provide all of the SCUBA equipment, education and training needed. In doing this, you will grow your business by attracting new customers who will be your customers for life.
Here is how the Undersea Warriors program works:
As the exclusive dive center partner, you will offer members a pre-agreed upon discount from you retail price (on the shelf). We understand you are in business to make a profit. You have expenses, rent, payroll, cost of goods, etc.
We are asking you to make less profit on each sale, but because you are operating an Undersea Warriors chapter or you are the exclusive SCUBA dive center, of the chapter. You will sell more to new customers who are members of the Undersea Warriors program.
Although we cannot make everyone shop at your dive center, we only offer the discount to active members of the Undersea Warriors. We do not publish or discuss the program discount and only ACTIVE MEMBERS will be entitled to the discount.
Whether the funds come from a non-beneficiary member or from personal or corporate donations to the chapter, the funds are spent at your store and go through your POS.
Every dollar you discount an item or service, from what a non-member would pay, is tax deductible through Undersea Warriors, Inc. We are a compliant 501(c)3, tax exempt organization and file one (1) IRS 990 tax return each year. This means we are partners and as such we want to grow the program, the chapter membership and help you grow your business.
You will increase all aspects of your business: education (certifications and training), equipment, warranty service, rentals, fills, dive trips, etc.
Operating An Undersea Warriors Chapter
As a chapter of the Undersea Warriors, we (the corporate office), will work with you and provide any support and guidance through our experience, as well as any relationships we have or will have with any suppliers and partners.
What do we need from you?
First, is your desire to help disabled Veterans through SCUBA. Here’s a couple of great things about SCUBA:
- SCUBA It’s not a competition. There are no tiers for the best SCUBA diver’s vs other SCUBA divers. It’s a “Buddy” sport and No One Dives Alone. Although, diving with a more experienced diver is great and every dive is different. We all learn something with every dive.
- You don’t need any more than you and1 disabled Veteran to start your program. Once the word gets out, you will have a long line of Veterans and volunteers who want to be involved.
What does a chapter of the Undersea Warriors involve? Recruiting members: both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, Going Diving and Fundraising for your chapter.
- We want you to be proud of your mission and have a professional image. We provide each local chapter the association with a national organization and the use of our national logo. In addition, we will provide a version of our national logo with your state and city specific logo elements.
- We will include your chapter on the underseawarriors.net website as part of the national organization. Your chapter’s member registration documents, donations to your chapter and specific member and chapter fundraising events are all on the website.
- Your chapter’s photos, videos, member rosters, chapter leaders and bios will be accessible by anyone you direct to the website.
Is there a cost to me to start an Undersea Warriors chapter?
Yes, here is and here are the initial costs. These are the tools for you to be successful in attracting members and donations.
For membership and fundraising activities, we offer the following logoed items:
UW Canopy, with sidewalls, back wall and a 6’ tabletop
UW 3’ x 5’ Flag / group banner
UW 2’ x 3’ Flag
UW New Member “We Want You” to Join the UW pull-up banner (for your store or your dive center partner’s store), with the dive center’s logo
Step & Repeat wall and frame
Chapter Structure
We feel that each chapter should have 3 leadership positions:
President, Vice President, & Treasurer. We suggest one of these leaders should be a Veteran. A beneficiary member would be great. If you are a dive center owner and you are a Veteran, that
Financial Responsibility
As a 501c3, filing 1 federal 990 tax return, we need to account for every dollar donated to the program and every dollar of program expenses.
We will open a separate bank account at Chase Bank for your chapter. Myself and your Treasurer will be the only signers on the account. In addition, your Treasurer will have a Bank Dedit card.
All donations and contributions that you secure will be yours to use for your program’s expenses. There are many expenses involved with running a