Veterans’ Families United (VFU) was founded by 2006 Oklahoma Mother of the Year, Cynde Collins-Clark. Cynde’s son Joe, returned from active duty in Iraq with undiagnosed but severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In her quest for resources, psychotherapist Collins-Clark discovered that she needed significant education to find what would best serve her son’s painful recovery process. In order to educate herself, she had to become proactive and self-advocating since the resources she needed were not readily available. Collins-Clark also learned that many, if not all families of returning Veterans were in the same boat.

Vital and even life-saving resources were difficult to find. Returning vets with PTSD were ill prepared and sometimes incapable of advocating for themselves. Collins-Clark compassionately began to assemble a network of healing, educational and empowerment based tools for veterans and their families. This compilation is an ongoing project. Collins-Clark would like to create a community of support and service for a population that has supported and served America. She is diligently developing VFU while simultaneously taking care of her son.