We wish to honor Carol Levine, the founder and force behind the Returning Veterans Project. With little more than an idea and a passion for doing the right thing, Carol recognized an unmet need for mental health services to post-911 veterans and their families.

Sixteen years ago Carol gathered a group of therapists together to propose her idea.  With admiration for Carol and confidence in her ability, therapists signed on in support. The rest as they say, “is history”.  The Returning Veterans Project continues to be a great success, thanks to Carol and her dedication and action.

It has been such an honor to work with Carol. Her compassion, commitment, and tireless energy for those we serve has been a shining light for the Returning Veterans Project. Carol has done so much to help veterans, families, and our community. She is that rare and special person and a true inspiration for all of us!

When I came on the board of the Returning Veteran Project in 2015 there was this incredible one-two punch of Carol Levine and Mike Maxwell.  For 20 years I had known Mike as a highly respected veteran counselor and top notch administrator, but who was this no nonsense, compassionate appearing female.  I had been a volunteer provider for a few years, but had little idea of how the organization functioned.  By the end of my conversation with Carol I could see why it was so easy to provide a service through this non-profit.

In a friendly manner Carol was able to get a thumbnail sketch of my 30 year history working with combat veterans and my experience working on the board of the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles, WA.  She had a way of questioning me that helped me feel I was able to get across the important aspects of those experiences.

Working on the board with Carol was natural and smooth, which allowed us to tackle challenges.  Her steady influence, along with her openness to input, felt like a stabilizing force, as we broadened and changed our infrastructure.  She is a sterling example of a responsible community member.  When I have seen her at stores and restaurants the same warmth and caring that she used to shepherd RVP is obvious.  How someone so skilled can carry herself with such equanimity and quiescence, I can only aspire to know.

Carol - your impact on post-9/11 veterans, service members, and their families is too great to be measured. What can we all say but “thank you” for your example, your vision, your execution, your fortitude, your commitment?  The OR and SW WA veteran community and those that support them are better for your efforts.  I am truly honored to have worked with you on the Returning Veterans Project.  You are the best of us!

When I think of how RVP started, it could only be Carol Levine who did it. Her compassion for women and men returning from military service and confronting the enormous task of acclimatizing to civilian life moved her to find a way to help them. Her deep care for people who are suffering means she never minimizes the experience of others.

I remember standing with a young man at an RVP 4th of July event, and he was engaged and laughing. I caught his eye and he said, “I love RVP.” When I asked him what it was about the organization that he loved, he said, “It just feels so good to be somewhere where people get it.”

During the time I’ve known Carol, she always gets it. She never puts herself above or beyond what others go through. She never lets herself shut down to be emotionally safe, and she is never too busy or too tired to open herself to feeling more deeply the pain of others. I’m unbelievably lucky to know her, and I am in awe of the way her concern became and sustained the Returning Veterans Project.

Carol is a hero. Like many of us, she knew that the legacies of our post-9/11 conflicts would leave many people, families and communities deeply wounded. Unlike most of us, however, she determined that she would do something about it. So she started the Returning Veterans Project.

I don’t think she spent much time or energy worrying if she could do it or not – it had to be done, no one else was doing it, so she would do what she could to make it work. That speaks to the great audacity of her spirit. And the fact that it did work speaks to her dedication and her skill in rallying people to the cause of caring for those who have served in our names.

Her conviction that saying “something must be done” isn’t enough – that if we see people hurting, we should do what we can to help them – that conviction has changed me and, I hope, helped me be a better person. She’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, and I want to be more like her.

My hat remains off to Carol Levine!

Back in 2003, the invasion of Iraq catalyzed a need to respond to another call to war.  Perhaps our guilt over the treatment of our soldiers in the Vietnam war catalyzed our action, but, Carol was the perfect leader for this band of war weary therapists to begin a real compassionate action towards the true care of our veterans and their families.

Her leadership for these 17 years has been strong and consistent. Her ability to love drew us together and her willingness to serve was as strong as the Veterans she helped.  She gave her time willingly and brought a place of calm and humor to our struggle to stay cohesive, to acquire the funding to keep afloat, to meet the legal challenges we encountered and to find the right people to help.

Because of her integrity and attention to the details, willing therapists came forward to be led into service, and the formal arm of the VA responded to her leadership.  Carol led as true leaders lead, empowering all of us to pull the yoke of the entity named Returning Veterans Project. Hats off to you, Carol!

I first met Carol when she was organizing the Returning Veterans Project.  I was working with the PTSD program at the VA hospital and Carol came to request help with referrals from the VA.  I knew right away that the program would succeed based on my first impression of Carol.  She was so open and honest; you could tell that her compassionate and caring heart was the source of her motivation.  It was easy to see that her skills and determination would make the program a success and that veterans would get quality care from the program. She did not use the word I once during our initial conversation, it was all about the veterans and their families, they were the mission.  She signed me up before the meeting was over and in a short period of time began sending veterans and their families to RVP.

Carol is the main reason that RVP succeeded.  As a member of the original founder’s group, Carol took the lead and dedicated years of her time and energy to making the program grow and expand.  Within a short period of time RVP was a vital community resource for veterans and their families.  She enlisted the help and support of her vast network of friends and admirers by simply asking them to join her on this wonderful mission.  Carol is the type of person that you say yes to when she asks for your help, she speaks from her heart, and you know that was she asking of you is meaningful and important.  She makes you feel honored to be included in what she is doing while also making you feel special and appreciated.

As a disabled veteran, I would like to thank Carol for her dedication and hard work in making our veterans community a healthier place for veterans and their families.  She is a wonderful gift to the veteran’s community and a treasure to the community at large.

I am grateful to have Carol in my life and feel fortunate to call her a friend.  She is an amazing individual who leads from her heart and cares about all members of her community.

Thank you, Carol!