The Joel Fund

Mission
To improve the lives of veterans and their families by providing a connection to non-traditional services.

Vision
A strong community of support for veterans and their families.

Committed To Serving Those Who Served Us The Joel Fund was started by Brooke Dickhart in memory of her dad, Joe Silva, who was a Navy SEAL for almost 20 years. Joe did four tours in Vietnam, served on SEAL Team 2, and was a plank owner of SEAL Team 6.  He retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer with numerous medals which included a Navy and Marine Corps Medal, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts.  In December 2014, Brooke’s dad passed away after a six-year battle with PTSD, substance abuse, and depression.  There are countless nonprofits doing amazing work for veterans and their families. However, Brooke knows first hand that it can be a very stressful and discouraging process trying to get information on these organizations.  What started out as a mission to connect veterans to non-traditional services has grown into a solid community of support for veterans and their families.  This community of support includes a collaboration with organizations that provide non-traditional services for veterans and their families, art classes, and local events to encourage veterans to be active in their community.

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Why call it The Joel Fund?

During his military career, Joe sometimes pretended to be someone else. With knowledge of various cultures and the ability to speak multiple languages, he knew how to fit into any country. Later in life, he introduced himself to people as Joel, and the name became his artist pseudonym. In the years before his death, most people only knew him as Joel. This is why we chose to call our non-profit The Joel Fund.