Who We Are:
One Savvy Veteran (OSV) is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded by a woman veteran to meet the needs of fellow women warriors. We are a source of support, advocacy, benefit assistance and access to veteran-specific information and resources for women veterans in the Chicagoland area and surrounding suburbs.
History of OSV:
Our Founder, Meosha Thomas, served 10 years active duty in the United States Navy before she was injured in support of the Global War on Terrorism. She was honorably discharged and medically retired from military service due to her extensive injuries and sent home in 2010. When she returned home, she found it difficult to find a place that had all the information she needed to help her transition from military service to civilian life. The few organizations she did find gave inaccurate information. She describes this as a "very frustrating and lonely" time in her life. In the military, you are a part of a team with a purpose. She felt isolated and missed the camaraderie that comes with military service. She also noticed that as few services as there were for veterans, there was even FEWER services for women veterans. Her mother instilled that “if you are not a part of the solution, then you are a part of the problem.” She wanted to create an organization that she did not have when she got out of the military. An organization that encouraged, educated and empowered women veterans helping them successfully navigate from military service to civilian life. So One Savvy Veteran (OSV) was created as source of support, assistance, resources and camaraderie for women veterans. Meosha Thomas created a solution like her mother taught her and the military trained her.