Lockton Affinity Team Lead and Marine Corps veteran Josh Arnold is using a $25,000 donation from the Lockton family to help veterans with their education and careers.

Arnold is one of the founders of Camo to College, a nonprofit with a mission to provide a transition program to increase the use of veteran educational benefits and decrease post-service veteran issues by providing support during the transition into life after service.

Camo to College was created in 2021 after Arnold saw firsthand how many Marines struggled after leaving service.

"We wanted to try to catch them at the beginning or at the very least at the linchpin, which is the transition from active duty back into the civilian world, where there's not as much help," Arnold said.

The organization has two main offerings: Camo to College and Camo to Career. Camo to College aims to increase the number of veterans who use their G.I. Bill, a benefit that gives veterans money for collegiate studies. Arnold meets with veterans to discuss their educational goals and then researches schools that meet their criteria. Camo to Career focuses on giving veterans in the Kansas City area a fast track to employment by partnering with companies that value veterans and avoiding third-party algorithms that work against veteran resumes.

In 2023, Arnold was named a recipient of the Lockton Community Impact Award, which recognizes an Associate in each region with a donation on behalf of the Lockton family and shareholders to a charity of the Associate's choice as a thank-you for their work in the community.

"I was speechless when I received the award," Arnold said. "It obviously means so much to me to have monetary support, but the emotional support sets Lockton apart. Once people at Lockton hear about my work, they want to get involved."

Beyond this award, Lockton works to make our Associates feel supported through Lockton Empowered Associate Network (LEAN) groups. Arnold is a member of the Veteran LEAN group, which meets monthly to share their experiences as veterans and Lockton Associates.

"The support that Lockton gives to a lot of these minority groups that are within these LEAN groups has been incredible," Arnold said. "It's nice because you're never going to experience the barracks or what you had before, but it's nice to see people who have similar experiences to you succeeding within Lockton."

Supporting our Associates and our communities is extremely important to us at Lockton, and we focus on this through the Community Impact Award and LEAN groups. We emphasize philanthropy by giving Associates paid volunteer days yearly and encouraging them to make an impact.

With the donation, Arnold will focus on marketing Camo to College to veterans. Although reaching the community for contributions is essential, he is focused on reaching veterans who have been out of the military for six months to three years and may be in a "trouble zone."

Arnold's goal is to let veterans know that there is somebody there to help them that they can reach out to. With the help of Lockton, Arnold is hoping to reach more veterans and expand the program to different cities around the United States.

"This is an incredible honor," Arnold said. "I love the fact that when Lockton really supports something, they go all in. We have felt it as an organization. I've felt it as an Associate and a leader of this organization. I can't express my thanks enough - it's very humbling - and I'm proud to have been a recipient this year."