Michigan-based organization supports Veterans and their families

Program helps Vets, families acclimate to civilian life

Aug. 20, 2025

In partnership with his wife, this father, Tribal member and U.S. Army Veteran continues to put service above self.

A member of the Ojibwa tribe of the Bay Mills Indian community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula near Sault Ste. Marie, Joshua Parish is an Iraq War Veteran.

Recognizing the need to support veterans and their families as a whole in acclimating to civilian life, he and his wife, Cortnie, co-founded VETLIFE in 2018.

The parents of four established the nonprofit VETLIFE as a vital link to connecting Michigan Veterans and their families with the many resources available to help them adjust to civilian life.

“We focus organically on the family as a whole,” said Parish.

“We faced a number of struggles when we left the military, not knowing or understanding how to access the benefits available to us. VETLIFE came to fruition to help Veterans and their families live their best life after the military.”

At the heart of VETLIFE is an annual event, Vet Fest.

Free to Veterans and their families, Vet Fest is Michigan's largest Veteran engagement event, according to Parish.

Enbridge supports Veterans

Sponsored in part by Enbridge, VETLIFE hosted the most recent Vet Fest on Aug. 2, at the Fowlerville Fairgrounds in Livingston County. The event attracted more than 3,000 Veterans and their families from across Michigan.

“We have a strong commitment to supporting Veterans and their families, so VETLIFE is a natural and rewarding partnership for Enbridge—not only as a company, but for the many Veterans who work on Line 5 Michigan and across the U.S.,” said Kirstie Staelens, Enbridge senior advisor, community engagement.

“Vet Fest provides attendees access to more than 50 essential, Veteran-specific resources. While that alone is significant, equally important is the camaraderie—as well as the food, music, games, and a host of activities and giveaways, including backpacks and school supplies.”

Staelens, who volunteered at Vet Fest, is among those at Enbridge who volunteer at VETLIFE’s annual Harvest for Heroes event. Hosted in November, Harvest for Heroes helps address food insecurity among Veterans and their families.

App is helping Veterans

For Parish and his wife, these events are a few of the many ways of being attentive to any and all Veteran needs—and being able to reach as many Veterans as possible.

With that in mind, they launched in February 2025 the Battle Buddy app.

 

"Accessing military benefits can be a confusing process. Battle Buddy, an app, is a centralized repository that streamlines the process."

—Joshua Parish, VETLIFE founder and board member

Essentially a downloadable version of the many resources available at Vet Fest, Battle Buddy is a free app that connects Veterans to their benefits, including those related to mental health.

VETLIFE, which serves more than 140,000 Veterans across Michigan, has seen more than 100,000 downloads of Battle Buddy since it was introduced.

With Battle Buddy, VETLIFE has expanded its services to veterans and their families across the U.S.

Learn more about VETLIFE and how to support its efforts.