NONPROFIT IMPACT: Featuring The Boot-Helping Veterans Thrive After Service

With our new monthly Nonprofit Impact feature, Thrive celebrates the selfless work these organizations and their members do across SWLA and Louisiana. This month, Lindsey Russ, marketing director for The Boot, talks about how the nonprofit helps service members transition from active duty to the civilian workforce.

How long have you been with The Boot?

I’ve been in this role since our launch in August 2024, so I’ve been able to see this organization take shape from the very beginning. Before The Boot, my career was spent across different association and membership organizations here in Louisiana, which gave me a deep appreciation for how business and community can rally together around a mission. That is exactly what has happened here, and it has been so exciting to watch that impact unfold in real time.

What is the overall goal of the organization? 

The Boot recruits, supports and connects military service members so they can thrive in Louisiana after their service. At the heart of it, our goal is to help service members see the very best of Louisiana in its community, its culture, and, even better, in a career they are experienced and ready for as they take their next steps after service. Our mission is about more than just careers. It is about making Louisiana the best place in the country for service members to call home and build their next chapter. 

What are your top three immediate priorities? 

My top priorities are raising awareness of our mission across the state, building lasting partnerships with employers who see the value of military talent, and making sure every service member who comes through The Boot feels not just placed in a role but welcomed into a supportive community. 

What is the everyday impact you see in the local community stemming from your organization? 

In our first year, we had over 150 placements, which translates into more than $8 million of economic impact for Louisiana. But what really sticks with me are the personal moments. I see our team making one-on-one connections with service members every day, and the gratitude they show is hard to even put into words. It feels like helping someone find their way, or find their way back, home. That, to me, is the real impact. 

What do you wish people knew about your organization that you feel is not understood? 

I wish people knew that The Boot is so much more than a placement program. It is about long-term support; about building a community where service members can truly thrive. We are not just filling jobs. We are helping people reconnect, put down roots and build a future here in Louisiana.  

To learn more about how you can support this mission, visit theboot.la.