Get to Know
Korey Shaffer
A USMC Veteran, mental health advocate, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and aspiring author.
Working to give back to all who served, inspire others, and build a better future.
My truest passion is bringing new innovative concepts to the world, building teams, and planting seeds of change even if I won’t be around to see the full result.
I wish to one day aid in improving renewable energy. I want to help solve hunger problems. I hope people remember the Shaffer name as those who worked to build a future worth living in.
That starts with Til Valhalla Project: Innovating a way to keep Heroes Honored and families assured that their Heroes’ legacies will live on forever.
Six years ago, I deviated from my inventing/engineering path to start Til Valhalla Project. T.V.P. bridges a massive gap between clothing and delivering memorials to the families of Fallen Heroes. (I guess I did invent something, just not in the way I predicted!)
The T.V.P. mission is Honoring Fallen Heroes, reducing Veteran suicide, and inspiring positive mental health for all. It helped me bounce back from my lowest point.
After returning home from Afghanistan and leaving the Marines due to injuries sustained both in training and overseas, and losing over a dozen of my brothers to the war within, I felt I no longer had a purpose. I was self-medicating and suicidal. If all the Heroes around me were taking their lives, why did I deserve to be here?
I still battle with that thought. But founding T.V.P. and making an impact on the Veteran and Fallen Hero communities (over $1.2 million donated & 2,000+ memorial plaques delivered) showed me my best days were still ahead and gave me a purpose and a sense of value once again.
"The goal isn't to always be happy but to know how to power through the down times and get control of your mind to be your best self."
So many times I think, "I shouldn't be here." But if I can do it, anyone can. That’s why I want to share my story to inspire those who are struggling, help them find their purpose, and break the stigma surrounding mental health!
Veteran or not, many people believe they have no value. They think the world would be better off without them. I want to show them how I healed my wounds and found my value so they can find theirs, too.
After years of special ed classes, poor grades, and underachieving in many things, I can tell you that I am nothing special. So believe me when I tell you that if I can rise above and keep moving forward, you can, too!
WORK WITH KOREY
The only way to shatter the stigma around mental health is to start the conversation. I would be Honored to
share my story with your audience. The path I followed is not unique: everyone deals with issues, and everyone
has it within them to overcome those issues, find their value, and make an impact.
If telling my story gets
just one person to rethink their actions, it is 100% worth it.