A foot soldier in the Civil Rights Movement. An active-duty nurse during the Vietnam War. A driving force behind the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, DC. A colonel in the U.S. Military. Connie Edwards is all this and more – and not shy about admitting, “I am a walking history book.”

Born in 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama, the fifth of nine siblings, she was no stranger to segregation or the deprivation that came with it. “Our dad used to say, ‘There’s no such word as can’t. And no such words as I don’t have,’” she recalled. “We were in poverty, but we never knew at that point.”

The first in her family to go to college, in 1962, Connie studied nursing. To supplement her modest $10-per-month allowance, she In El Paso, she gained nursing experience, practicing procedures like tracheotomies that the military knew would be in high demand in a combat zone. And in Vietnam, she learned a lot. “Overall, the military was good to me,” she said. “They were very much into education.”

When Connie returned from Vietnam, she felt the country needed more nurses who could do what she could do, so she got a master's degree in nursing education and became a certified nurse educator and certified school nurse. She continued her nursing career as chief nurse at multiple hospitals, began an academic career as a university educator and completed her Ph.D in public health.

Connie was recruited to support the Chicago Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Parade. As she worked with the committees, she found that “something wasn’t right” with many Vietnam veterans.

“At that time, it was said they were just acting crazy, but they had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” she said. “And a lot of the Black men who had PTSD, instead of being hospitalized, they went to jail. At that point, too, we began to see veterans on the streets, and homeless.”

The idea that anyone could travel thousands of miles to serve their country and then have to sleep on the streets didn’t sit well with Connie. Although she never experienced the denial of benefits many veterans did, she knew from her youth what it felt like to be denied – and it motivated her to become a strong advocate.

She became a founding member and, later, vice president of National Women Veterans United, and she partnered with other veterans action groups and advisory councils. “A lot of making change comes down to education,” she said. “People wanted veterans to ‘get over’ their issues. But to ‘get over’ what went on, that takes education of the public so that veterans can get the services they need.”

Through speaking opportunities, interviews, fundraisers and more, Connie increased understanding of veterans’ experiences, and raised awareness of the unique needs of female veterans.

“Back when National Women Veterans United started, they weren’t used to seeing homeless women showing up in the VA hospital,” said Connie. “They wouldn’t know where to send them. Our organization provides ‘right now’ funds to homeless women vets. We put them up in a hotel or get them to a women’s shelter or a shelter that will accommodate their male children. We help them get public assistance. We educate them.”

Connie has seen firsthand how education has made change in the lives of American veterans. “People do better when they know better,” she said. “Things are better now than they were 20 or even 10 years ago.”

In addition to her work with veterans organizations, part of how Connie lives out her commitment to making change today is through Amway. “I’m really into teamwork,” she said. “And also helping other people.” Oftentimes, she noted, the first step to making meaningful change is demonstrating to people how much better their lives could be.

To Connie, making things better, opening hearts and minds, and making a path for others are at the heart of both America and Amway. In her words, “Amway shows genuine respect and recognizes veterans for their contributions,” she said. “Amway is the American way.”