U.S.VETS - Providing Veteran Services Including Housing, Job Training & Counseling

Junior Bills Help U.S.VETS

sgordon — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:31:40 +0000

From the St. Louis University High website

The Junior Bills visited the local US VETS facility on May 5 to lend a helping hand as the final Fathers’ Club Service Project of the 2011-12 school year. Twenty SLUH volunteers tackled a wide variety of outdoor projects for the US VETS, which provides transitional housing to homeless veterans.

Prior to the SLUH volunteers undertaking trash removal and grounds maintenance, Bill Wallace, Site Director for US VETS, provided a brief overview of the organization’s goals and then offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the Jr. Billikens. The volunteers successfully completed all of their projects on an unusually hot and humid day.

Continue reading at the St. Louis University High website

FOX NEWS: Volunteers Help Renovate Home for Veterans

sgordon — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:24:45 +0000

Updated: Wednesday, 18 Apr 2012, 5:46 PM MST
Published : Wednesday, 18 Apr 2012, 5:46 PM MST

PHOENIX – It’s not a hand out — it’s a hand up. More than 150 volunteers joined together Wednesday to renovate a multi-unit complex for veterans.

Grand Veterans Village is specifically meant for the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces but have fallen on tough times.

Today, it got more newly refurbished apartments that a veteran-in-need can call home.

Some fresh paint, a new floor, maybe even a new fixture or two… more than a hundred volunteers swooped down on an old motel near downtown Phoenix.

They were there to help rehab the rooms that will become apartments for veterans who have fallen on tough times.

“The idea you know is to just get them off street with a roof over their head, give ‘em some food and employment services if that’s what they’re looking for,” says Barbara Mikkelsen of U.S. Vets.

The volunteers came from companies like Home Depot, Glidden Paint and Intel. All of them we talked to had a very specific reason for lending a hand.

“It’s a great occasion to support the troops that are supporting us out there fighting for our freedom,” says volunteer Ken Zordani.

U.S.VETS Gets the Colbert Bump

khintz@usvetsinc.org — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:16:33 +0000

Stephen Colbert’s first children’s book, “I Am A Pole (And So Can You!)” and its audio book counterpart, voiced by Tom Hanks, will be published on May 8th.

Stephen Colbert and Tom Hanks will donate 100% of the monies they receive for the reading of this audio recording to U.S.VETS! Watch this clip from the Colbert Report to learn more about it.

The Colbert Report

Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

“I Am a Pole (And So Can You!)”

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

Pre-order the audio book through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Reaching out to veterans left “Outside the Wire”

khintz@usvetsinc.org — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:22:35 +0000

Since October 2001, over 1.6 million U.S. troops have deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Roughly 300,000 returning troops currently suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or major depression, and anxiety, and over 320,000 individuals have suffered a probable Traumatic Brain Injury during deployment.

Outside the Wire is an outreach program based in community colleges around southern California. The program is designed to address Iraq and Afghanistan veteran’s needs for preventative and early mental health treatment.

Outside the Wire offers counseling and supportive services for veterans with service-related psychological injuries including PTSD, anxiety, and depression. This includes outreach, counseling, and information and referral services to veterans, recently deployed service members and their families.

Watch this video to learn more about Outside the Wire from student veterans at Santa Monica College.

If you would like to learn more about Outside the Wire or want to get involved, please contact Dr. Todd Adamson at (562) 388-8105.

Go here to read the full story from the Santa Monica Daily Press.

Awareness Film Festival to Support Veterans in Need

khintz@usvetsinc.org — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:44:34 +0000

Photo courtesy of hellandbackagain.com

This year the Awareness Film Festival, created by Los Angeles-based nonprofit Heal One World, is focusing on veteran’s issues. The opening night film, “Hell and Back Again”, is an award-winning documentary that follows a veteran of the war in Afghanistan after he is wounded in combat and returns home.

Heal One World is generously donating proceeds from the festival opening night to support the work of U.S.VETS as we assist veterans with their transition back to civilian life.

Click here for more information about the Awareness Film Festival

Girl Scout Troop Builds Mini Libraries for Veterans

sgordon — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:48:09 +0000

Girls Scouts Troop 703 selected U.S.VETS-Barbers Point as their Community Project. The girls decided they wanted to build mini libraries in each quad for the Veterans to read and enjoy at their leisure time. They made it happen through the coordination of their troop leader Suzy Vares-Lum and U.S.VETS Program Coordinator Luana Torres. On April 7, 2012 the girl scouts and their troop leader installed the shelving units in each quad and filled it with books they collected from the community. The girls are looking forward to an ongoing relationship with U.S.VETS and circulate the books every few months. They did an excellent job and the Veterans are very appreciative for all their hard work. The Veterans would like to send a great big “MAHALO” to Girls Scouts Troop 703!

Military Order of Purple Hearts Sponsors Welcome Home for Veterans

sgordon — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:37:37 +0000

On March 31, 2012 the Military Order of the Purple Hearts Chapter 483 sponsored this event “Welcome Home to all Veterans.” They provided an international lunch menu catered by Ige’s lunch wagon for 250 plus people. There were over 18 vendors that participated, multiple musicians, bands, and performers that put on a great show. There was a grand prize give away that was donated by Aqua Hotels & resorts “A two night stay in Waikiki at any Aqua Hotel & Resorts property.” Sam’s club donated a $15.00 Sam’s club gift card for a giveaway, other giveaways consisted of water bottles, candies, and cleaning certificates.

All donations and proceeds from this event were donated to U.S.VETS-Barbers Point. On behalf of all our Veterans and everyone that participated in making this event happen we would like to thank you all, it was a huge success and we look forward to having many more of these types of events at our location.

Stephen Peck on NPR: A Push To Help U.S. Veterans Fight Homelessness (Excerpt)

sgordon — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:27:32 +0000

Veteran James Brown relaxes in his apartment, which he recently moved into after spending decades on the streets.- Pam Fessler/NPR

Morning Edition
Pam Fessler/NPR
April 16, 2012

Veteran James Brown relaxes in his apartment, which he recently moved into after spending decades on the streets.

Last year, the number of homeless U.S. veterans on a given night dropped 12 percent from the year before. But tens of thousands were still on the streets, and more could be joining them as troops return from Afghanistan and Iraq. President Obama has vowed to end veterans’ homelessness by 2015.

Homeless No More

James Brown left the Army in 1979. And for most of the next 32 years, he lived on the streets in and around Los Angeles. You might have seen him: the dirty, disheveled guy trying to keep warm in a cardboard box.

But today, Brown is a different man. Wearing sunglasses and an athletic outfit, he bounds up the stairs to his new home, a fourth-floor walk-up.

“Apres vous,” he says, opening the door to a small, sparsely furnished studio apartment. For Brown, it might as well be a mansion.

“I got my own lights, refrigerator, a fan,” he says.

He also has what he calls a spectacular view. All that’s visible through the window is a brick wall. But Brown moves to one side and points to a sliver of sky.

“From here, this angle, it’s incredible,” he says. “Along the horizon, it’s palm trees. They crest the top of this hill. And then just underneath are all these little quaint homes; it’s like a quaint village. You’d swear you were in the Swiss Alps.”

It’s a far cry from where he used to live. Brown, who’s on disability for mental and physical problems, is one of about 30,000 homeless veterans who have been moved into permanent housing in the past three years.

….

Seeing An Enduring Challenge

“It scares me a little bit when I hear people from the government say we’ve got X number of days to end homelessness, X number of days. It’s simply not realistic,” says Stephen Peck, who runs the United States Veterans Initiative, a nonprofit that helps homeless vets.

Peck says he appreciates all the new attention, but permanent supportive housing — the current rage — might not be the answer for everyone. He says all veterans are different, and some might need other incentives to get back on their feet.

“If you got the last homeless guy off the street in June of 2015, July first, there’d be another homeless guy,” Peck says.

He thinks there will have to be a constant process of reaching out to those who served their country but might need help for the rest of their lives.

See the whole story at NPR’s website…

Veterans Honored during the Third Annual “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” Ceremony

sgordon — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:57:43 +0000

Steve Peck, U.S.VETS President and CEO, was recently invited to join Assemblyman Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley), Steve Mackey, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Counsel, and California Veterans Affairs Secretary Peter Gravett at the Third Annual “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” Ceremony in Washington D.C.

Below is the Press Release from the office of Assemblyman Paul Cook:

Press Release from FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 28, 2012

John Sobel 916-319-2065

SACRAMENTO – The third annual “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” Wreath Laying Ceremony took place at noon today at the Vietnam Veteran Memorial in Capitol Park. The event was hosted by the California State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America. “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” was created by Assembly Bill 717, authored by Assemblyman Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) and signed into law in 2009. Cook’s legislation declared March 30 as “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.”

Cook was one of the featured speakers at the “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” Wreath Laying Ceremony. He was joined by Steve Mackey, President of the Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Counsel, and California Veterans Affairs Secretary Peter Gravett. All spoke about the sacrifices and challenges of Vietnam Veterans both at the time of their return and today.

In 2007, after a seven-year campaign by Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day, Inc. from Whittier, CA, the U.S. Senate and House both proclaimed March 30 “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.” AB 717 accomplished the same for the State of California. It also encouraged California schools to recognize Vietnam Veterans on March 30.

Cook explained, “Nearly 6,000 Californians gave their lives for our nation during the Vietnam War. I fought to establish “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day” to encourage all Californians to take part in remembering the service and sacrifices of Vietnam War Veterans and to honor those Veterans who are still alive. It took far too long for America to recognize and honor their sacrifices, but I hope this day will help ensure that their sacrifices are never again forgotten.”

Assemblyman Paul Cook represents the Inland Empire, including portions of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

Music Festival Benefiting Veterans, Homeless Individuals and Families with Children

sgordon — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:30:46 +0000

2012 Music Festival at Aloha Tower Waterfront

Benefitting Veterans, Homeless Individuals and Families with Children
(3rd Annual Hana Like Kakou – Many Hands Working Together)
Friday May 11, 2012 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm

Corporate Sponsorship as Follows:
Diamond Head Table Sponsor – $3,000
Aloha Tower Sponsor – $2,000
Waikiki Sponsor – $1,000

Individual Sponsorship as Follows:
Individual In Advance – $25.00 Per Person
Individual At The Door – $30.00 Per Person

Buy Tickets and Sponsorships Online

Sponsorship Levels
Each Sponsorship Level includes entry & seating for 10 guests. Individual seating may be purchased for $25.00 per person in advance or $30.00 at the door.

Diamond Head Table Sponsors – $3000
• Special acknowledgement at Event
• Banner Displayed at May 11 & July 7, Event
• Full Page Ad in Event Program
• Name recognition in Press Releases
• Logo recognition on website
• VIP Seating
• Appetizers – Table Service

Aloha Tower Table Sponsor – $2000
• Special acknowledgement at Event
• Banner Displayed at May 11 & July 7, Event
• Half-Page Ad in Event Program
• Name recognition in Press Releases
• Logo recognition on website

Waikiki Table Sponsor – $1000
• Special acknowledgement at Event
• Banner Displayed at May 11 & July 7, Event
• Quarter-Page Ad in Event Program
• Name recognition in Press Releases
• Logo recognition on website

For more information or to RSVP, please contact:
Gladys Peraro – Site Director, 696-6774
Rita Martin – Community Relations Coordinator, 696-6707
Bernadette Luning – Program Assistant (Silent Auction), 696-6775
Ikaika Pu’u – Program Assistant (Phone Sales), 696-6779
Main Line Phone: (808) 696-6770