Finding the balance

I attended a conference presented by the Lebanon VA but located in Lititz. It was open to veterans in the community; however, none were there. It was hopeful to hear the experiences staff have going above and beyond in the areas of outreach and care. I am also aware of the constraints that exist for veterans i.e. transportation, time of day, etc. But, most likely the majority of people made aware of the event were professionals. I was happy to hear of the improvements that have been implemented to reach local veterans such as community programs offering evening hours and trips to interesting locations. Unfortunately the less than positive attitude some veterans in the community have due to their experiences with the VA System leave them angry and aggressive rather than assertive. There has to be a better way to strike a balance to ensure that the people being served are represented in addition to professionals. These events are often where changes start.

The VA Summit

Friday is a program on mental health and suicide prevention. I expect to learn more information and meet people who would benefit from these programs. I hope there are veterans attending because there are many other issues that need to be addressed but may not be. One important issue continuation of services regardless of where a veteran is living. The VA seems to be ready to cancel ones services if they move into a place that do not fit their exact guidelines. First I am interested in seeing on paper what the exact guidelines are to receiving services. Then there should be exceptions if the situation is not their own fault. In this case, the place where a veteran I know was placed was unaffordable after the first year. Consequently there was no choice but to move or be evicted after exhausting community resources for rent. The source of the problem was not discussed among the VA staff. I would love to advocate for that person. An investigation can be done anyway- retroactively. I'm sure this is not an isolated incident.

"Thank you for your Service"

I was looking forward to this movie but I was also apprehensive. Either I thought it would be bombs and guns going off or it would be continued illustrations of people's legitimate frustrations / anger about the system. Instead, the audience followed the lives of four guys upon their discharges. It was really insightful, informative and interesting. At the conclusion I spoke to a veteran and he thought the show was well done. I hope this brings some awareness to society. The title was perfect because so many people think showing appreciation is saying the five words. Unless they are a family member or a close friend to a veteran consequences are rarely understood. I especially enjoyed the part where one man, who was having serious flashbacks, said he'd rather have a physical injury so people would better understand him. Seeing is still believing and the invisible disability PTSD can be more disabling than an amputation. Society must continue to bring awareness to the forefront particularly in the vocational realm.

Paths to paddle

Team River Runner is a program in which participants, largely veterans, paddle kayaks to improve their social, psychological and physical situations. Promoting it is resulting in meeting physical therapy directors, social workers, and veterans. This will result in my spreading the word on disability as well. I can finally share the booklet and other information created to help those who need it. In time my goal is to get these people interested in fundraisers and partnerships at the national level. Maybe they would support my disability awareness presentations. I can't wait to continues this each day. Life just became really exciting and it was due to not giving up just quietly paddling down a different path.

Lancaster helping Lancaster

Every year we have what is called "The Extraordinary Give." This is a huge computerized telethon in which people contribute to our many non-profits. Yesterday I volunteered for the event and was really amazed how nice people could be. I saw hundreds of good people who cared and that is not something we see everyday. It is a staple to my county and it works- they made over $8 million, however I am not comfortable asking for money- reciprocity is my style so now I am organizing a variety of educational programs to offer knowledge about disabled veterans, and the kayaks program. I figure most people know someone who was in the military so I think this topics will be worthwhile. Since a picture is worth a thousand words the film of the kayak paddling will be of interest. In this way we are giving before we are getting.

Receiving support

Life works backwards. Security rules to protect cellphone owners even when the person is a proven criminal. Medical rules even when the patient is severely mentally disabled. Airport rules even when people detained are clearly harmless. Legal rules even when people have been exonerated from crimes. Fighting air gets so tiring but there are always worse scenarios. Why don't we have exceptions? Attitudes may seem negative but there is often very good reason for the negativity. So many of us just decide based on what we see rather than any real factors which the person must endure. People receive support who may or may not seem deserving but then once the person is released from the situation, often they must start from scratch. Life works backwards.

Capturing attention

Many non-profits in Lancaster are emailing businesses people and individuals to remind them to make contributions during the day called "The BIG Give." I help a veterans program so I wrote a startling statistic, a few words of explanation about the program, added part of a quote and sent it out to a dozen companies who attended the Veterans Expo. I assumed they would reply considering where I met these people. Instead I received "I am out of the office right now" from most of the emails. I then made some changes since testimonials/stories are powerful. So then I sent a member's story with a photo of people paddling in kayaks in the water. Since that is the purpose of the program, I felt good about the slew of emails I sent. I still received a lot of the same type of responses. I hope a few emails were read and will result in financial contributions. I will keep trying more effective ways.