r 16, 2015
Serving vets:
‘It’s personal’
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Ideas for expressing gratitude include:
- Call your local USO, VFW or VA hospital
and ask if they will be doing any activities
during the holidays that you could volunteer
for.
- We must remember the families of those
deployed. They are not able to be with their
loved ones because they are defending our
freedom. And those who have lost veterans,
especially during active duty, find the holidays without them particularly difficult.
- Go to http://soldiersangels.org/HolidayCards-for-Troops-and-Veterans.html to sign
up as a community partner and reach out in
practical ways.
(Top) An event honoring veterans in Winter Park,
Florida; (Center) Dedication of the Veterans Memorial Oak Tree in Winter Park, Florida.
(Center right) S.A.V.E program participant Cory
Puent is on track to achieve his goal of independent living. (Bottom) Serving at a Winter Park,
Florida, breakfast for veterans.
By Laura Poff
Southern Spirit staff
Veteran’s Day is a day of annual public recognition of
servicemen and women who return from duty, many of
them only to find physical, financial, emotional and spiritual
struggles awaiting them.
Year-round, The Salvation Army engages in supportive
services for local veterans through the social services sector,
local corps and commands. Kelvin Coachman served in
the U.S. Navy for five years. When his tour was over, he
returned home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and found a
supportive family. He went back to school and earned his
B.A. in social work before going on to complete his Master’s.
For the past year and a half, he has overseen the Orlando
Area Command’s veteran’s services as the director of social
services.
According to the most recent stats from the Veteran’s
Administration, 12 percent of the homeless population
is veterans, meaning around 50,000 veterans sleep on the
streets each night. The VA sites underlying concerns such
as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse and a
lack of family and social support as common reasons. The
VA also says that non-profits, especially veteran-servingveterans groups, are the most effective at reaching this
population.
The Orlando Area Command offers life skills and case
management assistance to veterans who come into its
shelter. The command helps vets find permanent supportive
housing while also addressing the issues that led to their
homelessness in the first place.
Coachman said the average age o