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Dear Patrons, Members and Subscribers,
Hello to all, we hope everyone is having a great Summer! The kids are out of school and we've been happy to see so many visiting the museum! Despite the growing heat, we've still had a fantastic month of June full of new experiences and partnerships.
We've got a busy month underway already, and there's much more to come! We are pleased to work with Cygnet Theatre again for a special kids production on July 21 and 22nd. This show is for the kids, so pack up the family and come take advantage of this free show! We're also especially honored to once again host San Diego's Ex-POWs and Pearl Harbor Survivors for Display Day on July 29.
Our WWII vets are fading away quickly and one of our goals at the museum is to work to provide newer generations a way to commune with our Greatest Generation. On August 13, we'll once again host our Spirit of '45 Remembrance Celebration at the museum. You don't want to miss this opportunity to spend time with those who defined the future of our nation with their patriotism, hard work and determination.
This month, I'm also thrilled to announce the museum's official poet laureate, Alyce Smith Cooper. Alyce is a woman devoted to the arts and we feel privileged to have such an inspiring writer and arts advocate represent us with her work. You can read more about her in this newsletter.
And, as always, I'd be remiss if I didn't thank all our volunteers for the work they do to ensure our continuing success.
We hope all our patrons, members and subscribers have a great month, and we'll see you at the museum!
Captain Sheldon Margolis
USN (Retired)
President and CEO
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What's going on at your museum?
(Museum events or museum partners)
- July 11: "Mad Scientist" Show 11 AM
- July 13: Health Education Series/Got Health or Got Hype? 6:30 PM
- July 21 & 22: Cygnet Children's Theatre Play: SUPERS 7 PM
- July 21-23: Homeless Veteran Stand Down
- July 23: Project Thor, "Bang The Board" 1-4 PM
- July 29: San Diego Ex-POW and Pearl Harbor Survivors Display Day
- Save the Date: Aug. 13 - Spirit of '45 celebration
- Save the Date: Oct. 28 - Military Women's Luncheon
- Save the Date: Nov. 4 - Operation Dress Code
- Save the Date: Nov. 9 - San Diego County Veteran of the Year Luncheon
- Save the Date: Nov. 11 - Veterans Day parade
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"Mad Scientist" Show shows science can be VERY fun! (July 11)
Join us June 11 at 11 AM for a fun, mad-science EXPERIENCE! Mad Science provides interactive learning camps, shows and expos that shows kids science is FUN! If you parents are looking for things to do with the kids this week, bring them to the museum so they can learn a thing or two! (Shhhh, we won't tell them it's learning.)
Bring the whole family out for this FREE event. Even Mom and Dad may learn something!
To learn more about the show and what Mad Science does
CLICK HERE
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"Got Health or Got Hype?" next in line for VMBP continuing Health Education Series (July 13)
Join Dr. Paul Stricker, MD, on July 13, 6:30 PM, for "Got Health or Go
t Hype?" The museum's Health Education Series has had great success and we enc
ourage everyone to come and learn more during these Juice-Plus-sponsored events. Each month a new presenter shares what health and wellness looks like from their foxhole. Sticker is a board-certified in sports medicine and pediatrics. He has been a pediatrician for the Olympic Games and is the former president of the American Me
dical Society for Sports Medicine. He's the author of the book,
Sports Success Rx-Your Child's Prescription for the Best Experience.
In today's world of health and medicine, it's hard to understand what's actually healthy and what's just hype. Well-versed in pediatrics, Sticker will provide attendees with some helpful hints on how to make the best health choices for you AND your whole family.
Doors open at 6:30 PM for networking and the event starts at 7 PM. To register for this event, go to>>>REGISTER!
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Cygnet Theatre partners with Veterans Museum for SUPERS a play about superheroes for kids (July 21 & 22)
We are pleased to once again partner with Cygnet Theatre to present a Cygnet Children's production, SUPERS. This fun play by Liz Silverman is an exploration of the experiences of three kids coping with growing up while their superhero parents are off saving the world. Kaylee suspects the new kid at their school, Jayden, is the son of super-villains! Kaylee should know, since she is the daughter of superheroes, herself. Kaylee takes matters into her own hands, and with the help of her Non-Powered Person (NPP) friend Nora, she'll find the truth! No evil plot is safe with these two on the case!
Fun for kids and adults alike, SUPERS will run July 21 and 22, starting at 7 PM each night. The show is under an hour and we encourage all to stay after for a chat with play writer, Liz Silverman. Kids are especially encouraged to ask questions! For more information you can contact Cygnet Education and Outreach Director, Tim West, at tim@cygnettheatre.com or 619 574 0059 x122. This show is FREE to the public.
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"Project Thor" encourages healthy expression of emotion through art (July 23)
Have you come out to the museum to "Bang the Board"? "PROJECT THOR" is on its third month at the museum.
Join in and work out your frustrations with a hammer!
The museum will once again host Giancristiano out by our B24 Liberator Statue on Sunday, June 23 from 1-4 PM. We especially encourage our veteran and active duty patrons, members and subscribers to come out and give the project a try. Designed with veterans in mind, Giancristiano envisions this project as a way for those who have served (and are serving) to express themselves.
The goal of the project is to create a work of art inspired by the moon using various size hammers to pound the surface of a plywood panel. Giancristiano hopes, through this project, to convert negative energy into something collectively positive by taking the newly "cratered" pieces of wood and turning them into something reminiscent of the moon's surface.
To learn more about Project Thor and to learn more about Giancrisianto's art, which has been shown all over the world, see his website here>>>
www.MichaelGiancristiano.com
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Prisoners of War and Pearl Harbor Survivors Share Mementos During POWs Display Day (July 29)
Join us at the museum on
July 29 from 10 AM to 2 PM, as we once again honor the her
oes of WWII during our Ex-POWs and Pearl Harbor Survivors
Display
Day. Survivors from the attacks on Pearl Harbor and actual Prisoners of War
from
WWII will share m
emorabilia from their experiences.
Touch pieces of s
hips kept from
the
Pearl Harbor attacks and hear the horrors and bravery of those who were
there
to see it with their own eyes. Ex-POWs will provide pictures of the planes in which they were shot down, photos of them in prisoners' camps and plenty of incredible stories of survival and loss. The members of our WWII generation are slowly fading. We must savor the time they have left with us, and learn what we can from these resilient and courageous survivors.
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Digital Photography Workshop Enhances Novice Skills
A big thanks to Kevin Raquidan who presented two workshops, one on June 13 and another on June 27. The first was Digital Photography for Beginners: Basic Camera/Smartphone Settings and Composition, and the second was Digital Photography/Intermediate: Camera/Smartphone Settings and Lighting/Color.
Attendees were encouraged to bring their own cameras or smart phones and were given the opportunity to practice the beginner's concepts introduced by Raquidan. The rule of thirds, leading lines and lighting and flash settings were just some of the concepts attendees got to try out.
For more information on Raquidan and his photography, you can contact him directly at
therockydon@gmail.com
For future workshop opportunities you can contact Anthony LoBue, aka: "Tony the Vet", at tony@tonythevet.org.
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Museum Hosts Nationally Acclaimed Author as part of Juice Plus' Health Education Series
Last month for our Juice Plus-sponsored Health Education Series we were proud to host StaciJoy RN BSN HNC, who presented her talk, "One Little Thing: Health Transformation for the Tortoise and the Hare". StaciJoy is a nationally acclaimed author and certified holistic health practitioner. Her message was that everyone makes health changes in their lives at their own pace, but what matters is that you are at least taking the initiative and heading in the right direction. This starts with some rather simple life changes such as drinking more cleansing water and putting lots and lots of fresh fruits and veggies into our bodies!
For more information on upcoming Health Education Series' events, check the events section of The Veterans Museum website or email events@veteranmuseum.org.
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Dancing With Heroes: Local Non-Profit Presents Military-Inspired Show
The museum was proud to host community partner, American History Theater,
for th
eir annual Summer fundraiser,"Dancing With Heroes", on June 17. The show was a fast-paced, patriotic, mili
tary-inspired dance show, which embodied the fun, spirit and pride of our nation's
service members through the ages.
Although a hot one at the museum, that didn't stop attendees from getting up and taking to the dance floor as big band "Gickey and the Monsters" played the greatest dance hits through history. Local dance ballroom dance company, Chasse and Sway, put on the show, with fantastic choreography by teacher and dancer, Nicole Wooding.
This is the second year the museum has been the location for the fundraiser, which featured a dance show, live band, food, wine bar and silent auction items. For more information on how YOUR organization can host its next fundraiser,. seminar, party or event at our museum, email events@veteranmusuem.org.
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Father's Day Presentation by San Diego City Guard Band and Army 242nd BD Concert (June 18)
 Big thanks to San Diego City Guard Band and the Army 242nd BD Concert for putting on a great Father's Day Concert June 18.
We've been proud to host San Diego City Guard Band many times at our museum, but it was a special treat to have them perform with another big group of musicians! We hope all the Dads out there who attended had a great time! But, it doesn't have to be Father's Day to say "Thank you" for the sacrifice and strength of our military and veteran fathers out there who have sacrificed much time with family in their service to our great nation.
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Vets Break It Down with PGK Dance Project: Veteran Artists and Contemporary Dancers Combine Talents For Unique Show
The end of the month ended with a bang, as we hosted "VETS Break It Down With PGK Dance Project". This show was a culmination of a California Arts Council-funded Veterans Initiative in the Arts. The show combined the work of Peter Kalivas. Artistic Director of The PGK Dance Project, and his dancers, m
us
ic
i
an Barry Toombs and the Westwind Brass Ensemble, Anthony "Tony the Vet" LoBue (spoken word), and Improvisational Watercolorist, Brian Meyer.
Also presented was a piece by the Nannette Brodie Dance Theater, another recipient of the Veterans Arts Initiative grant from the California Arts Council.
"Report for Duty at 08hundred".
Additional, guest performances will included; The Del Mar Ballet and Anna Brown, Musicians: Molly Mapes, Tea' Carpenter and Barbara Schoenhofer with Rayme Sciaroni and Peter Kalivas.
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The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park announces its official Poet Laureate!
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The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park is excited to announce our first-ever poet laureate, Alyc
e Smith Cooper! Alyce has long been an arts advocate, and we are proud to have her help bolster our ever-evolving and growing arts program. She is a woman of many talents.
As a po
et, sto
ryteller, a
ctress and TV talk show host she has often been found promoting issues of compassion and inclusion. These actions fit in well with her roles of Registered Nurse, Chaplain and Ordained Minister and finally garnered her inclusion into the Women's Museum of San Diego Hall of Fame.
Currently she sits on the PLC of the LaJolla Playhouse, is employed by a local Home Health Agency, and is an
associate minister at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 2015 Alyce along with two co-authors, Dr. Judy Sundayo and Jamie Vi
ctor
ia Jones, published The Gumbo Pot Poems by The Golden Brown Fairy Godmother and
F
riends at Create Space of
Amazon.Com
. The prize winning book is currently being en
joyed by many and used as a text book in local colleges.
Her late husband, James Vernon Cooper, served in the U.S. Marines. She is the mother of two, grandmother of five and great grandmother of twelve.
San Diego is home base for this poet also known as THE GOLDEN BROWN FAIRY GODMOTHER. Be on the lookout for poems, events and more as we embrace our new poet laureate!
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SAVE THE DATES! Spirit of '45 and Veteran of the Year nominations only a few weeks away!
Keep the Spirit of '45 Alive! Here we are again! It's time to celebrate the spirit of our Greatest Generation! Join us August 13 at 11 AM as we show homage to the generation that embodied patriotism, hard work and determination. Do not miss this chance to share with members of our World War II generation. Once they are gone, we cannot get them back. Take time with them now, and hear history come to life. We honor this resilient group with music, WWII military re-enactors and much, much more! The year was 1945 and the world was just learning that the war against the Japanese was over. The camaraderie and joy of a nation proud to see their country victorious in war was a wonderful thing to behold! Don't miss out on the museum's biggest event of the year, the Spirit of '45 Remembrance Day!
VOY Nominations Almost Here! The Veteran
s Museum at Balboa Park and the County of San Diego invite all to 2017's Veteran of the Year Luncheon, to be held on November 9 at the Scottish Rite Center. Nominatio
ns will open soon. Each year we seek one veteran that stands above the rest in how they serve their community and their fellow veterans. It is never an easy decision, given San Diego is filled with veterans who are going above and beyond in their service after service. We hope you join us November 9 to celebrate a new community here. Tickets go on sale soon. Keep your eye on the Eagle to learn more!
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Become a Part of Our Growing Arts Program! Open to the Public! FREE! INSPIRING!
EVERY TUESDAY
3-5PM FORUM: Arts Programs
Lower Level
FREE! PUBLIC! DROP-INS OK!
6-9 PM Workshop: Visual Arts
Lower Level
Free! Public! All ages! All skill levels! Drop-ins OK! Make It/Take It!
2-D: Art Cards, Collage, Coloring, Drawing, Make-A-Card for VA Patients...And more!
3-D: Masks, Puppets & Sculptures
Tony LoBue a.k.a. Tony The Vet
2ND TUESDAYS ONLY
11AM-1PM Activity: FAMILY FUN!
Main Hall
FREE! PUBLIC! ALL AGES! ALL SKILL LEVELS! DROP-INS OK!
Collage, Coloring, Craft Kits, Make-A-Card for VA Patients, Puppetry, Scavenger Hunts, Storytelling...and more!
Valerie Broesch, Storyteller
Volunteer Artist in Residence
Dave Gilmore, Craft Specialist
INTERACTIVE SCULPTURE PROJECT:
PROJECT THOR with Michael Giancristiano
"Bang-the-Board!" Plywood Artwork
Sunday, 23 July, 1-4 PM
Michael Giancristiano, Artist
Outside near B24 Liberator Sculpture
$5 Donation suggested for participation in any and all workshops and projects! Come help support the rapidly growing Veteran Art Scene!
Next Month/Save the Date:
Join Arts Director, Anthony LoBue, for a VMBP Exhibit and Performance at Dog Days of Summer August 6 from 11 AM to 1 PM! Make a card for family, friends and VA patients at the La Jolla VA Hospital. PGK Dance Project will also present a 15-30 min performance featuring Vet artists Brian Meyer, Barry Toombs and the Westwind Brass and and spoken word by LoBue.
Call for Interns & Volunteers!
Assistant Arts Director,
Ambassadors (Make-A-Card for VA Hospital Patients Program )
Artists in Residence (Literary, Performance and Visual),
Promotion,
Public Relations
AA "Tony the Vet" LoBue,
Arts Director
Contact: (cell) 619-806-2075 or via email at:
ArtsDirector@veteranmuseum.org
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Stories from the Archives:
Tom Corby Served in Iraq during First Gulf War
Tom Corby and buddies astride a beast
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Tom Corby served as a cannon crew member for Howitzer Battery 3/2 ACR. He spent many days driving 1
st
Section's FAASV
(Field Artillery
Ammunition Supply Vehicle) as he trailed their tank companies hundreds of kilometers providing indirect fire support during Desert Storm. His regiment's mission was to engage the elite forces of the Iraqi Republican Guard.
Af
ter many days of traversing the rugged desert terrain northward from Saudi Arabia, They made a left hook and our Abrams tanks encountered the enemy we sought. On February 26, 1991, 2nd ACR's tank companies crushed the Iraqi Republican Guard in the Battle of the 73rd Easting. The 1st Infantry Division joined the fray and completely decimated the enemy.
During their plight through Iraq they occupied a position that had been held by the
Tom with the Hemet
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Iraqi Army. The area was littered with tanks and personnel carriers that had been destroyed by their tanks. There were also numerous bunkers that they had to recon to ensure that there weren't any remaining enemy forces waiting to ambush them. While on recon with members of 1st Section, 1st Platoon, Tom discovered an Iraqi soldier's helmet in a foxhole. The foxhole was located near a tunnel system that the Iraqis were using as a command center. They crawled through them only to find abandoned radios and maps; Their recon did not turn up a single enemy soldier. They had all retreated, surrendered as POWs or were casualties of war-including the owner of the helmet.
Tom arrives back home in the USA
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Tom decided to keep the Iraqi soldier's helmet, and for years it has sat on a bookshelf in his study. Tom often looked at it and wondered what happened to the owner. Was he one of the 71,204 POWs that were more than happy to surrender to the Coalition? Was he a deserter who was punished for leaving his guard post? Or was he merely one of the many casualties of war? Tom would never know, but he felt like it wasn't right for him to keep his helmet on my bookshelf any longer. The helmet has a story to tell-whatever it may be, and the best place to tell that story is in a sanctuary that holds an objective view of history and offers a platform to share the tangibly ugly face of war. So Tom sent the helmet to the Veterans Museum at Balboa Park.
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Recent Donations to the Museum
June 2017
Rebecca Beece of El Segundo, CAdonated a diary of Herbert Daniel Russen who served on the Navy Armed Guard aboard Merchant Ships during WWII, and artifacts of Harold Royal Fahrenkrug, her father, who served in the Navy and was killed in action aboard the USS Witter (DE636) when a Kamikaze aircraft and its bomb crashed into the waterline at the number one boiler room during the battle of Okinawa on April 6, 1945. Artifacts include photographs, uniform items, his Purple Heart Medal, and the families' Blue Star (two stars) and Gold Star banners that were hung in their home's window during WWII.
USS Witter DE-636, c. 1944 US Navy Photo.
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Damage from Kamikaze & bomb to Boiler Room #1, April 6, 1945. US Navy Photo.
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The Families' Blue and Gold Star banners that hung in the front window during the war.
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Ted Corby of Jacksonville FL donated Iraqi helmet captured during gulf war and his collection of photographs including photos of him recovering the helmet.
Elizabeth "Gena" Macres Fischle of San Diego served in the Coast Guard Reserve as a SK3/c and donated digital copies of her WWII USCGR service documents and photos
Gail Greer of San Diego donated the artifacts of her father Robert H. Greer who served in the Navy in WWII including a rather unique official pamphlet titled Boy Meets Girl that cautions service men regarding romantic relationships during WWII.
Kelly Guenon of San Diego donated a photograph of his father's, Paul Guenon, Bomber Group of WWII.
Linda Hardt of San Diego donated photographs and uniforms from her father's service in the Navy during WWII.
Glenn Hueckel of Claremont donated the WWII Seabee uniforms from his father, Ensign Russell M. Hueckel, CEC, including officer's Khaki Working Uniform (with shoulder boards), officers Gray Working Uniform (with shoulder boards), and complete sets of his Service Dress Blue and Service Dress White uniforms.
WWII Gray Working Uniform ENS, CEC shoulder boards.
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WWII Khaki Working Uniform ENS, CEC shoulder boards.
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Kim Huegett of Hayward, CA
donated copies of Recollections of Alaska in WWII by her father, Sgt Lawrence J. Huggett, who served with the 23
rd Service Group, 11th Air Force at Adak Alaska.
Gary Madison of Escondido
donated Artifacts of Robert A. Madison who was a Navy Corpsman and served with the USMC in WWII. Among the artifacts was a
Heart-Shield Bible that had a steel cover and was intended to be carried in the left breast pocket to protect the heart.
A Heart Shield Bible meant to protect the heart from injury.
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Rene Marmolejoa of Chula Vista
donated a WWII Model 1935 German Helmet with "SS" Shield he found at a flea market in Mexico.
Betsy McLaughlin Medlen of Fullerton donated a collection of 37 oil paintings by her father, Dr. R. Thomas McLaughlin, M.D., Ph.D., commemorating the life and service of his father, CDR Richard Francis McLaughlin who served aboard the Navy Hospital Ship, USS Bountiful (AH-9) in the south Pacific during WWII.
Shelia Patterson Murphy of Escondido
donated 77 DVD sets on military topics to the museum's Military History and Reference Library.
Rosemary Rykowski of Hemet
donated four year books to the museum's library including three yearbooks from US Army Training Center, Fort Gordon, GA and one yearbook from the 25th Infantry Division 1941-1966, and a Vietnam Memorial Directory of Names.
Signe Marie Shupien of Chula Vista
donated a plaque from US Naval Station Adak Alaska.
Daniel Terwilliger of Hudson, NH donated artifacts Elting Terwilliger who served on the USS Alaska (CB-1), a new class of Battle Cruiser that served at near the end of the War. The artiacts included a ship's Cruise Book and a personal diary of his experiences and his serving on the ships 12" guns.
USS Alaska (CB-1) off Philadelphia Navy Yard, 30 July 1944. US Navy Photo.
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New and Renewing Members: Thanks for Your Support!
Robert Casteel Family
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Nancy C. Emory
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Elizabeth Lekas
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Monica O'Hara
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Bob & Patty Read Family
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Rennilee Tibiatowski
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Barry Toombs*
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(* Life Member
** Dual Life Member)
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San Diego Stand Down - A time to help homeless veterans (July 21-23)
In times of war exhausted combat units requiring time to rest and recover were removed from the battlefields to a place of relative safety and security. Other rested units assumed the watch. Today, Stand Down refers to a time when our homeless veterans can remove themselves from the combat of the streets and allow VVSD and the community of San Diego to stand the watch so they can receive needed services and rest.
Stand Down's philosophy is a hand up, not a hand out. Stand Down is more than a place to get ... it is a place to belong, once again, to a community.
When veterans walk into the gates of Stand Down in mid-July they will be greeted with a handshake and open arms, breakfast, coffee and fruit. They will be assigned to a tent where tent leaders will assist them in accessing the services they need; immediate visits to the clothing tent, showers, barbers, makeovers, medical, dental and optical services.
But immediate need is not the only service provided. There is Homeless Court, family court, counseling, VA benefits, employment and job counseling, integrative medicine, recovery providers, shelters and more. Over 12,000 meals are served by veteran's service organizations, service clubs, local chefs and businesses.
It takes nearly 4,500 volunteers to make this 3-day event a success. To learn more about Stand Down, to volunteer, donate clothing and hygiene items or to donate financially, Click here!
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STAY CONNECTED ON UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON OUR
SOCIAL MEDIA SITES
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Know someone who would like to see this email?
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The Veterans Museum at Balboa Park, 2115 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101
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info@veteranmuseum.org |
www.veteranmuseum.org
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