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Dear Volunteers,
It's hard to believe that my time as the Program Manager here has come to a close, but to borrow a phrase from a cake that volunteer Adam Obanjoko so kindly gave me on my last day, this is not the end. It's not the end of my dedication to bettering the lives of service members and veterans, not the end of my service to the program, and not the end of my relationships with you, our valued volunteers. I see this as an exciting new phase for the program, because you will be in great hands with our program team who will continue to provide you with the support you need. I'm beyond confident that we will all build on the momentum and successes of the program and continue our steady trend of assisting more service members and veterans each year.
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Last week I received your parting gift of a framed Wordle composed of words you'd sent in to describe me. I was incredibly touched by the words that you sent. Thank you for taking the time to do this. It has been a true honor to be joined in this work with such an impressive, dedicated volunteer corps. While I will miss interacting with you on a daily basis, I can't wait to see what you all do next!
All the best,
Stephanie Zarb
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Volunteer Veteran of the Month
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Ken Wood
was our Volunteer of the Month for July! Over the course of the year he’s been with the program, Ken has stood out because of his tremendous dedication to assisting veterans in the community and the service members at his assigned unit, the 127th Security Forces Squadron at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Ken demonstrates a high level of commitment to attending drill there and strengthening relationships in his assigned armory, ever thorough in providing appropriate assistance to those who need it.
Read more about Ken...
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We are thrilled to welcome these new volunteers to our team this month!
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Allen Bednarski
Marine Corps Reserves Veteran, Jackson
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Brandon Dunlap
Army Veteran, Vicksburg
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Stacey Hapner
Navy Veteran, Coldwater
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Keven Johnson
Navy Veteran, Weidman
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Richard LeAnna
Army National Guard Veteran, Gwinn
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Steve LeAnna
Air Force Veteran, Gwinn
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Ronald Zaleski
Army Veteran, Bessemer
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Thank you for choosing to volunteer with us and welcome to the team!
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Number of service members and veterans assisted from January 1 to July 31:
2017
: 538
2016
: 484
Top interaction log submitters in July:
Steve Alguire - 21
John Snyder - 9
Cliff Tholen - 8
Gabe Gallias - 6
Jon Luker - 6
Carl Underhill - 6
Most events attended and logged in July:
Steve Miller - 3
Burr Tolles - 3
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Thank you for taking the time to submit your logs and using the website to communicate with us. These submissions are key in helping us continue to serve Michigan’s veterans.
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This Month's Training Anniversaries
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The following volunteers are celebrating their training anniversaries with the program this month:
Six Years!
Richard Edmonds
Billy Host
Five Years
Delia Baker
Four Years
James True
One Year
Bianca Racine
Bill Stead
Thank you for your service!
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Save the Date for the 2018 Volunteer Recognition Event!
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We are excited to announce that our 2018 Volunteer Recognition Event will be held at the
Yankee Air Museum
in
Belleville
on
Saturday, April 7
. Mark your calendars! We will send more information as the date gets closer. It will be an event not to be missed!
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Helpful Tool Spotlight: Most Commonly Used Resources for Veterans Document
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We recently updated one of our handiest reference tools, the one-page (front and back)
"
Most Commonly Used Resources for Veterans
"
document. It's divided into five of the most common categories that volunteers typically need information on to assist those they're working with: Financial Assistance, Legal Issues, Housing/Homelessness, Employment, and Mental Health. You can access it
here
.
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Interested in Representing Buddy-to-Buddy at an Event?
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Would you like to represent Buddy-to-Buddy at a veteran-focused event in your community? Do you know of an event that you think someone from Buddy-to-Buddy should attend? If so, contact Outreach Coordinator Nathan Cross at
crossna@umich.edu
or (734) 998-5827.
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Volunteers Bill Petraitis, Fred Turk, Nicklos Wiersema, and Burr Tolles at the Support Our Troops Festival in Baroda
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Volunteer Mark Reynolds with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell at the Belleville Fair
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Volunteer Mark Lindke with BG Stone, Michigan Army National Guard Assistant Adjutant General, and Mark's brother-in-law John Stopera at a screening of the new Ken Burns Vietnam War documentary in Grosse Pointe
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Stephanie Zarb with Volunteer Adam Obanjoko giving her a cake he had made on her last day as Program Manager
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Buddy-to-Buddy is part of Military Support Programs and Networks (M-SPAN), a portfolio of military mental health programs within the University of Michigan Depression Center.
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Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program
2025 Traverwood Dr., Suite C | Ann Arbor | MI | 48105
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