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VHP VOICE
Connecting Students with Veterans
September 25, 2017: Volume 7, Issue 2
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Come Celebrate!
October 5, 3-6 pm
Tour our new office
Have a treat or two
Test your VHP trivia knowledge
Enter to win a special prize
If you feel like bringing a little something to help us settle into our new home, please check out our wish list registry at
TARGET
.
First Name
: Veterans
Last Name
: Heritage
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Thank you to
Arizona Art Alliance
for their generous donation of office supplies!
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2015 Caitlin Campbell Travel Scholarship Recipient Cindy Yoo Shares Travel Experience to South Korea
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Upon graduation from high school, Cindy Yoo began a six-week adventure on May 31, 2017, to connect with extended family and explore her roots in South Korea.
Cindy roamed
Namdaemun Market
, named after one of the Eight Gates in the Fortress Wall of Seoul that protected the city in the Joseon Dynasty; visited
Imjingak
and journeyed into the depths of
Third Tunnel;
toured
Dorsal
Station,
where she stood at the South Korean side of the 38th Parallel and looked through binoculars at the North; walked on the
Bridge of Freedom
used by POWs and soldiers returning from the North; and felt she was a part of history, being able to stand outside the
“blue house,’'
the Korean presidential residence and official executive office.
“
My trip to Korea...cannot be described in words. My lack of eloquent verbiage is not sufficient in trying to explain how much this trip meant to me. I had never taken the time to fully appreciate Korea and take in how much history the country has, and the stories behind the textbook explanations. From crouching through the Third Tunnel to listening to my grandfather talk about how he opened doors for the president at the time, I have gained more than I could have ever imagined." - Cindy Yoo
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Pictured Right: Bridge of Freedom
"
Walking across the bridge is another experience that I will never forget. The bridge is blocked, and covered with banners praying for unification. As the wood creaked under my feet, I tried to imagine myself walking across the bridge as a Korean seeking safety. As a Korean desperate to survive, but unsure of where my family is, realizing that there was a possibility that I would never see my home again. I walked on the same path that so many did in search of freedom.
"
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Pictured Above: Mangbaeddan.
"A major part of the Korean culture is returning to one’s hometown for major holidays such as New Year’s and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving, so to speak) in order to pay their respects to elders and ancestors. Offerings of food and drinks are displayed for the ancestors and families gather to pay their respects by celebrating and cooking massive amounts of food. It’s a tradition that I truly miss. Mangbaeddan was created to be 'home' for Koreans whose hometowns are in the North. Because they are unable to return home and bow to their ancestors, they gather here to pay their respects. The structure is made so that these Koreans can bow facing North -- facing home."
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Welcome, New Chapters!
With strong leadership and enthusiastic students, we look forward to a productive year with eight new chapters joining the VHP family. The chapters are wrapping up training and are ready to begin veteran interviews.
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Corona Del Sol High School -
Tempe
Theresa Hodge
Desert Sands Middle School -
Phoenix
Jolene Vincent
Fountain Hills H.S. -
Fountain Hills
Randy Bragg
Kofa High School -
Yuma
Tammy Foley
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Niceville High School -
Niceville, Florida
Pat Mixon
Pinnacle High School -
Phoenix
Jon Altmann
Scottsdale Prep. Academy -
Scottsdale
Matt Jette
Rhodes Junior High -
Mesa
Gloria Chavez
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Fountain Hills High School
Interview Training - Veteran Bud Fischer and wife with Barbara Hatch, Randy Bragg, and students
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Kofa High School
Interview Training with students and advisor Tammy Foley
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Annual Trainings Prepare Chapter Leaders
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During the months of August and September, VHP hosts several trainings to bring our chapter leaders together to prepare them for a successful year. Our
Chapter Advocate training equips volunteers to support our chapters with timeline management, fundraising, reception activities, civic events, and community engagement. On August 19, we hosted our largest
Chapter Kickoff Training event yet, with more than 60 teacher advisors, student leaders, and chapter advocates who received program updates and the opportunity to network within publishing groups. Founder Barbara Hatch conducts
Interview Trainings with our new chapter schools at their campuses, where they are able to conduct their first interview as a chapter with the guidance and support of the expert, Barbara!
Publishing Training concludes our training season, where we bring the advisors and student editors of our Publishing Chapters together to train and refresh on Adobe InDesign and layout technique for this year's
Since You Asked. We are excited about what this year holds.
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Chapter Schools Starting Strong!
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On Sept. 15, 2017 VHP students from
Shadow Mountain High School conducted six interviews with residents of Westminster Village in Scottsdale, Arizona, to share their stories in the Phoenix II Edition of
Since You Asked: A Salute to WWII.
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Notre Dame Preparatory School's VHP Chapter President Sabrina Arevalo and junior member Ashley Kusbel promoted Veterans Heritage Project at their Club Fair the first week of September. They will host National Guard Black Hawk pilot Rose Mattie at their November 2 speaking event.
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Thank you to Gene Ganssle for helping us put together our first-ever
Video
Tutorials!
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To help schools refresh their knowledge of the program, or learn anew, our first three video tutorials, funded by the Arizona Department of Veteran Services, are now available for chapters: Getting Organized, Conducting the Interview, and Writing the Story.
Over the next year, we will work with Gene to record 12 more videos covering key tasks involved in the VHP program. Each video is 5-10 minutes long, making it easy to show in a chapter meeting. We are so grateful to Gene Ganssle and his expertise to ensure these videos are professional, engaging, and informative.
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Veteran Speaker Program
7:00 AM - 11:30 AM, October 10
Feel free to attend one, some, or all the morning's sessions. Located in the Lecture Hall of the Cactus Shadows High School Administration Building - 5802 Dove Valley Road, Cave Creek 85327. Parking is located near the flagpole on Dove Valley Road in front of the Admin Building.
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Driven to Give Event to Benefit VHP - 8 AM to 4 PM, November 18
Join us at the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion and the
Carefree Sundial
for food, music, and fun.
Sanderson Lincoln will have several premium cars and SUVs that you can experience, and
for every test drive taken by a driver age 18 and older, Sanderson Lincoln will donate $20 to
VHP
! What an easy way to support Connecting Students with Veterans!
MaddieRose Holler,
Miss Arizona 2017,
will
be in attendance (Time TBD) and from 7 AM to 11 AM you can also support the
Kiwanis Club of Carefree
at their
Pancake Breakfast
.
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Phoenix Veterans Day Parade
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, November 11
Each year,
Sanderson Lincoln
graciously provides cars for VHP chapter students and veterans to participate in the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade on Central Avenue. We invite you to come out and enjoy the parade with your families on Veterans Day from 11-1. Be sure to wave to our students and veterans!
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Carefree Veterans Day Celebration
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM, November 11
Veterans Heritage Project, Kiwanis, and the Carefree Town Council have co-hosted this event for the past eight years. It is a beautiful afternoon honoring our veterans with musical tributes and guest speakers. Join us at the
Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion
in Carefree from 3-5!
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College Scholarship Application Due October 31, 2017
Established in 1947, the VFW
Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. The
national first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college, or vocational/technical school. A complete list of other national scholarships range from $1,000-$16,000, and the
first-place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.
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Volunteers are the
Cornerstone of our Program!
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On August 19, 2017, VHP was thrilled to celebrate our teachers, veterans, and community members at a luncheon event. Their volunteerism ripples across our community, making immediate positive impacts on our veterans and lasting influences on our youth.
Thank you to the
Arizona Coyotes Foundation for supporting this event and to in-kind donors of volunteer recognition prize drawings, including the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Science Center, AMC Theaters, Chipotle, Desert Botanical Garden, Fox Restaurant Concepts, OHSO, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Symphony, and Z-Tejas!
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VHP Alumnus Austin Anton has spent the past year as VHP's #1
technology volunteer! He has donated countless hours to help establish our Google Drive platform, guide updates to our database, advise on website capabilities, and much more! Thank you, Austin, for supporting our technology and program growth.
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Pictured: Pamela Blair-Sheldon; Michelle DiMuro, VHP Executive Director; and Donna Martellotto Boyce
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Volunteers Recognized for Innovative VHP Partnership
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VHP Chapter Advocates Pamela Blair-Sheldon and Donna Martellotto Boyce of the North Valley Regional Library are recipients of a 2017
National Association of Counties (NACo) Award for their innovative partnership with Boulder Creek High School in establishing a Veterans Heritage Project Chapter. Pam and Donna created a VHP Chapter when their community assessment documented the large veteran population in Anthem. Thank you for partnering in our mission to Connect Students with Veterans! We are so proud of your well-deserved recognition. Congratulations!
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Thank you so much to
Plexus Worldwide for allowing Veterans Heritage Project to share amazing veteran speakers and our mission with your employees. Veterans Tom Kirk and Jim Kelsey spoke on July 7, 2017 and Joe Brett, Tom Kirk, and David Lucier (pictured above) shared memories on September 11, 2017.
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The experience was so rewarding for both the veterans and the employees, that Plexus Worldwide contributed a $5,000 "
Bronze Star" Sponsorship to support the continued honoring of veterans and character education of students!
Thank you!
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Your business or community group can also benefit from amazing stories of service.
Consider hosting a WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War, Iraq or Afghanistan veteran through VHP's Veteran Speaker Program.
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The Vietnam War
PBS Documentary
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On August 30, VHP partnered in offering a sneak preview of the Ken Burns and Lynn Novice documentary,
The Vietnam War.
Following the preview, a veteran panel (pictured right) including VHP's own Pat Little-Upah (
SYA X) and Clovis Jones, Jr. (
SYA XI) discussed the documentary's topics & themes.
"
Thank you for recommending me to participate in the panel. It was an enjoyable and cathartic experience to share my Vietnam experiences with the audience
."
- Clovis Jones, Jr.
Fifteen of our Vietnam veteran memories from
Since You Asked have been provided for inclusion on the national
PBS website.
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Sponsor a Student Scholarship
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Consider funding a named scholarship in honor of a loved one.
Scholarships can be named in memory of, or in honor of, a veteran, a student, or even a civic group. I would love to discuss your ideas and interests in supporting any of the annual
$3,000, $2,000, and $1,500 personal scholarships
or the
$1,500 Above and Beyond scholarship
, all presented to assist graduating VHP students in their undergraduate studies. To ensure inclusion for this year's scholarships, please contact
michelle@veteransheritage.org
by December 1, 2017.
VHP also awards a
$500 Teacher of the Year
award to a VHP teacher advisor who goes above and beyond to support a VHP Chapter at their school. Because of the tremendous appreciation I have for the vision set by Barbara, for the teachers who work passionately to recreate the experience in their schools, and because I feel so fortunate to be a part of VHP, I am committing to fund this scholarship in honor of VHP Founder Barbara Hatch. The award will be renamed the
Barbara Hatch Founder's Award for Program Excellence
.
I hope you will join me in honoring someone who inspires our youth, or memorializing one of our nation's heroes, through a named scholarship.
-
Michelle DiMuro, VHP Executive Director
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Corporate and Foundation Partners
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A great supporter to Veterans Heritage Project for several years,
State Farm
is generously supporting VHP with a "Legion of Merit" sponsorship this year! Thank you so much for believing in our mission to
Connect Students with Veterans.
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We are thankful for the continued support of the
William L. and Ruth T. Pendleton Memorial Fund
. Funding will support the start of a lending inventory of recommended technology equipment for chapter use in the interviewing and archiving process.
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Veterans Heritage Project is pleased to have been selected by Cox Communications
e
mployees as a new grant recipient from
Cox Charities. This gift helps to support the new Adobe Creative Could for Teams software used by our Publishing Chapters.
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Thank you,
Microsoft Philanthropies. Your technology program allowed VHP to equip donated laptops with much-needed software!
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A grant from
Fiesta Bowl Charities
is funding the completion of our oral history program video tutorials! This support improves our chapter training, increases program quality, and provides the ability to serve additional communities.
Thank you for enhancing education and contributing to the success of Arizona youth.
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Thank you,
Boeing Employees Community Fund of Arizona, for continuing to support core components of our chapter program which help to provide
quality civics education, keep youth engaged and interested in learning, develop appreciation for veterans, and encourage life-long learning so that we have informed and responsible future leaders.
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In Memoriam
Veterans Heritage Project honors the beloved veterans
we have lost. Your stories live on in our memories, our books, and our hearts.
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Board of Directors
Barbara Hatch, Founder
Laura Byers, Co-Founder
Shelly Yeck, MBA
Jerry Strickland
Joseph Brophy, Esq.
Anita Daghestani
Brigadier General J. Derek Hill
Mary Ellen Reilly, Esq.
Donna Ward
Staff
Michelle DiMuro, CFRE
Brittany Henritze
Advisory Council
Jane Barnes
Mike Burns
Jason Chamberlain
Vic Connor
Tim Ganahl
Frank Lambert
David Lucier
The Honorable Rick Romley
Major General Carl. G. Schneider
Dave Ward
Phil Yin, Ph.D.
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Program Director
Board President, Vanguard Marketing Intl. VP & CTO
Board Treasurer, Manager, General Dynamics
Board Secretary, Retired State Farm Regional VP, Veteran
Partner at Jennings, Haug & Cunningham, LLP, Veteran
Learning & Development Manager, Wells Fargo
USAF, Retired
Wilkes & McHugh, P.A., Veteran
Retired Corporate Attorney
Executive Director
Program Coordinator, VHP Alumna
Advocate and Care Coordinator, Medal of Honor Foundation
Retired Business Executive, Veteran
Senior Advisor and Retired President & CEO, HDT Global
Retired Business Executive, Veteran
Retired Non-Profit Executive, Veteran
Retired Business Executive, Veteran
Community Leader, Veteran
Arizona Veterans Court Judge, Veteran
USAF, Retired
Vice President Group Finance, Avnet
Executive VP & General Manager, Desert Silicon, Veteran
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Veterans Heritage Project | 1-877-VHP-PROJ (847-7765) | www.veteransheritage.org
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