Here to Serve You
Dear Volunteers, 

When given the opportunity to serve as the B2B Program Manager, I couldn’t possibly say no. The reputation you have built in the Michigan Veteran space is second to none, and it is an honor to serve with you. I spent my first several days learning the operations at the home office, getting to know staff, and learning where we have areas of opportunity to grow and improve.

My immediate goal is to ensure our staff is best prepared to serve you. The number of Ring Central calls has increased dramatically over this past year (more details below) – as the demand for assistance grows, we want to ensure we are growing and supporting our volunteer corps accordingly. You all are doing amazing, if sometimes thankless, work and we want to make certain you know we’re here to help.
I’ll be joining some of the weekly support calls so we can start getting to know each other better, and to learn from each other. In addition, Cassandra, Jamie, and I have started the process of calling each of you. We’re anxious to get to know you and to hear how things are going in the field. 

Stephanie and the team have built some great momentum, and I’m looking forward to continuing our trend of assisting more veterans and service members each year!

Respectfully,

Kate Melcher
Program Manager
A Record Breaking Month for Our Hotline
August 2017 was a record breaking month for our program hotline, "Ring Central." In 2016, the average number of minutes on that line each month averaged less than 500. But last month, the number of minutes for that line was 1900! We have seen a steady increase in the number of minutes on that line over the past year year.

We are very happy that more veterans and service members are looking to our program and to you, our amazing volunteers, for help, but we realize that this increase in demand for assistance comes with some new challenges. We are working to recruit and train new volunteers to help ease the burden. Please send Nathan Cross, our Outreach Coordinator, any referrals for veterans you know who are interested in becoming volunteers!
Volunteer Veteran of the Month
Gabe Gallias was our Volunteer of the Month for August! He trained into the program in July 2016, and since then he’s steadily built up his knowledge of resources and services to connect those he assists. He has done a great job spreading the word about the program in his local community, even helping recruit
other volunteers, such as Nathan Cross (now also our Outreach Coordinator). Gabe is leaning towards pursuing the field of veterans services professionally, and we are proud to count such a dedicated and motivated advocate among our volunteer corps. Read more about Gabe...
Introducing Jamie Majer, Our New Administrative Assistant!
Please join us in welcoming Jamie Majer, our new Administrative Assistant! Jamie previously worked as a medical receptionist and medical record keeper at military hospitals throughout the Southern U.S.. Most recently, she worked at Integrated Health Associates (IHA) in Ann Arbor. Many in her family have served in the military, including her Army veteran husband and Marine veteran mother.

Jamie is responsible for answering the program’s 1-800 call-in line and working with other staff to coordinate the referrals to volunteers. Along with Kate and Cassandra, Jamie is starting to call volunteers to get to know everyone better, but please feel free to reach out and introduce yourself to her at (734) 998-5825 or jmajer@umich.edu .
Top Loggers
Number of service members and veterans assisted from January 1 to August 31:

2017 : 607
2016 : 568
            

Top interaction log submitters in August:

Steve Alguire - 19
Alfonse VanHese - 11
Mark Reynolds - 10
Mark Lindke - 7
Mike Bachand - 6
Carl Underhill - 6


Most events attended and logged in August:

Alfonse VanHese - 10
John Snyder - 7
Paul Clement - 6
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.
This Month's Training Anniversaries
The following volunteers are celebrating their training anniversaries with the program this month: 

Six Years!
Fred Turk

Three Years
Juan Gonzalez
John King

One Year
Nathan Cross
Aimee Papineau

Thank you for your service! 
Helpful Tool Spotlight: Resources on issuu
Did you know that you can access a collection of recent support call notes as well as our Resource Guide online? We use issuu , an online publication tool, to display some of our most commonly referenced publications. You can check out our resources on issuu   here  and access a handy how-to guide about how to use issuu here .   
Save the Date for the 2018 Volunteer Recognition Event!
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!
Interested in Representing Buddy-to-Buddy at an Event?
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. 
Buddy-to-Buddy Pics
Some of the Mid-Michigan volunteers, (L-R) Ben Clark, John Snyder, Dennis Patrick, and Gabe Gallias, at the Jackson Civil War Muster
Cassandra Parks (center), Volunteer Coordinator and volunteer, at the Region 9 VCAT Open House and Family Fun Day in Brighton
Volunteers Paul Jingozian (far left) and Mark Lindke (far right) at the Saline Fair Heroes Day
Volunteers Cliff Tholen and Mike Thorne giving a talk about Buddy-to-Buddy at the American Legion Service Officer School
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.
Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program
2025 Traverwood Dr., Suite C | Ann Arbor | MI | 48105