Dear Volunteers,
As I write this around the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, I am still struck by the tremendous loss we suffered as a county. I remember feeling shock, grief and fear very vividly that day, as I’m sure many of you do, too. Hundreds of thousands of men and women would answer the call and go on to serve throughout the world in the War on Terror. 9/11 did not cow our country into submission as the attackers intended, rather, it created a new, profound awareness of veterans issues, as well as an entirely new generation of veterans with their own unique concerns and challenges.
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The 9/11 Memorial in New York City
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All of you have stepped forward to help address these challenges that we still see presented each day. Know that your selflessness and love for your fellow veterans is deeply appreciated and profoundly important.
We don’t know what challenges our country and service members will face in the coming years, but while the needs may be changing, they’re not going away, and what you do truly matters and makes and impact. Thank you for all that you do.
Bill Bryan
Program Manager
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Stories from the Field:
Ken Wood Helps a Veteran Improve His Quality of Life
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Thanks to Ken Wood, a veteran with limited mobility can now mow his own lawn.
To read the story of how Ken helped a veteran get a donated riding lawnmower,
click here
.
Wonderful job, Ken!
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Month in Review | July 2019
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Number of service members and veterans assisted:
66
Concerns identified:
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This past month, financial and housing/homelessness concerns were the top two issues you handled.
Top interaction log submitters:
Paul Jingozian - 50
Richie Roberts - 25
Madia Green - 9
Robert Calhoun - 9
Fred Honerkamp - 8
Don Olson - 6
Alfonse VanHese - 6
Number of drill/outreach events attended:
61
Most drill/outreach events attended and logged:
Alfonse VanHese - 12
Don Olson - 4
Mike Bachand - 3
Ken Wood - 3
Adam Obanjoko - 3
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:
Eight Years!
Fred Turk
Five Years
Juan Gonzalez
John King
Three Years
Steve Miller
One Year
Barbara Brennan
Luke Fuentes
Ken Kline
Thank you for your service!
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Brush Up On Your Skills By Retraining
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Has it been a while since you went through New Volunteer Training?
A lot has changed. Do you think you might benefit from going through it again?
If so, we have two great options for brushing up on your skills: an online recorded webinar or in-person training.
Retraining Webinar:
If it’s been three years or more since you went through our volunteer training, please watch the recording of our recent Retraining Webinar
here
.
The entire webinar is just over an hour long. Before you watch the webinar, please take the pre-training mental health and suicide survey
here
.
After watching the webinar, please take the post-training mental health and suicide survey as well as the general training survey
here
and
here
, respectively.
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In-Person Training:
You can retrain by attending an upcoming New Volunteer Training. We offer these on a near-monthly basis either at our office in Ann Arbor or at various sites throughout the state. Free lunch provided!
Currently, our next scheduled in-person training will be on
Tuesday, October 22
at our office in
Ann Arbor
.
Contact us to schedule an In-Person Training.
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Interested in Representing Buddy-to-Buddy at an Event?
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Below are some upcoming events where we need volunteer coverage:
October
- Fri., Oct 4: St. Joseph County Veterans Stand Down in Centreville
- Fri., Oct 18: 2019 Homeless Health Fair & VA Stand Down in Calhoun
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November
- Sat., Nov 2: 2019 Female Veteran Stand Down in Dearborn
- Sat., Nov 2: Soar Like an Eagle Veterans Conference in Pontiac
- Tues., Nov 5: Hiring Event for Veterans & Their Families in Ann Arbor
- Wed, Nov 6: Hoops for Troops Hiring/Resource Fair in Detroit
Ongoing
- Mondays, Warriors to Work in Detroit
- Wednesdays, Warrior Wednesdays in Detroit
If you would like to represent Buddy-to-Buddy at any of the events above or some other veteran-focused event in your community, contact Amy Kienast at
amkienas@umich.edu
or (734) 998-5829.
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Talking Points Cheat Sheet
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If you are invited to attend an event and have been asked to give a brief presentation about Buddy-to-Buddy, or you are in need of a cheat sheet when you are at event tables, please reach out to Amy (
amkienas@umich.edu
) for a
Talking Points Cheat Sheet
. It includes some key points about B2B and about the new volunteer training sessions.
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Do you know anyone who would be a great B2B Volunteer? Requests for assistance from Buddy-to-Buddy are increasing and we need more volunteers in these locations:
Adrian
Ann Arbor
Dearborn
Detroit
Farmington Hills
Flint
Jackson
Redford
Riverview
Saginaw
Southfield
Trenton
Upper Peninsula
Wyandotte
Ypsilanti
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If you run across someone who would be a great volunteer, please contact Amy at (734) 998-5829 or
amkienas@umich.edu
and let her know, or you can have them fill out an application
here
.
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We ask that all volunteers participate in at least 2 of the weekly support calls each month to learn about program updates, discuss cases, and listen to resource speakers sharing information about programs that can assist veterans in Michigan. The calls start at 5 pm and the call-in number is 605-313-5164. Enter code 490260 and announce yourself if prior to the speaker starting. If the speaker has started talking, then please announce yourself at the end of the call.
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Collecting Info about Veterans Day Events & Holiday Help for Service Members and Veterans
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Veterans Day is only 2 months away!
Please forward any Veterans Day events and discounts to Amy at
amkienas@umich.edu
so she can start a compiling a list that she'll later share with you.
Many organizations have special programs around the holidays to provide meals and gifts to military and veteran families. Quite often applications for these programs have to be submitted by early fall for a family to ask for assistance. If you know of any organizations offering these special holiday programs, please send that info to Amy at
amkienas@umich.edu
so she can compile a resource list.
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New Volunteer Recruitment Poster
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The laminated B2B recruitment poster has been updated! If you can hang a few of these around your community or have the opportunity to replace outdated ones hanging up at various organizations and community sites, please let Amy or Jamie know how many you need so we can mail new ones to you.
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Need Any New Program Supplies? Let Us Know!
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Are you running low on program materials? Are you unsure about whether the materials you have are the most current versions? If so, please contact Jamie Majer at (734) 998-5825 or
jmajer@umich.edu
and the supplies you need will be ordered and sent to you as soon as possible.
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Bruce Binns, Fred Turk, and Dick Overton at the Kalamazoo County LZ Stand Down.
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Mike Van Setters at the Lansing HeroFest.
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Mike Gillette at the Northwest Michigan Veterans & Military Expo in Cadillac.
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Don Olson at the UP State Fair.
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Bill Bryan, Jamie Majer, Amy Kienast, Paul Jingozian, Alyssa Wealty, and Mark Lindke at the Buddy's Pizza Grand Opening in Woodhaven.
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Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program
2025 Traverwood Dr., Suite C | Ann Arbor | MI | 48105
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