The Team, the Team, the Team
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Though many of you know me already, you might not be as well acquainted with the rest of the Buddy-to-Buddy team here in Ann Arbor.
It would be difficult for all of us to do this work with without them.
To quote the legendary former UM football coach Bo Schembechler, “The Team, the Team, the Team.” My apologies to Michigan State fans for that quote, but I think we can all agree that strong team work helps us all do a better job, and I’m proud to work with such a dedicated and hard-working group of individuals.
I'd like to share a little bit about each of them with you:
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(L-R): Margy Howes, volunteer Mark Lindke, Jamie Majer, Adam Jando, Amy Kienast, M-SPAN Director Jane Spinner, and Alyssa Wealty.
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Jamie Majer
Volunteer Coordinator
Jamie is responsible for answering the program’s 1-800 call-in line and coordinating referrals with you, the volunteers. Jamie is also your go-to person for communicating about referrals you are working on and getting help with technical challenges you may experience with the logging website and program phones. Jamie also collaborates with our Platoon Sergeants, and reviews and provides feedback on volunteer logs. Additionally, she also handles some of the most complex referrals the program receives. As a lifelong Michigan State fan, Jamie was recently given a very hard time by friends and family after they saw pictures of her wearing maize and blue at a recent UM football tailgate. Fortunately, they calmed down once she reassured them that she still bleeds green and white.
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Amy Kienast
Outreach Coordinator
Amy is the newest member of our team. She is responsible for recruiting new volunteers, identifying and staffing veteran-related events, reaching out to volunteers to ensure they have the support they need, representing B2B at events, and educating organizations and individuals about the program. If you know of veteran events in your area that should have a B2B presence, or you would like to represent B2B at an outreach event, contact Amy. Additionally, if you can recommend any veterans as potential volunteers, please let her know. A fun fact we just learned about Amy is that last year she wrote a book about traveling in Italy for one of her graduate courses. So not only can you talk with her about all things outreach, she can give you excellent travel advice should you need it!
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Margy Howes
Administrative Specialist
Margy works for Buddy-to-Buddy as well as
M-SPAN’s other programs
. She manages financial aspects of the programs, including budget analysis, travel activity, expense tracking, and procurement. She also handles logistics for the annual Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Recognition Event. Whenever you need to request overnight travel arrangements and mileage reimbursement for drill and outreach events, Margy’s your go-to person. Additionally, she’s happy to help you with any general inquiries you may have. Having been with M-SPAN since 2010, Margy is one of Buddy-to-Buddy’s longest serving staff members, and we rely on her deep memory to help us keep the program train on the tracks.
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Alyssa Wealty
Communications Specialist
Like Margy, Alyssa splits her effort between Buddy-to-Buddy and the other M-SPAN programs. She focuses on using strategic, targeted communications to increase M-SPAN’s reach. Alyssa is responsible for designing and updating program marketing materials, maintaining our external website and Facebook page, and producing this monthly newsletter as well as volunteer profiles. If you have pictures of yourself doing B2B volunteer work that you are comfortable sharing, Alyssa appreciates you sending them her way to use for her projects. As a matter of fact, if she had a dollar for every time she asked volunteers and staff to “take a picture and send it to me” when they attend outreach events, well, she would have a lot of dollars.
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Please feel free to reach out directly to any of the members of the team. We are here to support your work and always welcome opportunities to interact directly with each of you.
Respectfully,
Adam Jando
Program Manager
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We are thrilled to welcome these new volunteers to our team this month!
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Barbara Brennan
Air Force Veteran, Fowlerville
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Ray Constantineau
Army Veteran, Milan
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Bryson (Buck) Cutlip
Army Veteran, Deckerville
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Rob Herbstreith
Army Veteran, Lake Odessa
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Ken Kline
Army Veteran, Middleton
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(not pictured)
Luke Fuentes
Army Veteran
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Month in Review | August 2018
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Number of service members and veterans assisted:
42
Concerns identified:
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Top interaction log submitters:
Paul Jingozian - 39
Ron Springer - 30
Richie Roberts - 22
Steve Alguire - 10
Des Nelson - 6
Number of drill/outreach events attended:
43
Most drill/outreach events attended and logged:
Alfonse VanHese - 7
Mike Bachand - 4
Bruce Binns - 3
Mark Lindke - 3
Paul Jingozian - 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:
Seven Years!
Fred Turk
Four Years
Juan Gonzalez
John King
Two Years
Steve Miller
Thank you for your service!
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Resource Update: Forgotten Eagles of Michigan
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SE Michigan volunteers, the
Forgotten Eagles of Michigan
has recently updated its policy regarding the maximum amount of funds it gives out to SE Michigan veterans requesting financial assistance. The maximum amount they will now give out to individuals in that part of the state is capped at $500. Please keep this in mind when working on SE Michigan-based referrals that involve a need for financial assistance.
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FAQ:
Why do I need to log?
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- Log content is the foundation of the program. You know what you do and how you help veterans, and your logs allow us to learn about it.
- The website itself provides a secure space for volunteers and staff to communicate directly about specific and often complicated situations. Utilizing the website, as opposed to emails or phone calls to a specific staff member, lets us get back to you quickly with any suggestions for resources or for help handling challenging situations.
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- Last but not least, logs (and the information included in them) are integral to obtaining future funding for this program. As a nonprofit, we can’t sustain ourselves without documenting the good work that we do and the number of people helped by all of you. These logs are the evidence that funders need.
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Has it been a while since you went through our New Volunteer Training? Do you think you might benefit from going through training again? If so, contact us about attending an upcoming training. We continually update our training content and think that any and all volunteers who are interested in refreshing their skills will benefit from going through the new and updated training. We'll provide a free lunch.
Contact us to schedule a re-training.
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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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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 Amy Kienast at
amkienas@umich.edu
or (734) 998-5829.
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Volunteers Paul Jingozian and Mark Lindke with General Vadnais, The Adjutant General for the Michigan National Guard, at a Camp Grayling Open House.
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Buddy-to-Buddy Platoon Sergeants and staff at a meeting in Lansing. (L-R): Adam Obanjoko, Cliff Tholen, Jon Luker, Ron Springer, Adam Jando, Dick Overton, Amy Kienast, and Jamie Majer.
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Buddy-to-Buddy staff members Adam Jando and Amy Kienast with
HomeFront Strong program
staff members Berkley French, Erin Sorensen, and Andrea Broadwater at the Detroit VA Mental Health Summit.
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Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program
2025 Traverwood Dr., Suite C | Ann Arbor | MI | 48105
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