Honoring Flag Day June 14 |
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Are you participating in Flag Day this year? The Continental Congress ordered the first official design of the American flag in 1777. But there was no special day set aside for observance until much later. Learn more by clicking here.
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Where were you in June 1944? |
Chances are you were just a twinkle in your parents' eyes or perhaps a toddler at the time. We know what it was like for many of our Veterans, as their journey to D-Day in World War II is well-documented. Such is the case of Jack Campbell, a small-town guy from Northern Colorado. Jack spent his 23rd birthday on a boat heading to Utah Beach in France. He was part of a multi-day assault against German troops during the D-Day Invasion which started on June 6, 1944. On June 21, Jack wrote to his family from France “By the time I get out of this mess, I will really be a man and be able to take care of anything. I have lived in about everything." In 1945, Jack was killed in action during the last major push against German resistance, the Battle of the Bulge. He received numerous commendations and medals, including two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star. You can learn more about him by visiting the Veterans Memorial in Platteville, Colorado.
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It is amazing what can be accomplished when there is but one mission-driven by exceptional, heart-centered people. In our case, it is to “Help Veterans and Families Find More Peace in Their Life”. Our team of people, starting with Shirley and Jody, combined with our over 30 exceptional volunteers and funding team members, do amazing things every day, every week, every month, and every year. We did not know what to expect when we started this organization in January 2017. No idea of the extent of the need of so many Veterans and family members.
In the early years, we tracked what we did in spreadsheets and files upon files. Each year we grew, and the data became more and more of a burden. In May 2020, we launched a tracking system inside a large CRM platform called Sales Force. We’ve created a system designed to help us help you. We estimate in our first three years, we assisted 650 Veterans. Since we launched Sales Force in May 2020, we’ve completed over 1,124 Missions or what other folks might service tickets. This equates to completing 47 Missions per month, and we are proud of everyone we’ve completed.
We are very proud of our team for helping so many Veterans and their families. With 30-50 new people a month calling us, they all add up.
This is a milestone for us, and I wanted to thank our loving, caring, empathetic, compassionate team. Our mission-critical sponsors who recognize our United States would not exist without Veterans.
Thank You!
Greg Goettsch
Founder & Executive Director
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We had a most joyful, fun time Saturday, May 14, at our 3rd Vet Connect event at the Embassy Suites in Loveland. Thanks to all 108 of you who attended. It was wonderful for our team to see everyone there chatting with others, the real purpose of this event!
A special thanks to our sponsors: Embassy Suites of Loveland for a beautiful facility, Adams Bank &Trust, Bigelow Tea, Canvas Credit Union, Karen Hicks of Community Bank, Scheels, M Rock Creative, Prime Time News, and VFW Post 1781.
We wanted to create an environment where Veterans and their families could meet others, sit down and get to know one another. According to our attendees, we hit it out of the park. We are working on the date for next year, hopefully again in May.
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VA Travel Payment Details |
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If you are at a level of disability that you receive travel reimbursements from the VA, know there are some gotchas.
- If you have surgery that requires you to come back the same day for a follow-up, you won’t get paid for the second trip. Thank Congress for this. Surgery same-day follow-up denied.
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Another gotcha, even if you are in the hospital, ill, or otherwise unable to submit reports within a month of the service, late reports will be denied. You have a 30-day window to submit.
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TriWest summary reports cannot always be connected to a specific doctor, procedure, or location. Only the provider is listed, and sometimes their date of service does not match your date of service. So if you try and track all of your care, good luck. I’ve had no luck in getting either the VA or TriWest to help with this.-Greg
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This is why we do what we do |
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One of the things we brought into Qualified Listeners about four years ago is the redistribution of donated mobility devices. There are some outstanding family members out there who wish to donate devices they no longer use. If they are in good shape, we pick them up, clean them, and deliver them to the next Veteran or family member who needs one. In May, we donated a power scooter to a 77-year-old widow of a Vietnam Veteran, a power chair for an 87-year-old Army Veteran, a power chair to an Iraq Navy Veteran who recently had one leg amputated, a knee scooter for a Veteran who is having knee surgery. We also paid the past rent for a 64-year-old Navy Veteran. All in a month’s work! Part of what we do all day, every work day.
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Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.
- Helen Keller
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May Progress
48 New people needing assistance
35 New Missions (needs)
60 Active Missions (in process)
1,100 Miles driven by volunteers
All a Veteran or family member needs to obtain assistance from us is proof of service.
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What exactly do we do?
- We listen
- Provide transportation to medical appointments
- Help with mobility equipment
- Offer vetted resources for Veterans
- Help Veterans & families find more peace in their lives
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Monetary Donations:
We are always grateful for monetary donations, which allows us to continue serving Veterans and families. If you can contribute whatever amount you feel comfortable with, please click here. It’s not about donating; it’s about making a difference. We’re a 501(C)3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax-deductible under our EIN 81-5381427.
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Qualified Listeners
Mailing Address:
PO Box 563
Dacono, CO 80514
Tel: 720-600-0860
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