For Your Information
The Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs does not endorse the organizations sponsoring these events, and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer. The views and opinions expressed in any referenced document do not necessarily state or reflect those of MDVA. The information provided is intended for your general knowledge only, and serves solely as a MDVA community outreach effort.
Community News
SAVE THE DATE: Gilchrest's 2nd Annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day Celebration, Saturday, March 30, 2019. Flier Registration Open
Maryland Humanities, Veterans Book Group at Local Libraries, 2019 Schedule
FREE Personal Financial Coaching for Veterans!
Are you tired of feeling stressed about money? Want to improve your finances?
Do you have a financial goal but don’t think you can accomplish it on your own?
CASH Campaign of Maryland has partnered with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to provide financial coaching services to veterans. A financial coach is a trained professional who will guide you in a process that is non-judgmental and based on your goals. Financial coaches provide support, encouragement, and tools to help you make informed decisions.
Coaching can help you:
- Get back on track
- Maximize income/benefits
- Kick-start your financial game plan
- Gain control of your finances
- Navigate a difficult financial situation
- Be the author of your own financial life
Learn how to create your own financial game plan with an experienced coach…one-on-one! It’s FREE, confidential and personalized
It usually works best for the veteran and their family member to meet in person; however, tele-coaching and virtual coaching services are available.
Contact: Wyneca Pruett, Financial Coach
443.632.4005 or wyneca@cashmd.org
THE MISSION CONTINUES - Operation Charm City Charge, Mass Deployment 2019, June 20-27, 2017, Baltimore Maryland: More Information
Community Calendar
December 11, 2018
Ready Set Go! The Nuts & Bolts of Starting a Business, Rockville
December 12, 2018
One-Day Free Veterans Legal Clinic, Silver Spring
SBA 8(A) Certification Workshop, Columbia
December 13, 2018
Smart Start Your Business Workshop, College Park
December 15, 2018
Wreaths Across America, Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery
December 16, 2018
Home, Heroes & Holidays, Post Deployment Holidays: How to Make Them Happy & Safe, La Plata
Spotlight on: Hospice of the Chesapeake
For several years, Hospice of the Chesapeake has invited the community to attend Veterans Day events designed to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of men and women who have served in the military. With veterans making up more than a quarter of its patients, the nonprofit considers it a duty to help the community understand how important it is to thank veterans for their service while they are living.
One of the dilemmas of having an event in one place is that veterans who lived in assisted- and senior-living centers are unable to attend. This year, the organization’s We Honor Veterans Committee decided to not only honor veterans while they are living, but also, where they are living. Beginning on Oct. 14 with the veterans of Morningside House of Friendship in Hanover and finishing Nov. 19 with Heartlands Assisted Living in Severna Park, the committee coordinated group Honor Salutes at 10 assisted and senior-living centers in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties. The other centers visited by these men and women in dress uniform were Brightview Senior Living centers in Annapolis, Edgewater and Severna Park; Doctors Community Rehabilitation in Lanham, FutureCare Capital Region in Landover, Genesis Healthcare Hammonds Lane in Brooklyn Park; Somerford Place in Annapolis; and Sunrise Senior Living in Severna Park.
In total, 183 veterans were honored by active duty and retired personnel as well as U. S. Naval Academy midshipmen. Each of them received a certificate of appreciation from Hospice of the Chesapeake, an American flag pin and a thank you note written by Anne Arundel County Public Schools elementary-age children. Each ceremony ended with the military visitors standing in formation and performing a silent salute.
In some communities, the salute was quiet and small, especially in assisted-living centers like FutureCare Capital Region, where veterans were visited and saluted in each of their rooms. Air Force Tech Sgt. Akesha Lowry of Crofton has taken it upon herself to learn the anthems of each of the branches of the armed forces and includes it whenever she performs an Honor Salute. Each time her alto voice would begin the first verse in a patient’s room, the veteran lit up with a smile as they sang along or tapped their toes in rhythm.
Other communities ran with the opportunity to celebrate their veterans by adding more to the program. A luncheon was served at Sunrise Senior Living and musical performances were offered up in the programs coordinated by the Brightview communities in Severna Park and Annapolis. Barbara Sigler, the vibrant living director at Brightview in Severna Park said having the organization and its military volunteers there to honor their veterans was appreciated in many ways. The residents especially enjoyed meeting the younger generation currently serving and sharing stories, insights and laughter. “Getting cards from local children that say, ‘Thank you! You’re my hero,’ was icing on the cake,” Sigler said. “The actual Honor Salute was so powerful that I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.”
That sentiment was echoed by Jenelle Schrader, the vibrant living director at Brightview in Edgewater, who said her community’s veterans were deeply moved by the Veterans Day weekend visit. “Residents displayed tears of joy and appreciation,” she said.
The month-long caravan of Honor Salutes is part of Hospice of the Chesapeake’s We Honor Veterans program, a partnership with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is focused on providing the best care for veterans and their families through respectful inquiry, compassionate listening and grateful acknowledgment.
Director of Volunteer Services Mary Jermann, whose department oversees the program, said this grateful acknowledgement can be witnessed in these broader community events, as well as experienced in smaller groups. “The smaller, intimate ceremonies are much more common for those in our hospice care, where we honor our veteran patients at the end of life,” Jermann said. Volunteers have shared dozens of poignant experiences when nonresponsive patients have not only acknowledged the ceremony, but even participated in their own Honor Salute by moving their lips to the anthem or lifting their hand to return the salute.
“It warms our hearts to hear these stories and to know that we have had a hand in bringing peace to our veterans,” Jermann said.
Save-the-Date
5th annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day Celebration
Hospice of the Chesapeake will host its fifth annual Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day Celebration at 5 p.m. Friday, March 29, 2019, at Hilton Baltimore BWI Airport Hotel, 1736 W. Nursery Road, Linthicum, Maryland. The doors will open at 4 p.m.
This is the fifth year the state will celebrate the commemorative day. In 2015, at the request of Hospice of the Chesapeake’s We Honor Veterans Committee, legislation was introduced by state Senator John Astle to make the day official. It was the first bill Governor Larry Hogan signed into law. States and organizations across the nation plan events at the end of March with the hope that every Vietnam Veteran can receive the thank you and warm welcome they should have received five decades ago.
Headquartered in Pasadena, Maryland, Hospice of the Chesapeake is a Commemorative Partner in the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration as well as a 4-Star Partner in the We Honor Veterans program, a national hospice initiative honoring the men and women from all branches of the military who have served our country.
For photos from last year’s event, visit https://www.facebook.com/pg/hospicechesapeake/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1712532995469449.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Chris Wilson at 443-837-1530 or cwilson@hospicechesapeake.org.
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