Recruiting help to help veterans
The stats are stunning. The American Psychological Association says there are only 16 mental health counselors for every 100,000 veterans in rural areas.
Telling the stories of wars you never knew
Sam Farnsworth wasn’t born when the Vietnam War was being fought, yet he’s immersed in stories and memories about it. He didn’t serve in Iraq or Afghanistan, either, but he’s putting himself in the middle of that, too.
Intimate Stories, Bravely Told
When Todd Farnsworth first heard the stories coming out of the Brookfield Institute’s writing workshop for veterans, he was floored. Then he was energized.
Adjusting, reacclimating after returning
Tony Riello says his part of the Veterans Administration is “sort of unknown” and he’s ready to change that.
The Worcester Veterans Center, 255 Park Ave., is devoted to mental health care. It’s all they do, so they’re able to focus — in this case, on reacclimating veterans to civilian life.
Heading Toward Home Base
As part of a panel of veterans and those who work with veterans, Ryan Casavant plans to tell his own story and then tell others about Home Base. The nonprofit was founded by the Red Sox Foundation after the baseball team made a trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The players had been planning to spend just a few hours there, but ended up spending an entire day and having to be dragged out at closing time. “They realized they wanted to do something” and Home Base was born, says Casavant. Massachusetts General Hospital is a partner in the program, which is self-funded through donations and fundraising and specializes in helping not just veterans, but their families as well.
Returning from war
Roy Dennington remembers all too clearly the ordeals he had after returning from war, both immediate and delayed.
There was the initial homecoming, when Vietnam veterans were ostracized to the point that Dennington and his comrades went into hiding. Then there were the problems adjusting to civilian life, including stress, bankruptcy and “way too much drinking.”
Then, decades after Dennington’s service, things became problematic again. “What had not been apparent earlier became more apparent,” says Dennington, 73, of Clinton, Mass. He had monumental health problems, a heartbreaking family tragedy and was watching his life unravel in front of his eyes.
“I don’t like to say PTSD, but that’s my diagnosis,” he says.
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Beyond ‘Thank you for your service’
Beverly Prestwood-Taylor, cofounder of the Brookfield Institute and executive director of Care for the Troops – Massachusetts, sat down to talk about how our workshops, like our upcoming one March 11, can benefit anyone who wants to reach out to veterans and active duty military. Beverly Prestwood-Taylor Vets and active duty military have given so much…
Commemorative partner
The Brookfield Institute and its Care for the Troops program is now a Commemorative Partner with The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration.
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