Departments

Operation Stand Down

This is to let you know of the wonderful work done by the members of the UAW Region 8 Veterans Committees led by Mark Peterson. For several years, many of the Region 8 Veterans Committees have supported Operation Stand Down, an annual event in Nashville, Tennessee for homeless veterans. This year's 14th Annual Event was no exception with their donations of funds and volunteers!

This year's event was held Friday through Sunday, October 13, 14 and 15, 2006 at the National Guard Armory, Nashville. The Event is Nashville's largest cooperative effort providing outreach, information and social services to homeless veterans in the Middle Tennessee area. During the three day event, 297 veterans were provided a wide range of social services. Over 100 local, state and federal organizations come together to provide social services during this event. Over 500 volunteers provided support and services.

Many of those volunteers were members of various Veterans Committees all over Region 8. I have included two reports for your review. “Region 8 Veterans Committees contributed over $4,000 to support this event,” states Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel William J. Burleigh, Executive Director of Operation Stand Down. “Our vision is to help the community reestablish ties with its veterans. The support and service of the members of UAW Region 8 Veterans Committees have helped us do just that! We are proud of the commitment of Region 8 Veteran Committee members to those who have served our country.”

Of the 297 veterans supported by the effort, eleven were female veterans. The women veterans were taken on a special shopping trip just for them! Those who attended saw first hand the many wonderful services that were provided, the opportunities for change and the grateful attitude of the veterans receiving assistance. It all starts out front with well-coordinated verification support by the VA Regional Office ensuring that only appropriate veterans entered. The weather started out rather chilly on Friday but warmed up nicely over the weekend. Even though it was cold, we had plenty of sleeping bags and blankets for everyone. A few complained but most said they slept great - best sleep they had had in a while.

All the usual services were provided and much more! Additional medical services were provided this year with more emphasis on guiding the veterans through the various medical stations to ensure they each received individual care and attention (way to go VA Medical Center!) Several additional judges and lawyers came to provide their assistance.

Yes, Judge Brown who has orchestrated Stand Down legal support for 13 years was there also! (He said he came to see how many judges it was going to take to replace him since he heard there were more volunteering for the event this year!) The food as usual was outstanding. Several folks told me they gained several pounds over the weekend. The tremendous amount of support both in terms of donations and financial support assured every need for the event was provided. Well over 100 organizations provided support through donations, financial support and/or volunteer support. 23 social service agencies were on hand to provide guidance in their particular areas of interest and expertise. On Friday and Saturday night, the veterans were entertained by a great bunch of musicians. Each veteran was able to choose the colors and styles they preferred in shirts, pants, sweaters, jackets, etc and went away with all they could carry! They still have lots of clothes and will be giving these away throughout the year through our Service Center. All of the Veteran Service Organizations who have been serving the various meals were there again this year providing outstanding service as they served their meal to the veterans.

Some interesting statistics and information from this year's Operation Stand Down event:

-The youngest vet was 23.
-The oldest vet was 77. (Note - Since Stand Down, OSDN has helped the oldest vet get into permanent housing and off the streets!)
-14 vets were over age 65.
-114 vets were between ages 51 and 65 and 147 were between the ages of 36 and 50.
-Each of the 11 female veterans was taken on a special shopping spree just for them.
-200 + received employment tips, counseling and made appointments to go to either the
Operation Stand Down office or a TN Career Center for further employment assistance.
-200 + veterans received a wide range of medical services will follow-up appointments as needed.
-Over 100veterans received VA Benefits Counseling - 40 new disability claims were filed.
-Over 200 veterans received legal assistance with various issues including driver's license.
-Over 200 veterans received new clothes and a winter coat Sunday morning.
-297 veterans received new socks, underwear, t-shirts and a carry-on bag with other goodies.
-Everyone had an opportunity to visit 24 social service agencies for information and services.
-Over 100 organizations contributed to the services and support for this event.
-543 volunteers served meals, registered veterans, provided security, passed out clothes, provided haircuts, provided administrative assistance, legal reviews, medical exams, conducted meetings, played games, talked with the veterans (whatever needed to be done) and cleaned up!



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