Helping Our Veterans Transition. Alan Alford, Vice President, Fighting For Our Heroes Foundation Inc

Every Tuesday I hope to have a guest blogger feature certain initiatives or efforts going on in Central Florida. Know of someone? Send me their information here! - Kelly

“Thank You, For Your Service”

By: Alan Alford

Vice President, Fighting For Our Heroes Foundation, Inc.

How many times have you seen a service member in uniform or wearing a ball cap that identifies him or her as a veteran and then thanked them for their military service? We all do this. A little way we can say thanks for protecting our freedom. While a thank you is always appreciated and welcomed, I'd like to shed some light on the challenges our veterans face after their military service ends. You might be surprised.

Some veterans have many difficulties transitioning back into society and the civilian workforce because their military occupations do not translate into the civilian world. Others have severe life changing medical issues from their military service. Either way, most civilians are under the impression that when a service member returns home, they will be taken care of in an acceptable standard and in a timely manner. After all, if you have a slip and fall accident at your job, you reasonably, expect that workman’s compensation will begin paying you within a month or so to help out with your loss in earnings, right?

Currently the VA’s national backlog of pending disability compensation claims sits at 603,909 with an average wait time of 326.3 days. In Florida, which has the third highest veteran population in the U.S., there are currently 40,928 disability compensation claims pending with an average wait time of 313 days. Then if the applicant does not agree with the VA’s decision, your only recourse is to file a “Notice of Disagreement” which takes another year, request a “De Novo Review” which takes close to 2 years, or file an appeal with the “Board of Veterans Appeals” which can take upwards of 4 years. This is why so many veterans become upset, discouraged and ultimately give up. After all, they each signed up to fight for their country, not to fight against it!

For all these reasons, we began the Fighting For Our Heroes Foundation. Twenty years ago, I was in this exact situation myself. As a severely disabled veteran who spent close to 4 years in a hospital bed, fighting, not only to walk again, but also to receive the veteran’s benefits I was entitled to receive just to support my family. Throughout this period of my life, my spouse and I were forced to fight through mountains of red tape and bureaucracy from an ICU ward. During that time we kept praying that if we could just make it through this, we would continue fighting tirelessly to help others not have to endure that cold dark walk alone, as we did.

Over the years since then, we have assisted over 70,000 veterans, service members and their families with various challenges they have faced since their military service came to an end. Many are served through our flagship program “Veterans Benefits Support”, which teaches veterans benefits in an online, interactive format using layman’s terms to our 19,150 active members. Numerous other programs which include:

• Online Benefits Resource and Video Library
• Veterans Benefits Lecturing Programs
• Disabled Veterans Fishing Program
• Veterans Workforce Development Program
• Care Package Program
• PTSD Peer Mentoring Program
• Support Networks- for various segments of the veteran population
• Homeless Veterans Outreach Program

Read this testimonial of a Veteran we were able to help. Just think about how many more there are out there.

"Dear Alan, I just wanted to let you know how much you helped me. When we spoke last year I was so confused with the whole process. You not only gave me accurate information but you seemed to understand what I was going through and gave me the courage to file my NOD. My VSO said they will never approve it and that filing a NOD could actually lower my rating. Today I was approved at 100% IU with retro from 2011. Thank god for veterans like you. I will surely pay it forward. - Rob Gravel (from NY)"

So how can you help? Our foundation acts as a conduit to bring both goods and services to our local veterans that need them the most. We are always in need of donations of various types of professional services for our veterans. Services like legal assistance, car and home repairs, resume assistance, tax preparation and many other areas as well. Additionally, we continually need the donation of gas and store gift cards, fishing and camping equipment, clothing, hygiene products, canned and dried foods, furniture, cell phones and computer equipment. Most importantly we need your time though to assist us in helping our fellow veterans. Our organization is made up of 100% volunteers that dedicate their time and energy in order to show each veteran how thankful we are for their military service. Please join us in fulfilling this mission in our community. 

Sincerely,

Alan Alford

Vice President- Fighting For Our Heroes Foundation Inc

http://www.ffohf.org/

Follow us on Facebook!

How can you give hope to homeless families in Osceola County? Mary Downey, Executive Director, Community Hope Center

Every Tuesday I hope to have a guest blogger feature certain initiatives or efforts going on in Central Florida. Know of someone? Send me their information here! - Kelly

How can you give hope to homeless families in Osceola County?
By: Mary Downey

Executive Director, Community Hope Center Director of Missions, Community Presbyterian Church

“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7

Seven years ago I moved to Central Florida. I was a small town girl from Arkansas and my view of the world was very limited. I knew that things like homelessness existed but back home in Arkansas, if someone was losing their home or couldn't afford rent, they usually had family or friends to lean on. Maybe someone would stop off the interstate and say they needed gas money to make it to Little Rock, but overall the scope of need in small town Arkansas seemed to center more around hunger issues, and less around housing.

So, when I moved to Florida it was a bit of a culture shock to realize that folks not only lived on the streets, but that whole families lived in hotels and motels located on the same road I take to Walt Disney World. Even in some of the hotels I had stayed, homeless families were living paycheck to paycheck and stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty. When I found this out, I wanted to help.

God moved us to Florida. I don’t often talk about it, but I got my first job in the church because God clearly directed me there. In that church, I met my calling. I was in charge of the Sunday Night Live service. Every Sunday night, at 5:30 homeless folks from the area would pile in to be fed a hot meal. Each Sunday I showed up, did a quick prayer and devotion and then snuck out the back door. I did this until God clearly spoke to me and asked me, “What do you think you are doing?” From that moment on, I began to stop looking at homeless people not as homeless people … but you know, as people. People like you and like me. People made in the image of God. Men and Women with struggles, doubts, and fears. They were children of God looking for connection and love and yearning for someone to offer them that without any expectations. I remember one night, I didn’t know what to do for a devotional, and so I decided to sing Amazing Grace instead of a prayer. I used to sing a lot, but at that time (and still today) I was not doing a lot of singing. But, when I was done singing, a woman came up to me. She had tears in her eyes, and she hugged me tighter than I’d ever been hugged. Then she pulled back, and kissed me right on the cheek. She told me that it was the first time she felt like someone really cared, cared enough to sing for her. In that moment, I heard God clearly say, these are my people, I love them … you do likewise.

Fast forward a few years and here I am today. I have worked in homeless shelters and churches. I have preached and I have served. I have cried and I have rejoiced. So, it was no surprise when God called me even deeper and told me that the county I lived in needed more. God positioned me in a wonderful church that wanted to make a difference in the lives of the homeless families living in our community through Community Presbyterian Church of Celebration. They heard the vision, latched on to God’s prompting and in a year and half we opened The Community Hope Center.

The Community Hope Center is an outreach center located in the heart of Osceola County for those who are facing homelessness in the community. It is hub where social service agencies are able to co-locate to better provide services to those in need.

The Community Hope Center is a multi-faceted program, which meets several needs of the community. As part of our case management strategy we have relied on best practices from other agencies to help individuals forge a path towards self-sufficiency. We have found, through our research, that holistic care is the strongest way to help an individual get a fresh start on life. By having a location that will house several agencies we have the ability to provide services from domestic violence to substance abuse. However, as a faith-based organization we also have the opportunity to offer spiritual guidance and care to those who have been marginalized in our society.

To be honest, it’s hard to talk about. When I’m interviewed about the project, I get so humbled that I can hardly talk about it’s inception. Yes, I’m the executive director of this program, and yes, I worked really hard … but it wasn’t me. It was never me. It was God. It is God.

And I still don’t know how to talk about it. It’s a huge part of my life. Working with homeless families, raising funds in the community to bring about kingdom transformation in the lives of these folks. But, I’m so humbled by it. I’m so honored by it. I just can’t even explain it. 

But you see – I think something happened. I think God showed up. I think God planned this all along. I could tell you story after story about how doors just opened up that I thought would be closed to us. About donations from folks who gave money strictly on faith that this was God’s will. I could tell you about how the staff of the Hope Center just fell into place in such a way that only God could have orchestrated it. Yes. Something BIG happened. Not just in opening the Center. But also in giving me my hopes and dreams. Allowing me to fulfill my calling to serve the least of these in a way that connects the church to the world. 

But, Mary Downey is not The Community Hope Center. I can’t take ownership of something that isn’t mine. I can’t brag about what I've done at an organization that may be placed in my hands, but is completely and totally managed by God. Everyday is a challenge but so rewarding. Right now we're working on a plan that requires us to raise $400,000 toward the purchase of our building on Highway 192 and we have to find even more volunteers to serve the families due to an expected but unfortunate high turnout of families in need. How do you begin to tackle that? Prayer. Prayer changes things. 

Perhaps you are feeling some of the same tugs I did concerning the betterment of homeless families in our community. If you would like to get involved in The Community Hope Center, please contact moreinfo@hope192.com. 

Mary Lee Downey

Executive Director, Community Hope Center Director of Missions, Community Presbyterian Church

The Community Hope Center

Which side are you on?

Opened right up to today's quote on community. "In genuine community there are no sides." - M. Scott Peck

I credit choosing sides to human passion. We are all passionate about different things. Sometimes that same passion (disguised as opinion) can blind us, causing us to have a hard time seeing why others might feel the way they do, creating sides. This causes us to say and think life-taking words about people in moments of frustration, like "How can they feel that way? Don't they see the proof in the numbers I presented? Didn't they hear what I just said?" 

Then, when their idea fails, we find the "I told you so." undertone projected behind everything that comes out of our mouths. But, if our idea fails, we tend to start our next sentence with "Wellllll" or "But I didn't know that they...", implying we CLEARLY didn't have the whole truth... 

Mmmm humble pie... tastes good...(and I would know the way the Gator football team has been playing lately!)

Sometimes when we come across this, specifically in community situations, not to be cliche, but we really have to ask ourselves what the other side is thinking. What is their objective? WHY are they thinking their way is best? Am I missing something? Is it really better? ::chomp chomp:: mmmm more humble pie. 

Let's look at elected officials. We're not always going to agree with the people elected to make decisions for our community, regardless of how we voted on Election Day. That doesn't mean we should spring out hate messages through every outlet possible and rip them apart. We're all human beings and all that is going to do is cause more hurt and pain. The saying "nobody likes a sore loser" is not just about sports. 

Next time you are involved in a situation like this, work or personal, try not to take a side, but instead get on the same page as the other party involved and form a new opinion, together. Educate yourself on their beliefs/passions. Slowly, the internal wall of hatred will start to fall. If you only worry about your own side and point of view, you'll miss a HUGE opportunity. A really important one. An opportunity to GROW as a person. You can still disagree, but the more you understand the opposition, the wall will continue to fall, brick by brick. 

There is a whole silver lining here that we have to keep reminding ourselves about. Everybody is just trying to do what they think is best. Sure, some have personal agendas, but that can't be your worry. Creating community requires a genuine heart and always starts with just one person, fulfilling a passion. 

Remember, as different as we all are, as opinionated as we all are, we will always have one thing in common. 

We're on the same side. 

Kelly

So how can you help?

So now that this blog is up and running, how can you help? That's what you came here to find out right? 

I've installed a link on the home page (You will have to be looking at the web version from your mobile devices) that will allow you to sign up and receive a short message  with the needs of our community right away. One per day, summarizing all posts if there are multiple. No posts = No emails and definitely never ever any SPAM! #makelovenotspam

We could be looking for volunteers, clothes, canned food or just ask you to take a moment and be strong for someone going through a tough time. ANYTHING that requires us to GIVE just a little bit.

The other area where we'll need your help is keeping an eye out for opportunities we can share! If you hear or see any volunteer opportunities or you see a non-profit in need of specific items, fill out the contact form on the right. So what qualifies you ask?

DOES NOT: Donate $25 to XYZ Charity! (It cannot be an open ended, donation only campaign. While all causes are great, you will get more participation if it is for a specific person, place or event)

DOES NOT: I need to feed my addiction to Snickers bars. (Sorry 'bout your luck, bud.)

DOES: Donate $25 to supply a meal for a hungry senior citizen this holiday season. (Should be supported by an active 501(c)3 organization.)

DOES: My church is looking for volunteers to help feed the homeless this Thanksgiving.

DOES: A friend of mine lost her home in a fire and has 3 small children. They need clothes, food and shelter for 3 weeks. 

I hope you will join me in promoting this blog so that we can be aware and learn about all the various causes in the community!

More importantly, as he taught us, "It is better to give, than receive."

Stay tuned,

Kelly