Inaugural Community and Veteran Wellness Fair a Big Success
Galloway, N.J. 鈥 Dallin Matthews must make some major life decisions soon.
The 30-year-old has spent about the last six years as a firefighter in the U.S. Coast Guard stationed in Cape May, but injuries from the job have forced him to 鈥渞edesign鈥 his life.
鈥淪oon I will be getting out of the military, and I needed guidance for education and the future of my family,鈥 said the Utah native while holding the hands of his 2-year-old son, Raylan, and his wife, Samantha.
Matthews said he鈥檚 feeling more optimistic since stopping at 淫性视频鈥檚 new Community and Veteran Wellness and Resource Fair on March 16.
The inaugural event is a partnership with 淫性视频鈥檚 Military and Veteran Success Center and the Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Delaware to bring together 75 vendors in one place in the university鈥檚 Campus Center Event Room.
More than 200 people attended the all-day event that featured access to several VA services, including women鈥檚 health, nutrition and substance use; the Atlantic County Department of Health; and nonprofit organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project.
鈥淭his is huge,鈥 Matthews said. 鈥淭he information I鈥檝e gathered in the last five minutes is going to change our entire future because it鈥檚 just hard to get those answers if all these people aren鈥檛 in the same place.鈥
淫性视频's Ashley Jones, left, the assistant director of the Military and Veteran Success Center, and Jacqueline Hinker, the veterans community outreach specialist for the Wilimington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, helped to organize the fair.
Connecting veterans and members of the community to the right people was the main goal of the fair, said Ashley Jones, the assistant director of 淫性视频鈥檚 Military and Veterans Success Center.
Jones said one of her roles is to help 淫性视频 students who are veterans get housing, access to food and health care and other basic social necessities.
鈥淚 see what the needs are and the gravity of those needs and the impact on the students and their academics,鈥 she said. 鈥淏y sharing it out in the community, I can only assume that (other veterans) are having the same sort of stressors.鈥
And while she鈥檚 hoping that some veterans who attended the fair will decide to come to 淫性视频, that wasn鈥檛 the fair鈥檚 primary goal.
鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to get vets connected to resources so that way they can be successful,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad these events happen because you can put some of those pieces in front of a person and say these are the people you need to talk to.鈥
One life stressor after the military can be post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Brian Wiener, the former State Commander of the New Jersey Veterans of Foreign Wars, had a booth at the fair with his father, Norm, to promote a new Veterans Therapy Surf Camp.
鈥淚鈥檝e been surfing my whole life, and I know the peace and solitude that it offers you,鈥 said Wiener, 52, of Brigantine. 鈥淚 wanted to bring some fellow vets into this.鈥
The Wieners started the surf camp last summer in his hometown. He partnered with the nonprofit Warrior Surf Foundation to provide PTSD therapy sessions, yoga classes and surfing lessons to veterans.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something different for a lot of people who aren鈥檛 familiar with the ocean,鈥 Wiener said. 鈥淭hey get on the board out in the water, and they realize it鈥檚 a great coping mechanism.鈥
Wiener especially likes that the camp appeals to younger veterans at 淫性视频 and in the community. This year鈥檚 event will be Aug. 7 and 8. Call 609-457-1624 or email vfwwiener@gmail.com for more information.
Getting more general information about services was what drew Sean O鈥橞rien to the fair. The 48-year-old from Mays Landing flew helicopters for 30 years in the Coast Guard at Air Station Atlantic City. Since he retired in December, he鈥檚 鈥渏ust kind of feeling my way around to see what鈥檚 next.鈥
Norm and Brian Wiener, of Brigantine, spread the word about a Veterans Therapy Surf Camp they set up this summer. They were one of the 75 vendors that participated in the fair.
He said he heard about the fair through the VA, and he was especially interested in learning more about medical benefits available to veterans and possibly attending 淫性视频.
鈥淓ducation is where I鈥檓 going next, but I鈥檓 still trying to figure myself out,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know what questions to ask, but it鈥檚 nice to be able to have all of this. It鈥檚 like a one-stop shop.鈥
O鈥橞rien鈥檚 situation is common for many veterans recently out of the service, where everything was laid out for them, Jones said.
鈥淭he time you leave. The time you sleep. Everything about your schedule is set,鈥 she said. 鈥淲hen you come to the civilian world, nothing is laid out. It鈥檚 more up to your discretion for what you want to do.
鈥淚t can be very difficult finding that path. That鈥檚 why we have these events so they can ask questions,鈥 Jones said.
The idea of one central place for veterans to gather as much information as they can is what attracted Veterans Affairs to partner with 淫性视频, said Jacqueline Hinker, a veterans community outreach specialist for the Wilmington VA, which also covers Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties.
Hinker said this is the largest fair she鈥檚 been a part of, and she hopes to make it an annual event with 淫性视频, adding more vendors to keep it growing.
鈥淭his event is needed because they say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes the entire community to wrap around a veteran,鈥 Hinker said. 鈥淲e want to be where the veterans are. When a veterans comes in, we want them to leave getting their questions answered, or have their services taken care of, or learn something new and get connected to something else.
鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 do that by ourselves as separate entities. But as (the military) says we are better in numbers, and we are showing these numbers here at 淫性视频.鈥
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- Story by Mark Melhorn, photos by Susan Allen