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Here's the powerpoint presentation we made to help spread awareness of the issues Veterans in our country and community face! Feel free to check it out and share with others!

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Girl Scout Silver Award Presentation.pptx

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Store photos and docs online. Access them from any PC, Mac or phone. Create and work together on Word, Excel or PowerPoint documents.

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Finding healthier ways to cope with problems

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Our Contacts:

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Perry Point VA Medical Center - VA Maryland Health Care System

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Information about the Perry Point VA Medical Center

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On Jan. 15, 2009, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, a commercial airline pilot of 30 years, piloted an emergency landing on the Hudson River. All 155 passengers and crew on board survived.

Capt. Sullenberger is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and was a fighter pilot from 1973 to 1980. After that water landing, he experienced symptoms of PTSD that kept him up at night. He credits the crisis response professionals for helping him get on a path to recovery.

This Mental Health Month, we spoke with Capt. Sullenberger about his experience with mental health challenges, his work in the Veteran community, and what he hopes others take from his story.

Make the Connection: This May, in recognition of Mental Health Month, we are highlighting how mental health can mean different things to different people - and the inspiring potential for positive outcomes that treatment can support. What does mental health mean to you?

Capt. Sullenberger: To me it means thinking and feeling in ways that are more positive than negative and that enable you to live your life connected to loved ones and the world.

Make the Connection: You've spoken about experiencing symptoms of PTSD following the emergency landing of Flight 1549. What do you wish more people understood about PTSD?

Capt. Sullenberger: You aren't the only one who feels or has felt this way, and that it is normal to feel this way. It doesn't mean you're weak, it means you're human, and it's the way our brains protect us.

Make the Connection: What were the tools that helped you manage your PTSD symptoms? Was there a turning point when you realized you had the tools you needed?

Capt. Sullenberger: It really helped to talk to someone who was trained in helping others cope with it and who could give me a road map of what to expect, so that my symptoms did not surprise or disturb me so much. I found a way to make this experience a part of me and not just something that had happened to me.

Make the Connection: When we sat down to talk with you in 2015, you said your key piece of advice for Veterans or someone who experienced trauma was to "love your family enough, respect them enough, to tell them the truth about what you feel." How did your family support you following the Flight 1549 crash?

Capt. Sullenberger: This event affected all of us deeply, though in different ways. It was hard for me to talk about it at first, and I resisted. But eventually, I was able to open up about it - and because we went through it together and talked about how we were feeling, we could support each other and not face these challenges alone.

Make the Connection: You're a Veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1973 to 1980, and you continue to be a great advocate for Veterans today. In addition to sharing your own story of recovery, how do you stay involved in the Veteran community? What inspires you in your work with Veterans?

Capt. Sullenberger: My family and I have continued to visit military bases and hospitals and meet the amazing young men and women who serve in our armed forces. Getting to know them has really made it clear that this generation has the same dedication to duty as previous ones, and we as a nation are in good hands.

Make the Connection: Mental health awareness and suicide prevention are two causes close to your heart. What have you learned by sharing your own story and your family's story with others?

Capt. Sullenberger: I have tried to remind everyone that anyone can experience the challenges of depression and other mood disorders, but that they can be treated. I know firsthand how difficult it can be, but we must not let stigma attach to what are illnesses, not weaknesses.

Make the Connection: What do you hope fellow Veterans and their families take from your story of recovery?

Capt. Sullenberger: These feelings are normal. You're not the only one. Resources are available to you. Get the help that you need and that your family deserves. It is day by day, and your family needs you.

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Q&A With Capt. Sullenberger on Mental Health

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On Jan. 15, 2009, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, a commercial airline pilot of 30 years, piloted an emergency landing on the Hudson River. All 155 passengers and crew on board survived. Capt. Sullenberger is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and was a fighter pilot from 1973 to 1980.

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Hospital Volunteering

Like all medical facilities, Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, nursing homes and clinics need volunteers to perform a wide range of duties. Some work directly with patients, participating in recreational programs and other activities on the wards. Others assist the VA's professional staff or escort patients, serve coffee or simply provide companionship to veteran patients.

Locate your local VA Hospital in the VA Medical Center Directory.

Say 'Thank You' to Veterans

No matter what your volunteer interests may be, there's a role you'll enjoy. and the Local Veterans Assistance Program may be just what you're looking for. Whether it's grocery shopping or running errands for veterans in your community, doing yard work or painting a veteran's home, there's a need you can help fulfill. To learn more about volunteering, contact us.
Sign up to volunteer

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DAV - Disabled American Veterans Assistance Organization

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Like all medical facilities, Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, nursing homes and clinics need volunteers to perform a wide range of duties. Some work directly with patients, participating in recreational programs and other activities on the wards. Others assist the VA's professional staff or escort patients, serve coffee or simply provide companionship to veteran patients.

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Thank You For Your Service (A Moment of Truth)

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With Veterans Day approaching, it can be difficult to know how you can contribute and give back to our nation's wounded warriors. There are many charities focused on everything from veterans assistance to more targeted organizations focused solely on Special Forces soldiers.

If you want to support veterans and servicemen and women this November (or any time during the year), here are a few good places to start.

Disabled American Veterans

The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) offers a variety of services to disabled veterans and their families. With more than 1.2 million members, DAV has tremendous reach and provides invaluable service to wounded veterans. DAV provides its members (veterans and their families) help with disability assistance, their VA pensions, job programs and more. It receives no government funding, so donations and gifts are crucial to keep providing services to veterans. DAV offers many ways to give back to the men and women who defended our country.

Wounded Warrior Project

Wounded veterans all require a different recovery process. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) provides rehabilitation, activities and career counseling for our nation's wounded warriors and their families. You can support the Wounded Warrior Project in a number of ways:

Host a supporter event

Send letters to an injured service member

Give a monthly gift

Make a donation in honor of a loved one

This holiday season, WWP encourages supporters to establish employee-giving drives by creating Casual Fridays, departmental competitions or office parties to benefit WWP.

Homes for Our Troops

Homes for Our Troops (HFOT) builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post--9/11 veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. Most of these veterans have sustained injuries, including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis and/or a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our veterans sacrificed while defending our country and enable them to focus on their family, recovery and rebuilding their lives.

Don't Forget About a Soldier's Best Friend

Dogs are a big part of the lives of our soldiers and veterans. From military working dogs on the front lines to guide dogs providing safety and companionship for wounded veterans, military service dogs need love, too. There are many programs to help provide for these brave dogs. Working dogs have saved thousands of American lives and continue to impact the lives of thousands of veterans who have returned home.

The USO

Veterans definitely need a lot of assistance, but the USO provides a way to support active-duty troops. Though the USO does take cash donations to provide many services, there are better ways to support the troops during the holiday season. The holidays are a particularly tough time for many troops and their families. The USO offers USO Operation Phone Home, which delivers a $50 prepaid international calling card to troops, allowing them to make up to 140 calls home.

Operation Write Home

While active-duty soldiers appreciate the huge amount of notes and letters they receive from citizens, many would prefer to simply write home to their loved ones. Operation Write Home offers them that opportunity by sending blank, handmade greeting cards that service members can send back home, along with 20-30 letters of encouragement from citizens. OWH asks for supporters to donate money to help cover costs or to make their own card design to help brighten the correspondence of active military. Since 2007, nearly 2 million cards have been sent to soldiers overseas.
For more on military family and veteran support services, visit the Rainier Fuclan is a recent college graduate and blogger. He enjoys Veterans Day because it's a day to fully give notice and respect to the people that put their lives on the line in order for us to live happy lives. Military.com Family Center.
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With Veterans Day approaching, it can be difficult to know how you can contribute and give back to our nation's wounded warriors. There are many charities focused on everything from veterans assistance to more targeted organizations focused solely on Special Forces soldiers.

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https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/data-sheets/2016/Maryland_2016.pdf
​https://nvf.org/veteran-mental-health-facts-statistics/ ​https://endhomelessness.org/resource/veteran-homelessness/