Summer - California Veterans Assistance Foundation, Inc.

CALIFORNIA VETERANS ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION
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729 Decatur Street, #1, Bakersfield, CA 93308
Summer 2011
661-399-2490
www.cavaf.org
WE ARE KERN COUNTY’S ONLY VETERANS SPECIFIC HOMELESS PROGRAM
BAKERSFIELD 2011 STAND DOWN ANNOUNCEMENT
On behalf of the California Veterans Assistance Foundation (CVAF) Stand Down Committee, I am pleased to announce that the 12th
Annual Kern County Stand Down and Veter-
“BLACK AND BLUE
BASH” MOTORCYCLE
GROUPS GIVE BACK TO
LOCAL VETERANS
The event will take place over a two-day
period (Saturday, September 10 and Sunday,
September 11 in Bakersfield, California).
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the
“Black and Blue Bash” being held at American Sound Recording Studios, 2231 R Street.
The bash will include live bands, local food
vendors, a classic car and motorcycle show,
raffles and games. The “Black and Blue
Bash” is a guaranteed good time and fantastic
way to show your support to our local heroes.
The Support the Troops Motorcycle Ride
will be held on Sunday, September 11. Registration and line-up begins at 9 a.m., at American Sound Recording Studios, 2231 R Street.
The ride begins at 11 a.m. This is a paradestyle event to show that Bakersfield and Kern
County supports our men and women serving
overseas, and to show support for those who
have fought and have returned home. The ride
GIVE BACK, continued on page 2
ans Resource Day will be held on October 13,
2011. It will be a one-day event located at
Stramler Park on North Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93308. The Stand Down is a safe
retreat for homeless veterans to receive supportive services to renew their spirit, health
and overall sense of well being. The program
is successful because it brings these services
to one location, making them more accessible
to homeless veterans.
The California Veterans Assistance Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that
has provided transitional housing and supportive services to the Kern County veteran’s community since 2000. We (CVAF) are taking over
the Stand Down from the Kern County Veterans Service Department, who has done an outstanding job with this event for many years.
We need your help! It takes financial
resources, donations and the hard work of
many volunteers to put on this event. We are
prepared to provide services to include veterans’ benefits counseling, medical assess-
ments, mental health counseling, veterans
court, employment and housing assistance,
social security, child support services, transportation, haircuts, clothing and meals, to
over 200 veterans and their families. Any
assistance that you may be able to provide
will be very much appreciated.
If you or your organization would like to
provide funding, donate clothing such as
shoes or clean, used clothing, food or services,
please review the following information:
• Funding: Please make checks payable to:
California Veterans Assistance Foundation
(CVAF), 501(c)(3) #: 30-0186044 and mail to:
729 Decatur Street, Bakersfield, CA 93308.
• Clothing: Please contact Sarita
Esqueda at 661-399-2490.
• Food: Please contact Tunisha Crite at
661-399-2490.
• Other Inquiries or Assistance: Please
contact Heather Kimmel at 661-695-3626.
Thank you for your time and consideration in helping our local veteran heroes!
A SALUTE TO VET TEAM
the festivities. The tents
provided by JoRonCo
kept everyone dry, and
the weather cleared
just in time for lunch.
The community came
“Lowes’ Hero Program” team together that day to help
VET Team.
participants in front row.
the VET team present
In the last the completion of a four-part project they had
issue of The worked very hard on for the veterans of
Alliance, the CVAF and the community.
Vision EnhancePhase 1 consisted of adding decals to one
ment
Team of the CVAF vans. The decals on the vans are
(VET) from one of the key ways that CVAF outreaches to
3609 Caldwell (Before). Leadership Bak- veterans in our community. The 1-800 numersfield invited ber is listed clearly, and calls continuously
everyone to join come in from veterans in need who “saw the
in on an “Hon- van driving down the road.”
oring
Those
Phase 2 was the biggest phase, which
Who Served” was to renovate CVAF properties. The
BBQ held at focus was placed on the Step Up house
3609 Caldwell (After).
CVAF. Thank located at 3609 Caldwell; however, the
you to all who were able to attend the day’s house at 727 Decatur also received a fresh
event; it was a huge success. The BBQ was coat of paint inside. To complete the masheld on May 18th, which turned out to be a sive project at the Caldwell Street location,
rather cold and rainy day. But that didn’t stop
SALUTE, continued on page 3
CVAF STAFF MEMBER, J.R. BROWNING, RECEIVES AWARD
On May 13th, CVAF staff member
James “J.R.” Browning and his wife,
Nicole, attended “The 11th Annual
Academy Awards Banquet,” hosted
by Kern County Mental Health and
NAMI Kern County. Held in the conference room of Hodel’s Restaurant,
several hundred people gathered for
this event, “Celebrating a New
Decade of Hope and Recovery.”
J.R. was nominated by Russ Sempell,
former President of NAMI Kern County
for the Recovery and Well Being Award.
Russ stated, “J.R. Browning is being nominated for the Recovery and Well Being
Award for his outstanding commitment and
perseverance to his recovery and his new
bride, Nicole. Nicole introduced him to
NAMI Kern County’s FRONT LINE Support Groups just over one year ago!”
J.R. served our Country in Iraq for the
United States Army for two tours of duty. He
survived more than 20 explosions from
explosive devices, rocket propelled grenades
and roadside bombs. Since he has returned
home, he now is recovering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic
Brain Injury (TBI), like 30% of his peers
who found themselves in combat.
J.R. still has chronic headaches, sleep
NEW OPERATIONS ASSISTANT JOINS CVAF STAFF
My name is Nancy Price. I
was born and raised in Bakersf ield, California. I have
lived in Bakersfield most of
my life, except when I moved
to Kingsburg, California for a
couple of years, due to a
work-related transfer.
At the age of 19, I began my former
career in the Title and Escrow industry. I
worked for Chicago Title Insurance Company and Fidelity National Title Company
as a Title Searcher for 30 years.
My interests are traveling with friends and
family around the United States and Mexico.
I am also an avid animal lover. I also enjoy
going to concerts, and watching the Los
Angeles Lakers basketball team.
Until I began working here, I
was unknowledgeable about the
resources CVAF provides, and
what a valuable asset this organization is to the community. I
feel honored to be employed by
this organization. Thank you,
CVAF staff and residents, for
making me feel welcome!
Thank you, Nancy, for all of your hard
work and dedication. Already in the short
few months that you have worked for CVAF,
you have implemented changes that have
improved upon the operations here. Your
attention to detail and kind personality
toward the veterans of the program is
appreciated and admired.
NEW EMPLOYEE AT
RESOURCE AND REFERRAL CENTER
My name is Ron Hernandez; I
am a new case manager at CVAF.
I’m a 40% disabled American
Veteran from the USAF. I served
from 1983 to 1986 as an Airframe Repair Specialist.
I was born and raised in
Oxnard, California and recently
moved to Bakersfield four years ago. I have
a wife and three kids at home: Adrian (20)
in college, Katrina (12) and Sonny (6).
My hobbies are swimming, riding my
bike and going to sports events when I can.
I also like to BBQ, cook and volunteer as
often as possible to help out the community
and the Veterans. Every year I donate
blood. Last year, I volunteered for the
Cleanup America program, and this year I
volunteered for the VITA program and plan
Page 2
on doing it again.
I am proud to be able to join
CVAF’s team and be able to
assist other Veterans. Thank you,
California Veterans Assistance
Foundation, for giving me this
opportunity.
CVAF is excited to have Ron as a part of
the team. His dedication in helping veterans is exactly what the Resource and
Referral Center needs. Not just anybody
can be a case manager in the R&R center,
and we feel that Ron has what it takes. He
has already provided veterans of our program with a new resource previously
unavailable to CVAF. We look forward to
what Ron can continue to contribute to
veterans in our community.
issues, anxiety and depression, but with the
support of his wife and FRONT LINE, J.R.
has returned to Bakersfield College where he
has founded a new Vet Club on campus. He
also has become a mentor “Peer to Peer”
class instructor and plans on taking NAMI
Connection Support Group Facilitator Training. J.R. has done his advocacy work for Vets
with PTSD and TBI by making public presentations for NAMI’s FRONT LINE Conferences and has been interviewed recently
on KGET-Channel 17’s new morning show.
NAMI Kern County is pleased to have this
opportunity to say, “Thank you, J.R. Browning, for putting your life on the line for ours
and now back here on our NAMI Kern
County’s FRONT LINE to support others.”
TEAM G.I.V.E DONATION
As part of the Leadership Development
Training Program through the Kern County
Network for Children, Team G.I.V.E. (Get
Involved in Voluntary Efforts) chose helping homeless veterans as their community
project. “Project Rejuvenate” collected
hygiene items that were assembled into kits
by several local youth programs and given
to various veteran resources throughout
Kern County, so that they may hand them
out to veterans in need.
CVAF received over 50 kits for veterans
in the program, and some to hand out during outreach efforts at the Bakersfield
Rescue Mission. We will also be able to
hand them out during the Kern County
Stand Down on October 13th.
It is through community organizations
like this that veterans are not forgotten,
and are given “A Hand Up, Not a Hand
Out.” Members of Team G.I.V.E. are Jenny
Frank, Alesha Hixon, Claudia Obregon,
Ami Moser, Debra Anderson, Kellie Wollard, Kimberly Tompson and Rajvir Kaur.
Thank you, ladies, for all of your
hard work!
GIVE BACK, continued from page 1
will end at the Bakersfield National Cemetery in Arvin, where there will be a short ceremony honoring local heroes.
The cost is $50 for vendors at the “Black
and Blue Bash” on Saturday; $10 entrance
fee for motorcycles and classic cars on Sunday. Sponsorship opportunities are available. 100% of the proceeds will go to local
agencies that help returning and wounded
veterans find housing, employment and
other necessities required for an independent civilian life. These agencies are the Independent Living Center of Kern County,
California Veterans Assistance Foundation
and Wounded Heroes.
Summer 2011
HIGHLIGHT A VETERAN
Richard B. recently
transitioned out of the
CVAF program, and we
thought it might be time
to check on him and see
how he is doing now.
Richard is a Navy vetFormer CVAF eran who served on the
resident,
USS Constellation in
Richard B.
Vietnam. He was a resident of CVAF for 24 months, and then he
moved into the William J. “Pete” Knight
Veterans Home in Lancaster, California.
Richard was very excited to get a call
from us here at CVAF. He absolutely loves
his new home. Some of his favorite things
about the Veterans Home is the level of
activity. “I love it here, there’s always something going on.” He said, “We’re always
going to a baseball game or playing cards.
The food here is great, I love the people…I
would recommend this place to anybody!”
He had just as many good things to say
about CVAF. All of us here are always
happy to see someone move on to greater
things, and Richard is no exception. He is
grateful for his time at CVAF. “CVAF is
very well run and extremely helpful,”
Richard reported. He talked about where he
was when he found CVAF, and reflected
back on the things that helped him get on a
better path with his time here. “CVAF
helped me put my life back together; they
helped me get organized and even helped
get me back in church.” Richard said.
Richard is doing well in Lancaster. He
sounded happy with his new situation –
upbeat and positive. For CVAF, Richard is
definitely a success story, a shining example of potential. When asked if he had anything to say to us here at CVAF, the phone
went silent for a second…and then
Richard very humbly and graciously said,
“Thank you so much for everything.”
AN INSPIRING TOWN HALL MEETING
CVAF town hall
meetings are usually filled with useful information. It
is a chance for residents to meet with
staff, and get a
sense of what is
happening around
CVAF. On June 29th, we held a very different
sort of town hall. At this meeting, not only
was there a chance for information, there was
also a unique opportunity to hear from two
veterans who know what it is to face hardship.
Residents got a chance to hear from and
meet two OIF veterans in the community:
Wesley Barrientos, a double amputee and
Jeremy Staat, a former NFL football player
and Marine Corps veteran. Wesley and
Jeremy spend their time going around speaking to veterans’ groups, and when they were
asked to meet with CVAF residents, they
jumped at the chance. They spoke about the
importance of not giving up, making a point
that hard times do not last forever.
“I may have lost my legs, but at least I still
have my life,” was a key statement from Wesley. He told a bit about his personal struggle.
“I remember waking up in this bright light…I
wasn’t sure where I was, but I had a feeling
that it was bad. The nurse came over to talk to
me, and when I asked what happened, he told
me that I lost both of my legs. I looked at him
and said ‘is that it?’ I thought I was going to
die or something, so the loss of my legs
seemed a lot better to me.” The message was
clear: obstacles are only as big as you let them
be, and Wesley is a prime example of what a
person can do given a tough situation.
Summer 2011
Jeremy had a different, very shocking
story. “You guys here, you older veterans set
the standard for my service,” he said. “ I
joined the NFL right out of college, bought a
house that was way too big, spent all of my
money. After my friend Pat Tillman got
killed, I felt the need to serve. Between my
time with the NFL and enlisting in the
Marines, I actually spent some time living in
my car. I have been where a lot of you have
been. I am here to tell you that it is not the
end of the world.” He had a great message of
inspiration for the residents here, telling
them that, “It does not matter what happened
to get you here. What makes you a man is
what you do from here on, how you change
your situation. There is nothing you can’t
come back from…if you work on it.”
Having the opportunity to hear these two
veterans speak was a great change of pace
for CVAF’s residents. After the meeting,
everyone got a chance to meet Wesley and
Jeremy, ask questions, and of course, thank
them for giving up their time to come and
speak. The residents were thankful to have
the chance to hear from them and it showed.
Resident Peter P. stated, “It was inspirational to hear that someone would leave their
career at the NFL to fight for our country.”
“Wesley’s attitude about his disability,
that he would choose life over legs, made
me realize that I can overcome my problems as well,” remembered Mike G.
“The speakers were outstanding people to
inspire all the residents of CVAF,” remarked
Casey L. Jeremy, “and Wesley did a fantastic
job of turning our town hall meeting into a
locker room chat, and they were certainly
inspiring to everyone here at CVAF.”
CATHOLIC HEALTH
CARE WEST FUNDING
HARD AT WORK
In January of
this year, CVAF
was awarded a
grant
through
Catholic Health
Care West to provide dental and
vision care to veterans in our community.
CVAF’s primary focus is to help veterans
whose dental or vision needs are preventing
them from obtaining employment. Since
January, CVAF has provided dental care for
five veterans and vision care to six veterans.
A former resident of CVAF, Scott A. was
one of the first to be awarded funding through
the CHW grant for eyeglasses. By obtaining
his new glasses, he was able to break through
his last barrier to employment. Scott is now
employed with KIS Industries based in Bakersfield, California. He is in independent
housing and is doing great! CVAF looks forward to helping more veterans in our community break their barriers to employment.
SALUTE, continued from page 1
the VET team had to enlist some assistance. The Lowes Store on Rosedale Highway, “Lowes’ Hero Program” stepped up to
the plate. Lowes was able to donate all
materials and labor. The volunteers worked
through Mother’s Day to ensure that the
project would be completed on time. During the renovation the VET team noticed
that the house was also in need of new furniture; so thanks to Urner’s of Bakersfield
for donating new couches and a dinette set.
Phase 3 was about honoring those who
served BBQ, which would not have been
so successful without the community sponsors. BBQ 4 U Catering donated all of the
food, and even came out to prepare and
serve the meal…which was delicious!
Funding was provided by CSUB Roadrunners, Mercy Hospital of Bakersfield, TJM,
Chevron, Processes Unlimited, Wells Fargo
and National Oilwell Varco.
And finally, Phase 4 was the creation of
a veteran’s resource binder for community
service providers and veterans in need.
Since the release of this binder, community
service providers have been requesting so
many, that CVAF staff cannot keep them
printed quick enough.
CVAF is so honored to have the VET
team, and all of the others who helped
work so hard for the veterans of the program and the community. Everyone who
took part in this project truly has a heart to
honor those who served.
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL
INVOLVED.
Page 3
CVAF PRESIDENT ELECTED
AS VFW POST COMMANDER
Deborah Johnson, CVAF President, has
been elected as VFW Post 1468’s new
Commander. Deborah is a Desert Storm
Veteran, having served in the Wisconsin
National Guard for over nine years and
called to active duty in August, 1991. She
joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars in
November 1996 and was active in Post
2112 in Sparta, Wisconsin until she joined
Post 1468 in Bakersfield in August 2010.
In addition to this new role, she was
appointed Adjutant for VFW District 9.
VFW Post 1468 is very community minded
and provided over $16,000 of assistance to
veterans within the community in 2010.
Deborah stated: “I believe that veterans
helping veterans extends beyond my duties
with CVAF. In order to help our veterans
receive the best services possible, I wanted
to be involved in community organizations
that reach out to other veteran populations.
This is another way I can give back.”
THE LANCASTER VETERANS HOME IS CURRENTLY
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR RESIDENCY!
You will receive assistance with medical and dental services; assistance with
medications; use of a modern fitness center and exercise classes; a library, cable
television and wireless Internet; a restaurant dining experience – three meals plus
snacks; dietary modifications; housekeeping and laundry services; a caring
and compassionate staff; and a variety of
WHAT CAN YOU
DO TO HELP?
Providing services takes money; foundations and corporations fight hard for a share
of big federal and state grants. The California Veterans Assistance Foundation relies on
the generosity of people like you to help end
the national disgrace of homeless veterans
who are (MIA) missing in America.
Please send your tax-deductible donations to:
California Veterans
Assistance Foundation, Inc.
729 Decatur Street, # 1
Bakersfield, CA 93308
Please help us to continue our efforts to
help those veterans who need a “hand-up
and not a hand-out.”
community outings and an enhanced
activity program.
For admission information, contact:
CVAF MISSION
STATEMENT
William J. “Pete” Knight Veterans Home
of California-Lancaster
45221 30th Street West
Lancaster, CA 93536
661-974-8140 or 661-974-8160
Our mission is to help veterans or at risk of
becoming homeless veterans, regain, maintain, and improve their status in society by
providing an alcohol and drug-free, secure
environment through which a wide array of
human services can be accessed in an atmosphere of dignity and mutual concern.
“WALL OF VALOR” UNVEILING CEREMONY
On May 28, 2011, a beautiful Saturday
morning, hundreds of Kern County residents gathered in downtown Bakersfield
for the unveiling ceremony of the Wall of
Valor. The memorial lists the names of
Kern County residents who were either
killed in action or went missing in action
since the beginning of World War I.
The 1,010 names are to be listed on eight
panels to memorialize Kern
County’s fallen heroes. All the
names were painstakingly verified by Bakersfield High School
students over four years. Only
four of the eight panels were
finalized by the unveiling date,
due to machinery breakdown. Dave Williams
from Willams Memorial came to the rescue to
ensure that at least part of the memorial would
be completed for the ceremony. The project
came to completion at the end of June.
The event began with Riders from The
American Legion Post 26 and the Marine
Corps Color Guard. Don Clark performed
official duties as Master of Ceremonies
and introduced the guest speakers that
included Judge Louis Etcheverry, Wesley
Leon-Barrientos and Jeremy Staat.
Patriotic music was provided by the
United States Navy Band and the Frontier
High School Chamber Singers.
Concluding the event was a 21-gun
salute followed by the “Reading of the
Names” by members of the Military Order
of the Purple Heart.
CVAF Case Manager and
OIF/OEF veteran, J.R. Browning, reflected on the day’s
events. “It was so good to see
a show of support from my
community.”
NATIONAL COALITION FOR HOMELESS VETERANS CONFERENCE
During record heat in Washington, D.C.
in May, CVAF President Deb Johnson
and Operations Director Heather Kimmel
attended the 15th Annual NCHV Conference. This year’s conference was “Leadership: Implementing the Plan to End
Veteran Homelessness,” marking the second year of the current administration’s
Five-Year Plan to End Homelessness
Among Veterans. Over 450 attendees
received updates from federal agencies,
training on topics across the spectrum of
homeless veteran services and issues, and
networked with service providers from
across the country.
Page 4
Special emphasis included:
• Impact of the Five-Year Plan on homeless veteran programs
• Focus on legal assistance for homeless
veterans
• Role of “Housing First” in ending
veteran homelessness
Housing of Urban Development Secretary
Shaun Donovan, Executive Director of the
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Barbara Poppe, U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs Eric Shinseki, U.S. Dept. of Labor
Asst. Secretary Jefferson, and many other
dignitaries spoke about each agency’s commitment to homeless veteran programs.
One of the most powerful speakers during the conference was Col Sutherland,
Special Asst. to the Joint Chiefs of Staff –
Warrior and Family Support. The emotional presentation of his combat experiences in Iraq and the servicemen that died
saving his life left the room with a quiet
respect that makes you realize the sacrifices soldiers make every day.
The Home Depot Foundation announced a
program “Bringing Veterans Home”, by making a commitment of investing $30 million in
housing for veterans over the next three years.
For more information regarding the conference, visit www.nchv.org
Summer 2011