chaptersinaction Two years ago, Heart of America
Chapter members began supporting the Heart of America Stand Down Foundation in Kansas City, Mo. Mem- bers provide financial support, col- lect and donate clothing and toiletry items, and volunteer at the founda- tion’s semiannual Stand Downs. Chapter members Lt. Cmdr. Alan
Davis, USN-Ret., and his wife, Mary Ellen, also helped at the Women Vet- erans Stand Down and Mini-Retreat Outreach Event in Kansas City, which drew about 200 at-risk or homeless female veterans. “I was surprised at how many
women came with their children,” says Alan. “You just don’t think about that aspect when you think of homeless veterans.”
Helping female veterans According to the VA, female veterans are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population. They struggle to find jobs, housing, and child care. In 2006, members of the Tampa
(Fla.) Chapter’s Military Officers Wives Club (MOWC) began work- ing to address the unique challenges female veterans face by supporting the VA’s Homeless Women Vet- erans Program (HWVP). Barbara Ewanowski, who chairs the club’s HWVP Committee, says MOWC members work year-round collect- ing food, blankets, linens, person- al-hygiene items, kitchen goods, furniture, gift cards, and children’s items to donate to the HWVP. Tampa Chapter members also donate to the HWVP and purchase much-needed items like shelving, which is used to sort and store dona- tions. And Operation Helping Hand (OHH), a service project started by Tampa Chapter members that pro-
vides financial and emotional sup- port to wounded servicemembers and their families, has contributed about $3,000 to the HWVP in the past three years. “Some of these women have invis-
ible wounds like PTSD, and they de- serve our help,” says OHH Chair Capt. Bob Silah, USN-Ret. In 2010, when the
HWVP’s food pantry ran low, Ewanowski turned to mem- bers of her church, who donated more than 1,000 pounds of food. MOWC members also host an annual holiday party and work with a dentist who provides free dental care to homeless fe- male veterans and their children. “It’s very rewarding and kind of addicting helping the homeless,” says Ewanowski, who received an award in 2010 from the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County, Fla., for her volunteer work. “I’m always looking for what to do next.”
Oregon’s Yellow Ribbon
Endowment now has almost
Veterans
$12,000 and continues to grow.
tion manages more than 220 endow- ments established by individuals, families, and organizations such as the Corvallis chapter. Best of all, anyone can contribute to the endowment, and donations are tax-deductible. The Yellow Ribbon Veterans Endow- ment will provide annual funding to Community Out- reach Inc., which offers a myriad of services designed to get veterans back on their feet. “The Yellow Rib-
bon Veterans Endow- ment is more than just a bumper stick- er,” says Rainbolt. “It’s a source of funds focused on help- ing our most needy
troops, including homeless veterans, after they return home.” According to Rainbolt, the Yellow
Funding for the future Members of the Military Officers Club of Corvallis (Ore.) used the $800 incentive check they received during the 2010 Give Me 10! recruit- ing campaign to help start an endow- ment to help homeless and needy veterans. In January 2011, chapter webmaster Lt. Col. Mike Rainbolt, USA-Ret., and then-president Capt. Ray Siuta, USN-Ret., helped found the Yellow Ribbon Veterans Endow- ment through the Benton County Foundation in Oregon. The founda-
Ribbon Veterans Endowment now has almost $12,000 and continues to grow as patriotic area citizens and other military and veterans’ organi- zations make contributions. Chapter members also continue to contribute to the fund. Several years ago, chap- ter members doubled their annual dues to $20, with half of the money going to support endowments and organizations that help ROTC ca- dets, wounded warriors, the families of deployed servicemembers, and now homeless veterans. “I have to give Ray a lot of credit
as president for his support,” says Rainbolt. “He’s helped bring our chapter out of just being a social or- ganization to one that makes a differ- ence in the community.”
JANUARY 2012 MILITARY OFFICER 49
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