chaptersinaction Standing Strong
MOAA chapter members support and volunteer at community Stand Downs that provide a wide range of services to homeless and at-risk veterans.
I
n 1988, a group of Vietnam veterans in San Diego held the first-ever Stand Down, which
brought together VA service provid- ers and other government agencies and community organizations to help homeless and at-risk veterans. The idea took hold, and today Stand Downs are held in cities nationwide. Many MOAA chapters sup- port local Stand Downs, including the Southwest Oklahoma Chapter (
www.swokmoaa.org). Since 2014, members have donated a total of $800 and purchased and contrib- uted $100 worth of personal cloth- ing items to the Lawton-Southwest Oklahoma Veterans Stand Down. “Most of the money raised comes
from our auxiliary, which is made up of members’ spouses, surviving spous- es, and people out in the community who support our chapter,” says for- mer Army Capt. Marilyn Janosko, the chapter’s second vice president. The Comanche County Veterans Council in Lawton, Okla., coordi- nates the wide range of services provided at each Stand Down and rounds up volunteers. Janosko, who sits on the council and acts as a go- between, says chapter members are quick to volunteer. Some members pick up and drop off homeless vet- erans who live in the 16-county area served by the Stand Down. Others
42 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2015
register veterans, distribute clothing, serve meals, or do other work. “Many veterans are homeless due
to circumstances that arise from their service to our nation,” Janosko says. “Our chapter is dedicated to honoring all veterans by serving their needs.”
Offering a hand up This year, members of the Tallahassee (Fla.) Chapter (
www.moaa.org/chap ter/tallahassee) began supporting the North Florida Homeless Veterans Stand Down. Chapter President Col. Claude Shipley, USA (Ret), not only is the program director for the North
veterans you meet at these Stand Downs are just down on their luck.
“ Many of the
— Central Ohio Chapter President Lt. Col. Joe Machado, USA (Ret)
”
Florida Homeless Veterans Stand Down, but he also is the statewide di- rector of Stand Downs for the Florida Veterans Foundation in Tallahassee. Both jobs are volunteer positions. Chapter members began support-
ing the Stand Down after Shipley briefed them at a meeting about the
On the road: This month, Col. Barry Wright, USA (Ret), director, MOAA Council and Chapter Af- fairs, will visit chapter members in Arizona and California. See MOAA Cal- endar, page 93, for dates.
needs and challenges facing hundreds of homeless and at-risk veterans in North Florida. Some members dem- onstrated their support by making a donation, while others solicited con- tributions and volunteers from other area military and veterans’ groups. One chapter member, Lt. Cmdr.
Fred Ingley III, USN (Ret), col- lected 29 new and used bicycles. The bicycles, which were all in good working condition, were raffled off for free to homeless and at-risk veterans who indicated they needed transportation during the North Florida Homeless Veterans Stand Down held April 24-26. During the Stand Down, 350 area homeless or low-income veterans received medical and dental care, legal services, housing eligibility as- sessments, disability claims support, employment services, hot show- ers, meals, clothing, haircuts, and personal hygiene items, along with a wide range of services provided by the VA and other federal, state, county, and local agencies. Chapter members also volunteered. “Without the support of our chapter members volunteering their time and providing donations, the outstanding level of support provid- ed for homeless and at-risk veterans at the Stand Down would not have occurred,” Shipley says.
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