SUICIDE PREVENTION: Update
ICEMEN HOCKEY GAME: Proceeds benefit Suicide Prevention
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During January, the Legion Family from Post 359 are dedicating their entire fundraising efforts to benefit PROJECT: VetRelief. They have many events planned over the course of the month including a variety of dinners, motorcycle rides and movie nights.
We are grateful for the support of all those involved in planning for these events and are truly honored they chose our program to receive the funds generated. The full listing of events are below. Please be sure to head to Titusville and support them in one or all of their fun activities.
► The PVR office was closed from December 24th and reopened on January 2nd. Be patient as we work through calls received during that time.
► 92% of every dollar donated to the program goes directly to our veterans and their families. Less than 2% is used towards organizational compliance and accounting/banking fees.
► We are collecting resources and contact names of Veteran Service Organizations to create a state-wide resource tool. If you have any contacts you’d like to share, please visit the following website to enter their information: https://projectvetrelief.org/vso-resource-entries/
► Our veterans are depending on us to process their financial assistance cases in a timely manner. If you are conducting an interview on our behalf, please schedule a meeting and return the follow up report as soon as possible.
► Commander William “Rick” Johnson chose PVR as one of his charities for his fundraising project. When submitting donations for his efforts, be sure to include “Commander’s Charity” in the memo line. Let’s help him get to his goal of $75,000!
► PVR has partnered with AmazonSmile. If you choose PROJECT: VetRelief, Inc. before checking out, Amazon will donate 10% of your order to our program!
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On Monday, September 23rd at approximately 8:30AM, the shotgun for the 6th Annual Golf Tournament hosted by RL James, Inc. will take place. The tournament is PROJECT: VetRelief ’s largest fundraising event and has brought in nearly $200,000 in just 5 years!
The anticipated 120 golfers will enjoy a premier experience at the Bella Collina Golf Course, located in Monteverde, FL. Golfers should expect a day filled with fun, and many chances to win some cool prizes.
During the awards banquet and luncheon, there will be a silent auction featuring an impressive list of more than 50 items. Not to mention there will be a tasty buffet!
There are a few volunteer positions available, if you’d like to come and help out. If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Cooper at 407-295-2631 to coordinate the details! Hope to see you there!
Cristina joined the PVR Team in August as a part-time Case Worker. She has worked within the Orange County community for over 11 years by assisting those who needed additional resources, and is currently enrolled in grad school at Southeastern University studying Human Services.
Although she did not serve in the armed forces, she has a passion for helping veterans and their families through their hard times.
When she is not busy with her schoolwork or large family, she enjoys motorcycles, volleyball and volunteering through organizations to raise awareness for homelessness and providing sustainability to families.
We feel lucky to have Cristina as a part of our team as she brings a lot of passion and experience. She will be in the office on Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays. Please help us welcome her to the team!
Suicide among our veteran community has exceeded 22 a day. ink about it, that’s over 8,000 veterans we lose every year. We no longer can sit back and say, “that’s someone else’s problem”!
Over the past year, we have seen a great deal of interest from the Legion Family in supporting a new Suicide Prevention Initiative. In fact, we created a committee last November to address this tragic statistic on veteran suicide here in Florida. The Committee includes: John Dollinger, Bob James, Jim Wineland, Barry Roberts, Larry Roberts and Kurt Gies.
The committee’s plan of raising awareness, educating our communities and identifying Florida’s community partners was approved by the Board in June. They have already identified over 20 organizations that assist veterans with mental health needs. The committee is going through each organization using a vetting process to identify those who have a proven track record and are validated within their communities.
It will take the entire Florida Legion Family working together to even make a dent in this devastating epidemic our veteran community faces. But, we must start somewhere!
Congratulations to William “Rick” Johnson on becoming the 2019-2020 Department Commander for e American Legion, Department of Florida! We are so thrilled to learn that he has chosen PROJECT: VetRelief as one of his charities for his Commander’s Project. Here’s how the Commander has chosen for the donations to be processed:
Any donation marked as “Commander’s Charity” will be divided equally between his two charities: PROJECT: VetRelief and Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA). If you would like your donation to go towards a specific charity, please note that on the check. For example, write “Commander’s Charity – PROJECT: VetRelief ” in the memo line. All checks should be made payable to the American Legion.
Commander Johnson has set a goal to raise $75,000 during his one-year term. Legion Posts are asked to make a one-time donation or hold fundraising event(s) to help him reach his goal. If
you are planning an event for PROJECT: VetRelief, we can help promote it. Contact Jennifer Cooper by sending an email to jcooper@floridalegion.org with all of the details!
Michael Beaven, alongside the entrusted DeLand Police Department Detective, visited the 82 year old veteran who was scammed of over $50,000. Donations from all over the country were collected on his behalf through PROJECT: VetRelief and a check for $18,300 was given to him.
We are still collecting donations. In fact, the Legion Family from Post 402 all pitched in and raised $2,000! If you’d like to help, please donate through the link below or mail in by check. All donations are going directly to him!
DONATION LINK: https://projectvetrelief.org/delandveteran/
We hope you were able to stop by and see us at some point during the Florida Legion Annual Convention this past June. We were excited to see all our VetRelief Advocates and share the accomplishments that they helped us achieve!
Check out a few of our highlights from the event:
If you didn’t make it to the Convention and catch one of our trainings, don’t worry! A class will be offered at the Fall Conference in November. ere will only be one opportunity, so be sure to sign up when the details are announced.
*For promotional items, such as brochures or fliers, contact Jennifer Cooper by sending an email to jcooper@floridalegion.org or call 407-295-2631
PVR IN ACTION – Your Help is Needed!
An 82-year-old Coast Guard veteran from DeLand, FL has been scammed of over $50,000; his entire life savings. Once the news broke national headlines, The American Legion, Department of Florida and Project VetRelief knew we had to take action!
Since the veteran chose to remain anonymous, the team reached out to the DeLand Police Department to see how we could get in touch with him to pay his monthly rent. Additionally, we arranged for a VetRelief Advocate to go to the veteran’s home with an entrusted detective to provide support during this difficult time.
Chris Graham with the DeLand Police Department also expressed that they had a lot of people within the community, near and far, who wanted to donate to help rebuild this veteran’s life savings, but did not have the means to do so. Project VetRelief stepped forward and set up a restricted account. As the news continued to spread around the country, people started sending in their contributions.
As of May 28th, $6,150 has been collected through our efforts. Other organizations have made pledges to pitch in, but so far, we have not received anything.
We are asking the Florida Legion Family to join in trying to get him his money back. 100% of the funds raised will go directly to this veteran.
You can donate now by using the restricted link below:
https://projectvetrelief.org/delandveteran
If you would rather mail in your donation, you can send to the below address. Checks need to be made payable to PROJECT: VetRelief and “DeLand Veteran” should be listed in the memo line.
PROJECT: VetRelief
Attn: Jennifer Cooper
1912A Lee Road
Orlando, FL 32810
Original News Source: https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190521/elderly-deland-veteran-police-say-was-bilked-by-couple-gets-help-from-veterans
2019 CONVENTION – Sign up NOW!
LAST CHANCE – Reserve your seat during our next training at the Department Convention on June 26th – 29th in Orlando! Space is limited and will be based off a first come first serve basis.
VETRELIEF ADVOCATE TRAINING:
Friday, June 28th
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Room: Canary 3-4 (View Convention Map)
Registration Link:
https://projectvetrelief.org/classregistration/
The PVR Team will also be at the vendor booth on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Be sure to stop by to grab any materials or just to say hi!
We are looking forward to seeing each and every one of you there!
*Class day, time and location are subject to change.
STILL SERVING – 5th Year Almost Over
Now in our 5th year of serving veterans and their families, look at how much PVR has grown:
We want to keep providing our services to veterans, active duty military and their families for years to come. In order to do that, we need everyone’s continued support. Please remember we are veterans serving veterans, every day.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: – Upcoming Events
All of PROJECT: VetRelief’s financial support comes from the generosity of individuals and corporations who believe in what we do. Join us for one of our next events, or hold your own fundraiser.
If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Cooper at 407-295-2631 or jcooper@floridalegion.org.