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Greetings!
As you know, President Obama has declared an end to combat in Iraq. And while that means thousands of troops will be heading home, many thousands will remain in Iraq until the end of next year. Meanwhile, many more thousands will join the 100,000 already in Afghanistan.
Even among those coming home, we know that for many their battles will not be ending. We must continue to do all that we can to reduce the stigma of mental health care. We must continue to raise awareness about the normalcy of what our service men and women--and their families--are experiencing. And we must let them know that we at Give an Hour™ are here to help.
If you are a provider, please take a moment to review our Provider Outreach Toolkit for ideas on promoting your affiliation within your community.
For everyone else, please consider how you can help:
- Approach your local media about running our PSAs or writing an article
- Make a financial contribution or use your contacts to secure a corporate donation
- Utilize social media outlets to raise awareness
Thank you for helping us help those who serve.
Take care,
Barbara Van Dahlen
Founder & President |
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 Supporting Give an Hour™
Give an Hour™ is extremely grateful to our generous sponsors:
Eli Lilly Foundation
Capital One
Philip L. Graham Fund
PALS Foundation
The Standard Charitable Foundation
If you are interested in individual or corporate giving, please contact Katherine Wilkins, director of development, at kwilkins@giveanhour.org.
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 Serving through Give an Hour™
We are also extremely grateful to the generous mental health professionals in our network. The results of the August survey are in, and we are excited to report that GAH providers have donated well over 30,000 hours since we began offering services.
The exact figure, 30,726 hours, means GAH has provided more than $3 million in services.
Thank you, dedicated providers!
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 Calling D.C.-Area Volunteers
Over the next two to three months, we will be looking for D.C.-area volunteers to introduce Combined Federal Campaign charities to Give an Hour™. CFC is the world's largest and most successful annual
workplace charity campaign, with more than 300 CFC campaigns throughout
the country and internationally to help to
raise millions of dollars each year. Pledges made by Federal
civilian, postal, and military donors during the campaign season
(September 1 to December 15)
support eligible nonprofit organizations that provide health and
human service benefits. GAH volunteers will be asked to give a five-minute presentation about what GAH does. If you are interested in being on a list of potential GAH representatives at these events, please e-mail Jessica Grove at jgrove@giveanhour.org. |
 Suicide Prevention Training
The QPR Institute has developed an online training program called Online Suicide Intervention Specialist, which the institute is offering to GAH providers at the volunteer rate of $199 (discounted from the standard price of $399). Providers who complete the program will receive 40 National Board of Certified Counselors CE credit hours. QPR Institute CEO Paul Quinnett--a veteran, clinical psychologist, and APA member--notes that QPR collaborated
with several national and international organizations to build and beta test
this new online training program. The institute offers comprehensive suicide prevention training programs, education, and clinical materials for the general public, professionals, and institutions. For more information, visit http://www.qprinstitute.com/Joomla/.
Those who earn a Certificate of Course Completion complete a rigorous, 40-hour knowledge competency-based, interactive, multimedia online training program and must successfully answer more than 130 test questions and practice challenges. The training program teaches the core competencies recommended by the American Association of Suicidology and the National Suicide Prevention Helpline. While some learners will be independent practitioners, most will be part of an organization currently providing crisis response via help lines and counseling services.
A phase two OSIS Certificate of Competency will be available in the fall of 2010. This certificate will be available to those who complete the first course. Learners must demonstrate all the skill competencies taught to meet expert-determined external criteria and standards.
Please e-mail Dr. Quinnett with any questions about the training or the institute:
Paul Quinnett, Ph.D., President and CEO
The QPR Institute, Inc.
Office phone: 509-235-8823
Fax: 509-536-5400
Institute phone: 888-726-7926
pquinnett@mindspring.com
Web site: www.qprinstitute.com
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 Caregivers of Veterans Survey
The National Alliance for Caregiving is seeking caregivers of veterans for a new study--to give family caregivers of veterans an opportunity to be heard and to improve services for caregivers of veterans. Cash incentives will be available for caregivers who complete telephone interviews and for veterans who refer them. Online survey participants will be eligible to win one of ten $100 cash prizes.The caregiver survey is now live at the following link: www.gwsurvey.com/caregiversofveterans.html. |
| GAH Provider Jane Miller Publishes Book on Service Dogs
 GAH provider Jane Miller has recently published a book on how service dogs can help people with invisible injuries such as PTSD. Ms. Miller works in private practice as a licensed psychotherapist/clinical social worker, with a particular interest in holistic modalities of healing. She currently focuses on educating others about the legal, ethical, and practical criteria of working with Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs).
Service dogs have been assisting the blind, the hearing-impaired, and those in wheelchairs and with other disabilities for a long time. This ground-breaking book provides a window onto the new world
of psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) for people with psychiatric disabilities (such as depression, post-traumatic stress, bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic attacks, and more), showing how the dogs can change and enhance the lives of their human companions.
In Healing Companions you will meet these amazing dogs and see how they have helped a number of individuals improve their lives in profound and unexpected ways, allowing them to gain self-esteem, self-confidence, assertiveness, and so much more. These dogs provide emotional support, as all dogs do, but they are specifically trained to perform certain tasks unique to the individual's needs. More recently, psychiatric service dogs have helped many veterans returning from combat to overcome the effects of PTSD and return to more fulfilling lives.
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GAH Provider Michelle D. Sherman, Ph.D., Is Award-Winning Author of Two Books on Military Teens
Finding My Way and I'm Not Alone are the first of their kind: books focusing on teenagers living with a parent who has a mental illness or who has experienced trauma. These books provide more than just the facts by encouraging readers to reflect on their experiences through interactive writing exercises.
The clinical and educational expertise of the mother/daughter author team of Michelle D. Sherman and DeAnne Sherman brings forward well-grounded, accessible books that support, educate, and empower the family members whose needs are so often overlooked.
Dr. Sherman's first book, entitled  Finding My Way: A Teen's Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has Experienced Trauma, and coauthored with DeAnne Sherman, is a unique, three-part work that honestly addresses key issues in dealing with a parent who has experienced trauma. This interactive book includes clear information and opportunities for self-expression, and is being distributed nationally as part of the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Her most recent work, also coauthored with DeAnne Sherman,  My Story: Blogs by Four Military Teens, is a series of blogs by four military teens that highlights their feelings and experiences before, during, and after parental deployment. It provides support and education for all military teens and pre-teens by honoring their unique joys and sacrifices, addressing their fears and hopes, and exploring how parental deployment affects their lives. Although the four youth in My Story are fictional, the stories are real, in that the blogs are a compilation of real life experiences of military kids the authors have been honored to meet and learn from.
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Donate to Give an Hour™ through eBay Giving Works
 Give an Hour™ has been approved as an eBay Giving Works charity. Giving Works enables eBay users to support their favorite causes whenever they buy and sell. Any seller can donate part of his or her sale price to a nonprofit. The seller decides which organization to support and how much to give (10-100 percent), and gets a tax deduction for the gift. Or, sellers, just be sure to specify that you want to designate Give an Hour™ as a recipient of a percentage of your proceeds when you list your item.
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 Give an Hour™ Listed as Resource in Book about Army Nurses
Give an Hour™ has been listed in the resources section of a new book, Angel Walk: Nurses at War in Iraq and Afghanistan, by Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan and Dr. Diane Vines.
Angel Walk reveals the untold stories of the men and women who have fought for the lives of those wounded on the battlefield, Army Nurse Corps (ANC) officers. It provides a unique perspective into the hearts and minds of these caretakers; sheds light on their experiences, trials, and tribulations; and describes the lifestyle and living accommodations of these nurses and their patients. A retired ANC colonel, Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan delicately retells the horrific stories of mass casualties, amputations, and death experienced by those deployed to a combat zone; voices compassion and empathy for those who are still caring for the wounded; and reminds us of the pride and camaraderie of being a military nurse. Throughout this book the authors reveal the joys, fears, reactions, and coping mechanisms used by nurses in the line of duty.
As a nursing professor, Dr. Diane Vines identifies key resources and critical references, and explores how family members, friends, colleagues, and concerned citizens can better understand and help warriors and nurses in their reintegration back home. She also presents the full spectrum of coping responses from mild stress reactions to severe depression and explores the varied education and treatment programs now available to all returning troops.
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 GAH's Andrew Pogany and Robert Alvarez Help Raise Awareness of Invisible Wounds through Cycling
Give an Hour™ has been supplying teams and funds to the Ride 2 Recovery challenge rides this past spring and summer.
Most recently GAH's director of military outreach and education, Andrew Pogany, and military outreach officer, Robert Alvarez, participated in the Rocky Mountain Challenge. From July 31 to August 5, 150 cyclists rode more than 300 miles from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Ft. Carson, Colo.
The Ride 2 Recovery is produced by the Fitness Challenge Foundation, (501c3) in partnership with the Military and VA Volunteer Service Office, to benefit mental and physical rehabilitation programs that feature cycling as the core activity. Ride 2 Recovery improves the health and wellness of injured veterans through cycling. Cycling is an important part of the recovery process because it is an activity that almost all patients with mental and physical disabilities can participate in, and it helps to speed up the rehabilitation process. For more information, visit http://www.ride2recovery.com/. |
 New Military Blog by Award-Winning Reporter
Jamie Reno
The military is an integral and vital part of San Diego life. "Home Post," a new military blog, takes an insider's look at what's happening militarily both in San Diego and around the world. The site is curated by Jamie Reno, an award-winning journalist with 25 years of experience, who has dedicated much of his career to covering military and security issues.
In this exclusive blog, Jamie will cover the heroes, the villains, and all the gray areas in-between. He'll leave no stone unturned. "Home Post" is part of a partnership among KPBS, NPR, and a dozen public radio stations around the country, geared toward experimenting with filling the gaps left in news coverage by a shrinking media industry.
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 Military Etiquette
Military members who have served a career term of at least 20 years are introduced by rank.
All other persons who served in the military for four or more years but were not career officers or non-commissioned officers are introduced by their civilian name, with no rank.
All persons currently serving are introduced by rank.
Under Secretaries, Secretaries, and Ambassadors are formally introduced by "The Honorable" as in a place card or address.
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