Give an Hour is expanding its reach to include victims, families, teachers, and first responders dealing with the after-math of the tragic shootings in Newtown, Conn.

 

"We will learn more details about this situation as things unfold in the coming days and weeks. When the community is ready, Give an Hour plans to step up and offer mental health services to anyone, including young children, affected by these tragic events," says Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour.  "With hundreds of licensed mental health professionals in the Connecticut area, Give an Hour has the capacity to help those who are experiencing grief, loss, and anxiety as a result of this horrible tragedy, and we want to do our part," adds Dr. Van Dahlen.

 

Mental health professionals interested in joining Give an Hour can complete an easy online form at www.giveanhour.org. 

Those seeking help from Give an Hour can visit www.giveanhour.org and click on "visitors" to locate a provider in their area.

 

Give an Hour could not function without the assistance and wise counsel of its Executive Board. We are thus very pleased to announce the addition of three new members, whom we will profile in this and successive newsletters: Marine Reservist Justin Constantine, Major General (ret.) Mark Graham, and attorney Brian Nichols. 

 

Justin Constantine 

 

As a marine reservist, Justin volunteered for deployment to Iraq in 2006 and served in the 

Al-Anbar Province as a team leader of a group 

of Marines performing civil affairs work while attached to an infantry battalion. Justin worked very closely with the battalion commander, and as a result spent a great deal of time "outside the wire" trying to help rebuild the basic infrastructure of various Iraqi cities. This was a particularly challenging assignment because the insurgency in Iraq was at its greatest strength during this time and had enormous influence on the local Iraqis. While on a routine combat patrol six weeks into his deployment, Justin was shot in the head by a sniper. Thanks to his fellow marines and the courage and skill of a U.S. Navy corpsman, Justin survived. Through teamwork and a positive mental attitude, he has had quite a successful recovery. His personal awards from his time in Iraq include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, and Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal.    

 

Upon recovering from his injuries, Justin started a new job with the U.S. Department of Justice, working in the Office of Immigration Litigation, primarily writing appellate briefs defending the lower immigration court decisions. In November of 2008, Justin was invited to serve as counsel for the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. At the same time Justin and his wife, Dahlia, started Iraq and Back, their own small business featuring items of apparel they designed to honor those who had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2009, Justin was accepted into the fellowship program of the Truman National Security Project and was the Honor Graduate of his class at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College.  

 

Currently, Justin works on an FBI counterterrorism team. As a major in the Marine Corps Reserve, Justin is the Reserve Staff Judge Advocate for Marine Forces South in Miami, Fla. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Wounded Warrior Project and spends much of his spare time on wounded warrior activities, including fundraising and raising awareness of the myriad issues faced by wounded warriors and their families. He also serves on a four-year, congressionally mandated Task Force for Recovering Warriors, which provides an annual report to the Department of Defense.

 

Over the last several years Justin has spoken at numerous military, educational, and corporate events about the importance of a positive attitude, teamwork, and community values in overcoming adversity. He has been featured in media such as CNN, Men's Health, James Madison University's Madison Magazine, the Wounded Warrior Project's After Action Report, the Verizon FIOS Channel 1 magazine show "Push-Pause," the Department of Labor's America's Heroes at Work Success Stories, and the Department of Defense's Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy's Square Deal magazine.  

 

Justin received Give an Hour's "Commitment to Service" award in 2012.

Give an Hour relies heavily on the expertise of its Advisory Board members as well. Please join us in welcoming Col. Charles Engel, TIME editor Jim Frederick, and formal naval officer Bruce Shuttleworth.

 

Several runners recently participated in the Marine Corps 10K run on October 28, which started near the Washington Monument, wound through Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va., and ended at the historic Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial.  

 

The Give an Hour team's ten participants ran to bring awareness to Give an Hour.  

 

By all accounts, the GAH team performed very impressively, with runners finishing times ranging from 52 to 80 minutes. Running for Give an Hour were Christopher Veade (team captain and co-organizer), Wes Colbert, Anita Galle, Warren Galle, Micah Komp, James Kren, Randy Laylo, Sarah Laylo, Dewanda Marlow, and Claire Walden.

 

The experiences of life during war are powerful and are not easily forgotten. For many of Give an Hour's target audience, the things that happened in the past are affecting the present.

In this campaign, our pro-bono creative team of Capital One Bank's Mackie Blaylock and Chris Nott created mini-dramas that give the viewer quick flashes of past events in the lives of service men and women and their families. Some are intense. Some are simple but poignant. Each is chronicled using military time--allowing us to immediately connect with much of our audience and create a tone and sense of place for a general audience.

We have had already received a tremendous positive response to these ads. Let us know what you think! Send your comments to Sally Charney, director of special projects, at scharney@giveanhour.org. And if you know of a publication that would be interested in running them, please let us know.

 

A Celebration of Service will be a four-event affair over two days in New York City, June 2-3, 2013. 

Planned events include a Community Service Project, VIP Reception, Benefit Concert, and Conference entitled "Serving Those Who Serve: Training the Next Generation."

If you are interested in opportunities for sponsorship, please contact Katherine Wilkins at kwilkins@giveanhour.org.

Stay tuned for more information!

 

Give an Hour is proud to announce the hiring of Stephen Shields as Clinical Coordinator.

 

Notes Stephen, "It is a special honor to continue to serve our service members in 

my work with Give an Hour, as I served over 30 years in the U.S. military." Stephen deployed multiple times in both humanitarian and combat roles and simultaneously earned a Master's degree as a licensed mental health and addiction counselor. He has 

spent a great deal of his clinical career in community counseling, working with clients with diverse and unique backgrounds. He has worked with individuals, families, and groups. In addition, he has given numerous presentations to larger groups and consulted to various military organizations. 

 

Stephen, the fifth of nine children, is the son of a Baptist minister and an international shipping administrator. Born and raised in Indiana, Stephen still calls it home. He has two children: a daughter who graduated from Fisk University and a son who is studying at Purdue.  

 

When he's not volunteering or working, Stephen enjoys cooking, outdoor events, and martial arts, which he has practiced for 25 years. 

Just in time for the holidays, you can now Shop Give an Hour. We are excited to announce the opening of our new online store, where you can purchase a variety of Give an Hour items, from coffee mugs and tote bags to t-shirts, caps, and stadium blankets.

As always, we are open to your feedback and suggestions for different items.

Similar to the Project Odyssey retreats, Wounded Warrior Project's Family Support Retreats are hosted at numerous locations around the country. The retreats provide an opportunity for family members of those struggling with the invisible wounds of combat stress to get some much-needed rest and rejuvenation.

 

The intimate retreat size, usually 25 participants, allows family members to connect with others experiencing a similar range of emotions in a safe and comfortable setting.

 

Each retreat provides participants with the opportunity to expand their relaxation and coping skills with small group activities led by trained and licensed counselors from Give an Hour. Other activities may include spa treatments or outdoor team building. Depending on the retreat location and season, participants can spend their free time relaxing by the pool, golfing, shopping, hiking, indulging in spa services, experiencing a new adventure like horseback riding, or simply unwinding.

 

Retreat weekends are filled with exciting opportunities to build new friendships that continue long after the retreat ends. Wounded Warrior Project staff ­assemble a comprehensive contact database to ensure everyone can stay connected.

 

For more information about the program, click here.  

 

If you are a Give an Hour provider interested in participating in this program or receiving clients following these retreats, or if you would like to inquire about other opportunities to get involved, please email Stephen Shields, GAH Clinical Coordinator, at sshields@giveanhour.org.   

 

Wintergreen, Va. -- January 22-25, 2013

Quantum Leap Farms, Fl. -- February 1-4, 2013

Charlotte, N.C. -- February 8-11, 2013

Broomfield, Co. -- March 1-3, 2013

 

Give an Hour has partnered with Oceangate Records to use its song "There's Still Christmas," featuring Clarence Clemons, for the 2012 holiday season.

 

Oceangate Records is proud to contribute to this most worthy organization, which is close to the heart of musician and songwriter Dennis Bourke, a decorated combat veteran who can personally empathize with the cause of Give an Hour. Bourke states that "when life seems hopeless for veterans struggling with the ghosts and images of their time away, we hope that 'There's Still Christmas' will bring them some joy and let them know that no matter what you've endured, there is something wonderful in life to look forward to."

 

"We are grateful to Oceangate Records for their generosity in allowing us to share this great song from the 'Big Man,'" says Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder and president of Give an Hour. "We know that raising awareness and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health care happens in many different ways. We need to continue to find ways to reach people with our message and to raise funds to continue our good work, and partnering with Oceangate Records in this way is a wonderful opportunity to do so," Dr. Van Dahlen adds. 

 

Ask your local radio station to air "There's Still Christmas" and help earn money for Give an Hour. Give an Hour receives a donation from purchases or downloads at iTunes. Enjoy!

 

 

This is the exact task that was given to people on one of the barrier islands in New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy.  

 

These were all people who:

• had listened to emergency officials and evacuated their homes before Super Storm Sandy made landfall
• stayed in shelters or other temporary housing for close to two weeks before they were allowed back into their neighborhoods to see if there was anything left to salvage
• followed instructions to gather in a parking lot full of police, to stand in line, to get on an old school bus and be taken through barricades to their street or neighborhood
• were dropped off on a corner in a devastated area that should have been familiar but wasn't
• were then escorted by more police to their former homes and told they had just two hours to assess the damage, take pictures, gather what they could in just two suitcases
• climbed back on a bus to be returned to the temporary bus stop where they started 
• got off the bus with their two precious suitcases of all processions they could recover
• were so numb from the experience of seeing total devastation that they were crying, unable to talk, angry, staring out the window, or unable to listen and track information.

Green Cross traumatologists were there to help ease the burden, to help carry those suitcases.

Green Cross is an international, humanitarian 

assistance nonprofit corporation comprised of 

trained traumatologists and compassion fatigue

service providers. Most are licensed mental health professionals, all are oriented to helping people 

in crisis following traumatic events.

  

To join GREEN CROSS, or learn more, visit www.greencross.org.  

 

Over the past several years, it has been heartening and inspiring to experience the almost universal outpouring of support for 

the men and women serving our country in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

You may already know that Give an Hour is a highly innovative and extraordinarily committed nonprofit organization, founded in 2005, to develop a network of volunteer mental health professionals to give an hour of mental health services each week, free of charge, to members of the military--including active duty, reserve, and guard--veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq, their families, and their communities.

 

Since its inception, Give an Hour not only has developed that network of volunteers but also has become the rare organization that has transcended its original mission. The organization has worked with partners small and large to develop a multisector model of community engagement that embodies a spirit of collaboration, knowing that no one organization can do this work alone.

 

Here is just a sampling of what Give an Hour has accomplished since it began providing services in 2008:

• Increased its volunteer provider network by 545% from 1,000 in February 2008 to 6,450 in October 2012
• Increased volunteer hours given by mental health providers by nearly 5,000% from 1,415 as of August 2008 to 70,000 hours as of October 2012
• Created, with other nonprofit leaders, the Community Blueprint, a national initiative bringing together community, military, and veteran service organizations to provide effective services on a local level
• Developed strategic alliances with Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs
• Developed partnerships with national mental health associations (American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists, American Association of Pastoral Counselors, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, American Mental Health Counselors Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Mental Health America, North American Association of Christians in Social Work, and Therapeutic Communities of America) and numerous regional associations
• Created a multimedia national public awareness campaign resulting in coverage in TIME, Newsweek, USA Today, Washingtonian, and Sports Illustrated; on television and radio stations across the country; and on the CBS jumbotron in Times Square  
• Selected as one of five winners of the White House's Joining Forces Community Challenge in April 2012

In addition, GAH's founder and president, Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, was chosen as one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2012.

   

Please join the growing number of individuals who show their understanding of the needs of military families by supporting Give an Hour. Gifts can be made by clicking here or going to the Give an Hour website, clicking on the "Give Direct" button, and following the easy instructions. As 2012 comes to a close, please remember, your tax-deductible contribution to Give an Hour embodies a spirit of giving, a commitment to others, and the realization that together we can--and must--

support those who have already given so much. Thank you for your support.

 

If you are interested in individual or corporate giving, please contact Katherine Wilkins, director of development, at kwilkins@giveanhour.org.

• Increased volunteer provider network by 530% from 1,000 in February 2008 to 6,450 in October 2012 

• Increased number of volunteer hours donated by mental health providers by nearly 5,000% from 1,415 in August 2008 to 70,000 hours in August 2012   

• Increased non-mental health volunteers over 4,000% from 15 in 2008 to 620 currently