 Public
Issues
Jen Nowak, Chairman
413-596-5504
jwnowak@charter.net
Click
here
for the GFWC Public Issues Community Service Program from the GFWC Club
Manual.
Click here
for the Public Issues Information
Please pages.
Click here
for the Public Issues Report Cover Sheet.
Check
out our "Support
Our Troops" page.
NOTE: Public
Issues was formerly called "Public Affairs." Do
not
confuse this with the GFWC
Public Affairs Advancement Guide
which encompasses "Communications & Identity" and "Legislation
& Public Policy."
PLEASE
take the time to read the Public Issues Community Service Program in
the GFWC 2010-2012
Club Manual because there is a wealth of
information
and project ideas for our clubs to take advantage of. Our
Director, T Jablanski, is focusing her term on Mental Health, I wanted
to give you some information which I found very interesting about Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in veterans.
POST
TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER:
is a normal
reaction to abnormal traumatic experiences such as war, violent crime,
sexual trauma, or any other experience in which you feel your life or
the life of someone you love is in danger. Some symptoms
include isolating yourself from loves ones, disruptive sleep and/or
nightmares, feeling down and/or depressed, anxiety and/or panic
attacks, unexplained and/or triggered anger out-bursts. Women
are more than twice as likely to develop PTSD than men per the US Dept
of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD. If a veteran
has any of these or similar symptoms, the Vet Center can
help. Your local Vet Center can be reached by calling
1-800-905-4675 or online at www.VA.gov/RCS.
If immediate help is needed call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) - the suicide
prevention
hotline. They will be routed to the closest possible crisis
center in their area.
YOGA
WARRIORS:
is a program that is designed
to help veterans who suffer from PTSD and was established at the
Central Mass Yoga and Wellness in West Boylston, MA. The
Worcester Vet Center in Worcester MA offers counseling to veterans as
part of the Yoga Warriors program. This wonderful and highly
successful program gives veterans of our country who are suffering from
PTSD a chance to heal the wounds that trauma has inflicted while easing
the emotional and physical symptoms of this very debilitating
disorder. Yoga directly addresses the fight-or-flight
response, which is at the heart of PTSD. Because yoga deals
directly with the mind-body connection, it helps veterans retrain the
fight-or-flight response. Now, when they confront a situation
that triggers their memories, instead of resorting to aggression or
drowning in fear, they have other options: deep breathing, for example,
as a means to self-calm. Interested veterans can contact the
Central Mass Yoga and Wellness at 508-853-1176 and some of the classes
are free to all veterans. Registered yoga teachers that wish
to become certified in the Yoga Warriors method can also call to
register for an upcoming teacher training workshop. Funding
is needed because there are many veterans who need assistance in
getting to the classes. For more information go to www.YogaWarriors.com.
To find a yoga studio near you, visit www.yogaforvets.com.
DOG
TAGS
- Puppies Behind Bars: trains prison
inmates to raise service dogs for the disabled veteran’s
suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The
puppies live in prison with their puppy-raisers from the age of 8 weeks
to 18 months. As the puppies mature into well-loved,
well-behaved dogs, their raisers learn what it means to contribute to
society rather than take from it. These dogs are trained to
perform over 80 service dog commands and also special commands for
wounded warriors with PTSD and TBI. Some of these puppies are
being trained at women’s prisons in Connecticut, New Jersey
and New York. This program accepts monetary donations but you
can also purchase holiday cards and the proceeds go to giving their
newest puppies behind bars a collar, leash, bowl, bone or fleece
toy. If you know of a wounded warrior who would like to
qualify for a Dog Tags companion or for more information please go to www.PuppiesBehindBars.com.
PAWS
FOR PURPLE HEARTS:
is the only program of
its kind in the world. It builds on the time-honored
tradition of veterans helping veterans. This program engages
servicemen and women diagnosed with PTSD in a mission to train service
dogs as part of their rehabilitative therapy. Training service dogs
provides a way for veteran’s with PTSD to practice emotional
regulation and give their days focus and purpose. The dogs
help to facilitate social relationships with members of the community
since a critical element of training is properly socializing the
puppies and practicing their training skills in public. They
train these service dogs for their comrades with physical
disabilities. This program accepts monetary donations but
they also have a wish list which includes gift certificates to Petco,
PetSmart, Costco or Home Depot and numerous dog related
items. For more information please go to www.PawsforPurpleHearts.org.
BLUE
STAR MOTHERS OF AMERICA, INC.:
is a
non-partisan, non-political organization of mothers who now have, or
have had, children honorably serving in the military. They
are a non-profit veterans service organization supporting our military
children while promoting patriotism. They have chapters in
Ayer, Raynham & Holden that meet monthly. This group
has put together a very impressive booklet called “A Guide to
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” that has very detailed
information about everything that you need to know about PTSD and how
and where to seek help. There are even some poems and stories
that will bring tears to your eyes. Please visit their web
site at www.BlueStarMothers.org
and click under PTSD.
|
contact us
