Veteran Resource Podcast

The National Yoga for Veteran's Day is a nationwide event and aims to raise awareness about the benefits yoga has for veterans living with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. This will be a fundraising event for Veteran's Yoga Project.At the event, they will offer 3 yoga classes; two 45-min sessions for the adults, and a 30-min session for children (ages 5 and up). All levels of ability are able to attend - complete beginners and yoga gurus will feel welcomed! They will also have food, a raffle, information booths featuring charities that help wounded warriors (such as Catch a Lift, (www.catchaliftfund.com) and Music 4 Vets (music4vets.org), and lots of fun!Jessica Rodgers will be teaching the children's class. See her page here: https://www.facebook.com/inhale0exhale?fref=tsSara Jaye will be teaching one of the 45-minute classes. See her page here: https://www.facebook.com/namastesarajaye?fref=tsSamantha Eddy will be teaching the other 45-minute class. See her page here: www.blisseverydayyoga.com

Lexi Lipari is a fitness enthusiast, entrepreneur and motorcyclist that is passionate about helping veterans. An EMT for almost a decade, she has been dedicated to service and surrounded by military personnel for most of her life. A civilian but always on the look for a way to give back, just after graduating Rider University in 2012 she was the Volunteer Chairman of the Philadelphia Veterans Comfort Home. Now, she looks for new and unique ways to give back to the veteran community and one of them has been working as a Director of Marketing for We Stand Comedy to help create and promote We Stand for Female Veterans. The Guardian House is one of the only homeless shelters specifically founded to house homeless female veterans—there are only two in New York State outside of NYC. Located in Ballston Spa, NY since 2011, the House has helped scores of women veterans get back on their own two feet again after their time in the military by providing a safe place to call home. So many of the residents of Guardian House credit it with their first step back on the road to success because the House was there with a helping hand when they needed it most. Now the Guardian House needs our help—it is in dire need of repairs and the goal of the We Stand for Female Veterans event is to raise money to offset their costs.http://veteranpodcast.com/030

Richard Harrell, Director of Heroes’ Voices, spent over 25 years teaching, creating musical events and providing performance opportunities for singers on three continents at many institutions, including the Juilliard Opera Center, San Francisco Opera Center, the New National Theatre Tokyo, Bangkok Opera, Yale University, Operafestival di Roma, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.While his primary focus is on veteran’s issues with Heroes’ Voices he continues his work as an internationally renowned guest Master Class instructor, and serves as Associate Director of the Orfeo Foundation, an international non-profit organization supporting young opera performers.He performed with such companies as the Baltimore Opera, La Scala, and Lincoln Center Theatre Company. He recorded the role of Bernardo on the Deutsche Grammophon album of West Side Story.His education includes a Master of Fine Arts from the State University of New York, at Purchase. He also studied in the graduate program of the Manhattan School of Music, and received his Bachelor’s Degree in vocal performance from the Catholic University of America.

http://veteranpodcast.com/029

Aaron Ojard served 20 years in the US Navy. He served 12 years as a Machinist Mate and the last 8 years as a critical care RN. Aaron deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and was injured. He was featured in the June 2014 issue of Sports Illustrated Golf+. Last year Josh Peyton dreamed up and started the Veteran Golfers Association as a platform to get affordable, competitive golf available to all veterans. The Veteran Golfers Association is committed to promoting the game of golf to veterans and their family members. The VGA develops programs that allow our members to compete, socialize, and remain physically active through the game of golf.

http://veteranpodcast.com/028

Jim “Coop” Cooper is from North Carolina and retired from the Army as a Chief Warrant Officer in 2000 after 21 years of service. Coop currently works for the Army as a Civilian. Two years ago, Keith Umberger and Coop took over the Maryland Chapter of Heroes on the Water. Heroes on the Water helps our Nation’s warriors and veterans from all branches of the United States military unwind using the therapeutic qualities of fishing from kayaks. What looks like a day trip of paddling and fishing is in fact something much deeper and long-lasting.

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Kevin C. Miller served in the United States Marine Corps infantry from 2002-2006 with multiple deployments to Iraq. He graduated from Humboldt State University with a BA in Recreation Administration and a minor in Business Administration in 2011.In 2014, Kevin was selected as a National Service Leader by AmeriCorps Alums, based on his term of service with Swords to Plowshares as an AmeriCorps VISTA (2013), where he worked on employment research, outreach, and helped administer a statewide employment collaborative in California.He has continued and expanded on his work at Swords to Plowshares, now as the Strategic Development and Communications Coordinator, where his primary focus of work includes building partnerships between employment and training providers, relevant state and national entities, not-for-profit associations and private employers.http://veteranpodcast.com/026

Jon Jackson founded STAG VETS INC. in 2014 to assist homeless veterans, veterans in need and veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury. Jon earned his stripes by serving his country with the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. While serving, Jon endured six deployments with a combine total of 40 months of combat time in his first 8 years of service.While overseas Jon provided direct support to multidisciplinary Special Operations Teams spread across austere environments. His Can-Do anything attitude was essential for him to thrive in an environment where critical decisions needed to be made that had a positive impact on every mission.For his actions, Jon was awarded numerous awards and decorations to include the Bronze star for exceptional Cross Continental Management skills that resulted in the kill and capture of High Value Enemy Targets. Although Jon achieved so much as an US Army Airborne Ranger, the extensive combat deployments paid its price. In January 2013 Jon was diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury due to multiple blasts from IEDs’ and chronic Post Traumatic Stress.Due to his health and family being more important to him, Jon made the hard decision and sacrifice to medically retire from the 75th Ranger Regiment. Saddened by his ordeal, Jon decided that he was not going to let PTSD and TBI determine his future, nor will he let these injuries define the thousands of vets who are suffering with no assistance.With his knowledge, exceptional leadership skills, and drive to take care of others. Jon created STAG VETS Inc to reintegrate homeless vets, vets suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury receive the care they deserve and use sustainable farming as a tool to build communities and instill a sense of pride into the team of vets that are working through the program.http://veteranpodcast.com/025

Jim Perry joined the American Red Cross as Service to Armed Forces Regional Manager in June 2015. He was a teacher in Baltimore City for 7 years prior and held summer employment managing sections of a Youth Work Program on the Eastern Shore of MD, and outside Baltimore MD. His role with the American Red Cross is to oversee volunteer activities in 7 Military Treatment Facilities in the Greater Chesapeake Region, as well as Manage Outreach briefings for Military Members and their families. He also supports efforts that provide outreach and support to Veterans, and Emergency Services to Military Members and their families. Jim was in the Marine Corps Reserve from 2002-2008, and served one deployment to Iraq. He was also a participant in the " Telling Project" a play where veterans share their stories along side Jeremy Paris. He holds a Bachelors Degree is Sociology from McDaniel College( Formerly Western Maryland College) and Masters Degree in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University. He is originally from Falls Church, Va. But now resides in Baltimore MD.

Check out the show notes: http://veteranpodcast.com/024

Dedira is excited to be living her dream of owning her own non-profit organization. The idea came out of her love for music and her mission to make a difference here in the US with our youth. Music was a very important part of Deidra's school experience where she played in her high school marching and concert bands. She started by playing the flute and ended up playing the sousaphone and tuba. She didn't realize at the time how lucky and blessed she was to have that opportunity as part of her school experience. Deidra's goal now is to work with musicians, community leaders, businesses and schools to help provide as many instruments and supplies as possible to the classrooms and our nations veterans.In Deidra's former career she worked in baseball (Orioles, Mets and the Bowie Baysox) and then spent a few years working doing marketing in corporate America. She is also on the Board of Directors for another fun organization called Mammojam and volunteers every summer as a camp councilor for the Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp.Currently Deidra works at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine and just finished her Masters in Non-Profit Management at UMUC. Show Notes: veteranpodcast.com/023

The organization was created in order to match successful veterans in the civilian community with soldiers. This partnership will provide a resource to those soldiers currently exiting the military. A soldier, re-entering the civilian community comes with some challenges. These challenges are mostly in understanding what technical and non-technical career opportunities exist and just where to begin. With the advice of successfully transitioned veterans they will gain a resource which should increase their odds of a successful transition.

Show Notes: VeteranPodcast.com/022