The Positive Voices

Finally I have some good news to pass on, the 11th annual charity golf outing supporting the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans was a success this year, a total of 56 four person teams participated and were very generous at the outing which was held at Saskatoon Golf Course in Caledonia. Bill Howard, who is the owner and also is a world war two veteran, not only provided a very helpful staff but also wrote a check in the amount of $ 1,000.00 to the Friends foundation to support our next project at the home. Not to be out done Terry Hayden Manager of 28th St. Outback Steakhouse donated the dinner for 250 people, this amounted to a $ 4,000.00 savings. Amazing support from people in our community supporting our veterans is truly hard to describe when Michigan’s economy is at an all time low. We can’t thank all those who attended the outing enough. The proceed from this fundraiser will be supporting our next project at the Home we call the Barber/Beauty shop re-model, this project will result in a first class handicap accessible facility that will give both men and women members a truly enjoyable experience many of us take for granted. We hope to see this project underway before the end of June stay tuned to local media for progress reports on this fantastic new project, I am very excited to get started, if you would like to donate to offset the cost of equipment which is going to cost approximately $18.000.00. Please check out our website Friends of Michigan Veterans Homes.org if you would like to help. Again I am very excited to get this project completed so that our members can have one more way to feel that the facility they reside in is more like a home than an institution. Thank you for keeping veterans in your hearts.

I want to thank everybody who took time out of their Saturday morning to attend the Memorial Day Parade in Grand Rapids this year. Remembering our fallen soldiers from all wars I believe becomes the duty of every one of us who are able to live in this country enjoying the freedoms these men and women fought and died for. Every veteran when they entered the service wrote a blank check to our government up to and including his Life. As we stand there in Veterans Memorial Park which I consider hallowed ground , Look around at the many names engraved into granite and marble, a very large number of those checks have been cashed by our government. Sadly I have to report we will be adding another name to our most recent monument honoring our fallen heroes. Sgt Lucas Beachnaw of Lowell made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for another man’s freedom. He was killed in a fire fight in Afghanistan December 2009, wounded three times, his refusal to leave the battlefield is truly a prime example of the dedication to his fellow comrades and service to our country that not very many people today can understand. This is why it is so important to the families and friends of these brave men who gave everything that we show up at these events and show our support, I know it means so very much to those family members and friends that are left behind. Thank You again for keeping veterans in your hearts.

May is finally here and that means nice weather is going to allow people to get out and enjoy the sunshine and warmth of spring. This truly is a blessing for members of Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. Many members are forced to stay indoors due to our cold winters with nothing to do but stare out at the snow and ice. Perhaps if a new attached green house was possible (and it is if funds could be raised). Many could benefit from programs that Betsy Brown, a registered Horticultural Therapist, could provide. Horticultural Therapy is a great program that I have personally seen in action and highly recommend. The Friends of Michigan Veterans Homes Inc. is just about ready to start a new project at the home. This project will remodel the existing employee lounge area into a first class beauty-barber shop complete with handicap accessible chairs to greatly improve comfort and ease for the lady members of the home. This is a much needed project and we are about halfway there in funding to make this project a reality. Please contact the Friends group through our Friends of Michigan Veterans Homes website at http://www.friendsofmichiganveteranshomes.org/. If you can help, thanks. Now let’s talk about something I feel is very important at the end of May, Memorial Day. This should be much more than a three day weekend that kicks off summer. Sadly, to many people this is uppermost in their minds and people who feel that way should be ashamed of themselves. This is the time to remember our veterans who have given so much to maintain the way of life we here in America so many times take for granted. Sadly, the West Michigan area has lost two more young men who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country: Nick Roush of Middleville and Lucas Beachnaw of Lowell. Both of these brave men lost their lives in Afghanistan last year and we must never forget them. One way to do that is by showing support for them and their families, by coming out and attending the Memorial Day Parades in your local communities. Grand Rapids’ is Saturday, May 29 at 10 a.m. I strongly urge you to come out and show your support for our vets and their families who have given so much to our country. Please try to set aside a couple of hours and attend a parade in your area, I can’t tell you how much this means to our veterans to see a good turnout. Thank you again, West Michigan, for supporting our veterans

Sure was nice to see the sunshine last week. It sure did wonders for my attitude just knowing Spring has arrived gives me hope that relief for our poor Michigan economy is headed in the right direction. Hope is a word I know many members at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans are constantly reminded of every day. Every time another small privilege is lost I know they hope it will be returned someday. Items we take for granted that make our lives a little more comfortable and our home truly a home and not an institution. A home is something many people strive to provide at GRHV for the members housed there. Little things such as popcorn in the afternoon which seem to be in short supply lately along with hot chocolate, cookies coffee and bus drivers to transport drivers to and from volunteer sponsored events. State cutbacks have forced drivers to take furlough days and have denied members of the chance to attend free concerts, dinners and other related events that members would derive a great deal of enjoyment to break up their day. I sincerely Hope these type of cutbacks will and should be restored soon. I do have some good news to pass along though, The Friends of Michigan veterans Homes Inc will soon be announcing the start of a new project at the Home, and plans are now complete to convert the old employee lounge area into a first class Barber/Beauty shop complete with new handicap accessible barber and beauty shop chairs. The ladies will have access to a hydraulic lift for their wheel chairs will tip back and make it much easier to get a wash and rinse that really will be a nice service. New lighting and ventilation will make it a pleasant setting for both men and women to enjoy, this small service is one example many of us take for granted. However , the Friends group could use a little help from you to get this project completed one hdcp barber chair alone is $ 5,000.00 and the list of smaller items is getting longer. Please go to www. Friends of Michigan Veterans Homes.org and check us out. If you can find it in your heart to donate to this project please give one of our directors or me a call I know the people of West Michigan are generous and supportive of our veterans at the home and I know how much they really do appreciate it. Next month homeless vets and is anybody trying to help them. Thanks again for keeping Veterans in your heart.

March 2010 and it is common knowledge to every person in the State of Michigan the economic conditions we are experiencing dictate budget cuts unheard of in years past. Many areas of state budget seem to have suffered cuts around eight percent, but when it comes to veterans groups those cuts seem to be around twenty five percent. Why is that the case? My opinion is when our state repre-sentatives look at veterans they see an easy target. Veterans are old soldiers, well not all are old, sorry but soldiers are used to tak-ing orders whether they like them or not and carrying on. Is this the attitude of our state body, and why should veterans groups which include the American Legion, V.F.W.s Amvets, and the DAV have to suffer through budget cuts that are triple what other agencies have been dealt? I personally view this as a giant slap in the face to all our veterans in the state that have served and still serve their country and the communities where they live. One example of this unfairness is the proposed elimination of service officers. These people have been assisting veterans trying to obtain benefits they have earned by serv-ing our country; many are suffer-ing physical ailments because of their service and some are suf-fering in other ways that are just as painful. The state would like to assign attorneys to replace the service officers that have been doing a great job for many years. Eliminating these service officers would certainly look good to the budget, but again the veterans would be the ones who will suffer the most. When an attorney takes on this service my understanding, as I have been told, is that the at-torney will receive between twenty and thirty percent of the veteran’s first check. How is this act of pi-racy a benefit to the veteran?? It is beyond me why a veteran that needs this money to live on should have to forfeit in some cases a pretty hefty chunk of his benefit. I certainly hope the legislature of our state will take another look at this proposal, come to their senses and leave a good program that serves our veterans’ needs in place. Next month, homeless vets and who is trying to help them.