Gordon Best, Vet to Vet Program volunteer – Read more about him inside the Annual Report
Two Veterans Advisory Councils (VAC) have been established by Senior Solutions as part of the AmeriCorps Aging in Place Planning Grant. One of them is in Windham County and the other is in Windsor County. Each VAC’s goal is to strengthen the agency’s Vet to Vet Program by identifying veterans interested in being matched with one another. As veterans age they may become disconnected from their community. The Vet to Vet Program reconnects them to society by offering the camaraderie of a volunteer veteran buddy.
The Windham County-based VAC started meeting remotely last spring due to Covid-19. They met for the first time in person in June. Since then, the council has met at the American Legion Brattleboro Post #5 on the third Thursday of each month at 9 A.M. Ten veterans have participated in the meetings, which have focused on growing the Vet to Vet Program, issues raised by attendees, and events such as the Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial featuring the names of soldiers who never returned home, which was on view in Brattleboro in the fall. The group will continue to meet monthly. The VAC in Windsor met for the first time in October at the American Legion in Hartland. Senior Solutions’ Executive Director Mark Boutwell, Hartland American Legion Commander Martin Dole, consultant Gary Schall, and three local veterans attended the meeting. The group plans to meet quarterly in order to grow the Vet to Vet Program and connect with veterans in Windsor County.
For more information on these programs call the Senior Solutions HelpLine 1-802-885-2669.
This is just one of the article found inside Senior Solutions’ Annual Report. Take a look and see what other programs are helping our older Vermonters age successfully.
Do you want to get involved? You can volunteer to help our local seniors or donate to support these initiatives.
