Was told the term homeless vet needs to be a clarified. It is not just a veteran living on the streets.  It is also one that has only friends and relatives to stay with. There is a desperate need for furniture, food and personal care items for homeless veterans moving into apartments and housing. They also need some help getting it there. A lot of these veterans do not drive or have vehicles to drive.

You can contact Rex Jennings or Rob Decker if you want to donate. (562) 577-6109.  Make sure you give VAVS your contact information. They want to thank you and give credit for your donations.

VAVS also need volunteers. They need drivers for the government vehicles to get veterans to and from the VA facility. They need Greeters and Ambassadors to help veterans find their way around the hospital.

The Anaheim Clinic is due to be re-opened and a ribbon ceremony cutting soon. VA Healthcare facilities are seeing more younger veterans. This is good for the VA facilities because the more veterans enrolled the more financial aid they receive. The problem having such a large number of veterans enrolled is parking, and it is going to get worse before it gets better. It is not only a problem for veterans but also for volunteers and employees. This will continue to be a problem until they decide to build a multilevel parking structure.

The VA facility now has a Fisher House Board. The Fisher House Board will be working on plans to build temporary housing for relatives visiting active duty and other veterans getting care in the hospital. It will provide temporary living for 24 families and located in the back of the Hospital close to the golf course. The next Stand Down will be Aug 17, 18, 19 in Orange, location not known at this time. Another Stand Down will be in Compton Sept 21.22,23. Emergency Room will be moved out of the new building back to the old location sometime in the future. It takes too long to transport patients from the emergency room to the operating room in the old building. Every second counts at times. VAVS will have a kennel to house dogs. Some homeless veterans will not accept aid because they do not want to leave there dog unattended. Service & therapy dogs can also be placed in the kennel when veterans need to be kept overnight. People are stealing wheelchairs. The VA is ordering some that are heaver and do not fold so that it is harder to put in vehicles. One wheelchair was found at the LAX.

They could use more wheelchairs if you have one not being used.

In 2008, Emily Ackerman and KJ Sanchez began interviewing Marines returning from Afghanistan and Iraq as well as their families. Both are sisters of veterans – KJ has five brothers who served in the military during the Vietnam War and Emily has two brothers (USMC) who have served multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Having a personal investment as they do, it was vital to them that ReEntry sidestep the politics and instead find out what the experience of returning home is like for these remarkable men and women, and to ask how we – as families, as a culture, a society, and as a country – can help. All the dialogue in this play was taken directly from interviews with combat veterans and their families. Variety stated ReEntry has “Raw power. Searing impact.”

“ReENTRY is an inspiring, funny, and authentic depiction of real people dealing with the emotional fallout of war. It pierces the veil of stoicism and reveals the humanity in Marines struggling to overcome bearing witness to human carnage.” – Lynne Van Trieste Mother of a combat wounded Marine Recovery Care Coordinator Wounded Warrior Battalion – West Camp Pendleton

“Absolutely the best show I’ve ever seen! Thank you for coming to Quantico to treat us … I will be seeing this again in Baltimore before you leave town! Thank you for taking such incredibly touching material and making it available in such a non-partisan manner! EXCELLENT!” -  A Marine at USMC base Quantico

MILITARY, they will receive tickets at half price. There is a limit of four tickets per order.
Performances are Wednesday through Friday, January 18-20 at 8 p.m. in our Founders Hall. Tickets are $20 each, but we are offering them to currently enlisted military and veterans for just $10. Tickets can be purchased on-line at SCFTA.org, by calling our box office at 714/556-2787 or at our box office. By using the code   It will be up and running Wednesday morning.

http://www.americanrecordstheater.org/reentry/

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/five-questions-about-reentry/

http://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-ny-theatre-off-off-broadway/reentry-1004067766.story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO9NCl0dBrM

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/playwright_translates_veteran.html