Government Shutdown & Veterans, Newman's Own Grants, Retiree Appreciation Days, Veterans Crisis Line, Tutoring

The official word from the VA on how the government shutdown will affect Veterans is at: http://www.va.gov/opa/appropriations_lapse_plan.asp  Lots of rumors and constant updates are flying.  Our Northern Arizona Veterans Upward Bound program is operating as normal.

The Newman’s Own Foundation is dedicating $7 million to veteran-serving non-profit organizations through a grants process: http://newmansownfoundation.org/news/newman-s-own-foundation-awards-7-million-in-grants-to-military-service-organizations/ Several competitions opened yesterday, including CrowdRise, a matching fund program that the Student Veterans of America (SVA) is participating in (see more at: http://www.crowdrise.com/ThoseWhoServeChallenge)

According to the RAO Bulletin: Retiree Appreciation Days (RAD) are a great source of information and services for retirees and their family members.  In general, they provide an opportunity to renew old acquaintances, listen to guest speakers, renew ID Cards, get medical checkups and take advantage of lots of other retiree related services.  Based on the extent of the government shutdown, some planned events may be rescheduled, please call the office listed, prior to attending any event.  The next planned events in Arizona:
• ARNG Phoenix, AZ on October 26, contact 602-267-2545.
• Luke AFB, 56th Fighter Wing Retiree Appreciation Day, Saturday, Nov 2, 2013, Club Five Six 0800-1200. Scheduled events: * Flu Shots, Health Education Booths, VA -Federal & State Information and Refreshments For more information, visit http://fightercountry.org/56mdghealthfair or contact RAO at 623-856-3923 or rao@luke.af.mil

Update on the Veterans Crisis Line, also from the RAO Bulletin: “The caring professionals at the Veterans Crisis Line are specially trained and experienced in helping Veterans of all ages and circumstances. Many of the responders are Veterans themselves and understand what Veterans and their families and friends have been through and the challenges Veterans of all ages and service eras face. Since its launch in 2007, the Veterans Crisis Line has answered more than 890,000 calls and made more than 30,000 life-saving rescues. In 2009, the Veterans Crisis Line added an anonymous online chat service and has engaged in more than 108,000 chats. In November 2011, the Veterans Crisis Line introduced a text-messaging service, and has since responded to more than 10,000 texts—providing another way for Veterans to connect with round-the-clock support. Vets can contact the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, or chat 24/7/365 online at http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ChatTermsOfService.aspx or send a text message to 838255.”

If you, or your children, want some tutoring support in school, here is a listing of a variety of programs for all ages (some of which are free) at: http://www.howtolearn.com/best-websites/Top-101-best-tutoring-websites-october-2013/