Upcoming Reintegration Programs for Veterans, Military Families and Supporters

Wanted to share a few upcoming reintegration programs and military-focused events taking place across the country in the coming weeks/months (more events & actions). They're all free except for the event taking place in Chicago (which does have limited scholarships available to cover the cost):

August 3-5, 2007 in Payson, Arizona
Merritt Center Men's Welcome Home Program for Returning Combat Veterans

August 10-12, 2007 in the DC Metro area
Vets4Vets Free Veterans' Reintegration Workshop

August 17-19, 2007 in Payson, Arizona
Merritt Center Women's Welcome Home Program for Returning Combat Veterans

August 31-September 9, 2007 in Payson, Arizona
Merritt Center Men's Welcome Home Program for Returning Combat Veterans

September 14-16, 2007 in Eureka, MO
Vets4Vets Free Veterans' Leadership Workshop

September 13-16, 2007 in Chicago, IL
Healing Veterans from PTSD Workshop

September 15, 2007 in Hadley, MA
The Spiritual Journey Home from War [pdf]

October 11-14, 2007 in Payson, Arizona
Merritt Center Women's Welcome Home Program for Returning Combat Veterans

November 9-11, 2007 in Blue Mountain Lake, NY
Vets4Vets Free Veterans' Leadership Workshop

Please consider attending if you're a veteran or military family member. If you're neither, please pass the news on...

Click on 'Article Link' below tags for all the details...

The Merritt Center Complimentary Veterans Retreats

The Merritt Center is offering a special retreat program for combat veterans. With the assistance of mentors, who are veterans themselves, and healing practitioners; returning vets will open the program with a Talking Circle to begin to release the experiences of war and to begin to create the dream of a new life.

Through group and individual activities, participating veterans will learn to recognize the triggers of negative combat experience and learn ways to release negativity and reorder their personal priorities. They will learn to cleanse themselves of toxins of mind, body, emotions and spirit. The final retreat weekend will include family members who will join in a celebration of service and the awakening of a new vision of their future.

All returning veterans are welcomed to participate free of charge.

Men Retreat Dates
August 3-5, 2007,
August 31-Sept. 9, 2007
Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2007
January 11-13, 2008

Women Retreat Dates
August 17-19, 2007
October 11-14, 2007
Dec. 14-16, 2007

Location
The Merritt Center, P.O. Box 2087, Payson, AZ 85547
Phone: (928) 474-4268 [directions]

Application/Pre-screening Forms
MS Word :: PDF

Contact
You can contact the Merritt Center and Lodge via their online contact form. You can also send an e-mail to betty@merrittcenter.org OR call: 1-800-414-9880.

Vets4Vets Complimentary Workshops

Vets4Vets is a non-partisan veterans’ peer support organization dedicated to helping Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans feel good about themselves and heal from any negative aspects of service and war. As a national community of Iraq-era veterans who have served post 9/11, in weekend workshops, one-on-ones and local groups, Vets4Vets allow veterans to take equal and uninterrupted turns sharing their experiences and expressing their feelings in a truly confidential setting.

Over 300 Iraq-era veterans have attended one of our ten workshops in the last year. Many of them have returned to their home communities after these workshops and reached out to their peers to begin setting up Vets4Vets projects around the country.

Travel, lodging and meals will be provided. Applications (links below) must be submitted to Jason Ridolfi at vets4vets@gmail.com.

Priority will be given to OIF/OEF vets, especially those who have not yet attended a Vets4Vets workshop and to those who are interested in setting up and leading local Vets4Vets support groups. A few veterans from earlier conflicts will be invited as allies to help set up Vets4Vets programs in their organizations or communities.

Upcoming Events
DC Metro area - August 10-12, 2007: Vets4Vets Free Veterans' Reintegration Workshop :: Application [MS Word : PDF]

Eureka, MO - September 14-16, 2007: Vets4Vets Free Veterans' Leadership Workshop :: Application [MS Word : PDF]

Blue Mountain Lake, NY - November 9-11, 2007: Vets4Vets Free Veterans' Leadership Workshop :: Application [MS Word : PDF]

Organizer
Vets4Vets Staff
Vets4vets@gmail.com
(520)319-5500

Vet4Vets Coordinator
Jim Driscoll
4192 E. Boulder Springs Way
Tucson, AZ 85712,
jim@Vets4Vets.us
(520)250-0509

Healing Veterans from PTSD Workshop

Redefining PTSD as a soul wound, clinical psychotherapist Dr. Edward Tick offers hope by nurturing a positive, mature warrior identity for our veterans. He has been speaking nationally about the psycho/spiritual needs of veterans since the release of his acclaimed book, War and the Soul: Healing our Nation’s Veterans from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

This intensive healing and training workshop will provide experience in the groundbreaking techniques he has developed for over two decades and introduces in his book. He draws on methods from ancient Greek, Native American, Vietnamese, and other traditions to restore the soul so that veterans can, at last, find inner peace and truly return home to themselves, their families, and their communities.

The workshop is open to veterans and their families, counselors, therapists, and members of the clergy. Participants will find Dr. Tick’s work invaluable for veterans of any war as well as for all who love and would help them.

The workshop is co-sponsored by Quest Books and Soldier’s Heart, an organization Dr. Tick recently founded in Albany, New York for veterans’ healing. It will be held September 13-16th, 2007 at the Olcott campus of the Theosophical Society, 1926 North Main St., Wheaton, Il. Sign-in will begin at 3:00 p.m. Thursday. Dr. Tick will begin the workshop Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. and conclude at noon Sunday.

Registration fee is $395, excluding meals and rooms. Limited accommodations are available on campus; additional rooms are reserved at the Hampton Inn, 205 W. North Ave., Carol Stream, Il., (630) 681-9200. A very limited number of scholarships will be available. For more information go to www.soldiersheart.net. To register, or if you have questions, please call Christine Pomeroy: 800-669-9425, ext. 350, or email cpomeroy@theosmail.net.

The Spiritual Journey Home from War

Your faith community can share that journey...

• What are the issues facing our veterans?
• How can we truly support our troops as they come home?
• What helps with healing? What hinders healing?
• What veteran’s services and resources are available?

Let’s explore these questions, hear their stories, and educate ourselves so that we can respond better to the needs of our veterans, their families and all those affected by war.

Saturday, September 15, 2007
12:30*-5:00 PM
Registration begins at 12:30. The program starts promptly at 1:00
Wesley United Methodist Church
98 N. Maple Street, Hadley, MA 01035

Pre-registration is encouraged and a $10 donation is greatly appreciated. To register call the Veterans Education Project at 413-253-4947 or Wesley United Methodist Church at 413-549-1550 or send an email to office@wesleyfamily.org. Please leave your name and phone number, if no one is available. Download info flyer [pdf]

* There is a UMass football game at noon. Expect traffic. From Rt 9 East, turn left onto N. Maple Street at the lights near the Hampshire Mall. The church is ½ mile on the left.

Sponsors include Amherst Interfaith Service Council, Hampshire Interfaith Council, Veterans Education Project and Wesley United Methodist Church.

This is a non-political event open to members of all faith communities.

Can't attend any of these? Find others on our events list.