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Return from Poland – Independence Day

Return from Poland – Independence Day

July Fourth celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s a showcase for patriotism. But what does all of this really mean? 

The president of Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services has perspective driven by appreciation because from June 25th to the 30th, he joined members of the Kaplan Public Service Foundation in Poland visiting Ukrainian refugees.  

But refugee assistance was simply one aspect of this visit. He and the other members of the group received briefings from our US Embassy in Warsaw, Polish Economists, and Poland’s Defense Ministry. They visited a Polish Military Base in Powidz which is now hosting 1,600 American troops. Colonel Milne also participated in guided walking tours of Old Town Warsaw and the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews. 

Patriotism comes from the heart. It’s what you believe and what you care about. It’s a sense of belonging and part of the culture one embraces. 

During this visit to understand the challenges facing Ukrainian war veterans, Colonel Milne returned with solutions to address these challenges and ways Dixon Center can provide influence, ideas, and actions.

While our team spent the holiday weekend at places like Mount Vernon, home of George Washington, who led the military movement for independence, or with family and friends, we all embraced the message shared by Col Milne when he said, “I have a new appreciation for our freedom.”

Embrace the day! What will you be reflecting on while you recognize our nation’s freedom and your own patriotism?

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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Group Coaching/Leadership Development Opportunities

Group Coaching/Leadership Development Opportunities

Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services is excited to partner with Medley to include veterans and their families in their programs. Medley is a group coaching platform and community to help leaders grow their impact at work and in life. Dixon Center has been working with the Medley team on an approach to provide access to high-quality coaching and inclusive leadership development opportunities for more veterans and their families. Together, we are aligned that the greatest impact is not achieved by creating a separate initiative exclusive to veterans interacting with veterans, but one that can give veterans and their families the experience of being part of the whole. Medley’s Membership model matches individuals into groups of 6-8 peers across organizations and industries. Groups are guided by a certified Medley coach and curated curriculum through 8 sessions over four months, helping emerging leaders practice and strengthen critical, foundational skills – including self-awareness, communication, and relationship-building. The next Medley Membership cohort kicks off in September. If you are interested in learning more about how Medley can support your people, please register for this Info Session and join us on Weds, July 19th from 12-12:30pm ET. During the session, we will introduce the Medley team, share more about how the program works and simple next steps if you are interested in nominating your people to join and benefit from group coaching. If you are unable to attend the info session or have any questions, please reach out to membership@withmedley.com.

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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New FAQ Page to Answer Your Questions

New FAQ Page to Answer Your Questions

We have added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on our website designed to provide a quick reference for the most common questions we receive.There, you will find a comprehensive collection of answers to questions ranging from Dixon Center history, how we operate, and it also includes a dedicated section with answers to on how you can donate to support our work. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for or require further clarification, please contact Vanessa Stergios at vstergios@dixoncenter.org.

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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Our Work within The Fedcap Group – Continued

Our Work within The Fedcap Group – Continued

Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services is working with Civic Hall @ Union Square to assist in the integration of veterans and those touched by military service into its future programs. David Sutherland, Duncan Milne, Sam Whitehurst and Kristen Thomaselli of Breakthrough22 met with Civic Hall Founder & CEO, Andrew Rasiej to ask, listen, observe and learn. Civic Hall is also a company of our parent organization, The Fedcap Group. When construction is complete, Civic Hall will focus on learning and collaboration to advance technology and problem solving for the public good. Its mission is to also help those under-represented and under-serviced communities, including veterans and their families, get trained and find well-paying technology jobs.  Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services is proud to be a resource for all of the 20 Fedcap Group top-tier nonprofit companies. These organizations take advantage of our influence, ideas, and actions to integrate veterans and their families into their existing programs.

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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Addressing Veteran Homelessness

Addressing Veteran Homelessness

Last week, Colonel Duncan S. Milne, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), President, and Eileen Greenlay, Manager, Donor Relations of Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services attended the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans Annual Conference in Washington, DC. It’s the largest gathering of community-based service providers working with veterans experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. The theme for this year’s conference was Building a Better Future.Dixon Center’s three key learnings:

  1. We are making progress, but there is still work to be done.
  2. Data and Collaboration are key to solving the veteran homeless crisis.
  3. Learning occurs nationally, implementation can only work locally.

We are proud and honored to have joined our partners who were also in attendance at the conference, such as Veterans Forward and Soldier On. Both are doing remarkable work in their local communities to provide housing services to veterans in Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey.To learn more about Dixon Center’s approach to our Live with Hope pillar and our work in addressing homelessness, please visit: https://dixoncenter.org/live-with-hope/.

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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Memorial Day Reflections

Memorial Day Reflections

This weekend we celebrated Memorial Day, a sacred day of recognition in the United States and Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services participated in events around the country.We at Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services, along with all of you, recognize Memorial Day weekend by remembering, honoring, and mourning the United States military members who died while serving in the Armed Forces.Members of our team, employees, ambassadors, contractors, volunteers, and their families, actively spent time in community and national celebrations.

These activities included:

  • Celebrating the lives and achievements of our fallen as part of the Stark County Ohio Honor Court Memorial Breakfast.
  • Attended the Malvern (Ohio) American Legion Valley Post 375 Community Memorial Day Celebration
  • Attending a memorial ceremony at the Wall, New Jersey Township Municipal Building.
  • Participating in the Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony at Memorial Hall, Veterans Park, on the University of North Carolina—Charlotte campus.
  • Attending the National Salute to America’s Heroes Air and Sea Show in Miami, FL.
  • Participating in a Memorial Service, in Williamstown, MA.
  • Visiting the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Augusta, ME.
  • One of our families played the trumpet as a member of Taps Across America.
  • Speaking at the Memorial Day Observance at Green Hills in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

These celebrations included speeches, flag placement, processions of colors, parades, flyovers, swearing in ceremonies of our newest service members, military bands, skydivers, soloists, and Taps.This past Memorial Day weekend, we hope that you were able to have time to reflect on the achievements and courage of our U.S. Service Members who died while serving in the Armed Forces. We will always remember, and they will never be forgotten.

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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Reflect and Remember

Reflect and Remember

Memorial Day Weekend is fast approaching, and we ask you to please keep in mind the reason for the holiday. Recently, Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services mailed out 700 Memorial Day cards to partners, donors, veterans, and other veteran stakeholders.  Over the Memorial Day remembrance, Dixon Center will be supporting numerous events across the Nation.

What can you do? Share a moment of silence at your family gatherings, at the beach, or wherever you find yourself on this solemn day. Remember those families for whom every day is Memorial Day as they live without those they love. Some other ways to remember and reflect:

  • Visit your local Veterans cemetery and pay your respects. Let us never lose sight of what this day is for.
  • Share your photos and stories of your loved ones on our Dixon Center Facebook wall. We want to help you remember and honor your loved ones this Memorial Day.
  • Join the Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Service Facebook Fundraiser in Memory of the Fallen here.
  • Recognize the sacrifices of those who died in service by making a memorial or honorary tribute.  
  • Plant a tree in honor of a member of your circle of friends or family that made the ultimate sacrifice.

As people start to prepare for the upcoming holiday weekend, please take time to reflect on the generations of men and women who have given everything for the freedoms we enjoy today.

 

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration

50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration

Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services joined thousands of visitors, veteran organizations, veterans and their families on the Washington, D. C. National Mall., 11 – 13 May, for the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration.

This three-day celebration included bands, speeches, information booths, military pomp & circumstance, and a huge gathering of advocates and veterans. This was an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge our nation’s Vietnam Veterans – their service, and example.

Dixon Center established an information booth to build public awareness and encourage involvement by individuals and organizations. More important, over the three days, we spoke with hundreds of Vietnam veterans and their families, listening to them, understanding what’s working and what’s not. With our partners, Angel Force USA and Cohens Veterans Bioscience, Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services is focused on ensuring that the evolving needs of Vietnam veterans continued to be met as they Heal with Honor.

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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Living with Hope – Mending the Line

Living with Hope – Mending the Line

Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services is pleased that we have been working with the producers, writers,  and leadership of the soon to release movie – Mending the Line.For several months, we have been providing influence, ideas, and actions to build awareness about an incredibly beautiful film that we think will be of interest to our network, our veterans and their families.The film Mending the Line is directed by Josh Caldwell and stars Brian Cox (Succession), Sinqua Walls (Friday Night Lights), Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond), Wes Studi (Last of the Mohicans), and many others. This film follows a wounded Marine veteran as he deals with his war trauma, eventually finding healing through fly fishing, mentorship, and community.The film will be released one month from today, 9 June 2023, in hundreds of theaters and then move to streaming.  In the coming weeks we will share more about this beautiful film in our Podcast, Service Before Self, our Blog, and with our partners – and the lessons that we can all take away from its message of hope.

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen

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Dixon Center Command Council National Network

Dixon Center Command Council National Network

Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services is advancing our national network by leveraging our Command Council.  “Today, I’d like to welcome our command council to our routine 2023 update and review.” announced our Chairman, David Sutherland, during our Dixon Center Command Council virtual review, on 27 April 2023. “We regularly attempt to update you on our nearly 60 projects that we are executing quarterly, and the projects we are assessing, planning, and evaluating outcomes. This year we’re on track to successfully achieve balance with our most important resources: people, time, and money.”Dixon Center Command Council serves as an advisory board. The members work with our leadership and provide advice on matters that directly concern programs and fundraising efforts.“All the members of our Command Council are passionate advocates for veterans and their families, as well as staunch supporters of Dixon Center. They empower us as we expand our reach and national network.”  – Retired USMC Colonel Duncan Milne, President.

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Memorial Day – Reflect and Remember

“The selected lines from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the Fallen’ honors sacrifice and serves as a reminder of the enduring respect and remembrance owed to fallen