In collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services provided a Program of Comprehensive Caregiver Support to eligible veteran caregivers. The training covered topics including caregiver self-care, home safety, caregiver skills, veteran personal care, managing difficult behaviors and support resources. As a result, more than 20,000 caregivers have been trained and received additional caregiver support from the VA.
The Smashing Pumpkins teamed up with Dixon Center to raise awareness and resources for communities to provide meaningful jobs, education and wellness for veterans and military families. During The Smashing Pumpkins 2015 Live Nation summer concert series, “The End Times” tour, the band worked in collaboration with Dixon Center in its joint partnership, “New Beginnings: Reaching America’s Vets.” Watch MSNBC “Morning Joe” to see the alt rock band Smashing Pumpkins are partnering with the Dixon Center to raise awareness for vets and military families. Billy Corgan and Col. David W. Sutherland join Morning Joe to discuss the partnership.
Angel Force USA: Suicide continues to be a persistent hazard to both active duty service members and veterans. To keep the spotlight on this intolerable situation, Dixon Center joined with Angel Force USA, to raise awareness and develop solutions to bring suicide numbers down by defeating SuiSilence. “SuiSilence is a call to action. It’s a word that when I heard it for the first time, it took my breath away. To me it is a call to action. It should remind us all that we can’t afford to have anyone sitting on the sidelines. Everyone of us needs to be involved in carrying out our major objectives and we need to understand the important role we each play in the lives of others. We will not tolerate another suicide. We will listen and we will encourage. We will participate and we won’t let those struggling with deep human emotions remain in silence”. The approach being used by Angel Force USA and Dixon Center to build public awareness, encourage community involvement and promote community-based services is the exact kind of leadership needed to stop suicides. The approach is leveraging the attitude of the American people who want to help but in some cases are waiting to be told what to do. Angel Force recognizes that we are stronger together than we are apart and they are using their voice to cause individuals to lose confidence in suicide as a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Easterseals: Since the creation of Dixon Center for Military and Veterans Services, we have been working with Easterseals national network of community based service providers to build capacity, include veterans and their families and leverage Easterseals affiliates. Across the nation, we provided influence, ideas and actions at the national and local level to serve as a resource for Easterseals’ 74 affiliates and 550 service sites – provides an unmatched, accessible resource and support for veterans and military families through these local life changing services:
• Employment & Financial Security
• Computer Center
• Education & Job Skill Training
• Professional Clothing
• Emergency Financial Assistance
• VA Benefits Consultation
• Caregiver Training & Support
• Food Pantry
• Case Management
• Interpersonal Communication Coaching
• Transitional Housing
• Peer-to-Peer Support Group
DryHootch: Peer support for veterans by veterans. Dixon Center has been partnering with local veterans groups like DryHootch of America that know the needs of returning military members and understand the military culture. Dixon Center leveraged DryHootch to work with local community-based organizations to create a Rally Point in Wisconsin. The facility serves as a conduit for service members and veterans to visit and seek community resources, support, and camaraderie all in a drug/alcohol free environment. It is a place where individuals learn of programs available to them to aid in their transition home, while enjoying the support of those who have navigated the path.
Justice for Vets: Dixon Center worked with Justice for Vets to help the organization build Veteran Treatment Courts in local communities. Specifically, Dixon Center helped facilitate the development of metrics and a multiyear strategy to increase capacity and reach In addition, we influenced the organizations leadership in serving returning veterans, their extensive collaboration with other organizations, and how their cause is different and unique from other veteran initiatives. As part of this initiative, Dixon Center spoke around the country, at local veterans treatment courts and during the Annual Justice For Vets Conference captured here by CNN.
Public Service Announcement Series: Dixon Center, while serving as a major Easterseals project, influenced the launch of a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that use light humor to reinforce veterans’ positive attributes, skills, knowledge and attributes. In fact, we collaborated with hilarious, award-winning film producer and director Judd Apatow and comedian Rob Riggle during the creation of one of our three PSAs. Easter Seals Dixon Center worked with its partner Veterans in Film and Television (VFT), a networking organization that unites current and former members of the military working in the film and television industry, to recruit a filmmaker for a special career-building opportunity to direct this PSA and received a mentorship session from award-winning director, producer and writer Judd Apatow. You can view the three PSA’s here:
What to wear?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=76Gt1MYpmyw
Morning Routine
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aRDBo8F9OtY
The Bank
