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Email News Letter
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Troops Week – Elk Camp
What: Troops Week, Minnesota Elks Youth Camp
When: 14-20 July, 2019
Who: This session is open to children ages 9-13 of members of all Military Branches and Veterans
Cost: Free
Military Families Talent Showcase at MN State Fair
Letter from Governor Tim Walz
2019 Month of the Military Child Photo Contest
Healthy Kids Day
Month of the Military Child 2019 Art Contest
Virtual Summer Reading for Military Kids
Please click on image to get more info and to register.
Family 200 Overnight at MN ZOO
Young Lives, BIG Stories Contest
Who: Contest is open to Active Duty Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Army Spouse or U.S. Army Retiree children preschool through twelfth grade.
What:Tell us what it means to be a military child through a drawing (ages 3 – 3rd grade) or essay (4th-12th grade).
When: Now thru April 30th
For more info and to enter visit: https://www.armymwr.com/programs-and-services/family-assist/month-military-child/young-lives-big-stories/ylbs-faq
The Hamel VFW is hosting a "Dinner & Dance Night" this Saturday, April 20th. Food 5-8:00 with music by The Arcades from 7-10:30. Stop in for dinner and enjoy fun night. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. It's been way too long! Please call for reservations if you have a large group.
Jim Heimerl (651) 261-3111
Good News is all around us, we just have to pay attention
Good news in this time era is always helpful to one's spirit! The attached video on CCX Media highlights the Hamel VFW's recent project to renovate their restrooms and make them ADA compliant. PBYR is delighted to have been able to help in this project!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
April Beyond The Yellow Ribbon Newsletter
April Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Newsletter.pdf
Statewide STI testing week at myHealth
The Hamel VFW is throwing a back to the 50's Style Dinner & Dance on Saturday, March 23rd. We'll serving a "malt shop dinner". There's going to be free dance lessons at 6:30 ( by TC Swing), prizes for best costumes and more. The Arcades will be playing their great classic rock. This is one you don't want to miss!
Last year this event was a complete sellout. Call for reservations if you have a large group and get there early.
Jim Heimerl
(651) 261-3111
PBYR makes $5000 donation to VFW
The Heinzen-Ditter VFW is remodeling their restrooms to make them ADA compliant and to deal with the age, mobility problems and disabilities experienced by elderly Veterans.
PBYR will assist the VFW with monetary support for this project. If anyone with construction experience that would like to further donate some time and expertise to assist the VFW with this project, please coordinate directly with Bernie Stein.
Bernie and I have reviewed costs and material. All were expertly put together as Bernie has significant experience with managing engineering projects. Bernie is a West Point grad and currently serves as the VFW's quartermaster. This project includes 3 restrooms: men, women and family — all meeting ADA guidelines.
Home Depot has contributed $3000 to date and it is unknown whether they will contribute more. Some of the estimated costs may be increased or reduced due to Home Depot's military discount applies to some items and not others. I reviewed the paperwork and plans and believe this project is a go from all perspectives. The following is the plan :
PBYR makes an immediate $5000.00 donation to the VFW. PBYR will review the additional amount needed for the project as construction progresses with Bernie and give another donation after clarification of final costs and Home Depot's total grant contribution and discount.
PBYR will present a Plaque to be displayed at the VFW after all construction is completed. Gary will coordinate with Sun Sailor as needed as they want a picture of PBYR presenting the plaque.
This project meets the mission of PBYR and will help Veterans for many years. PBYR would not have been able to help without the yearly support and trust of the Plymouth Lions!! Hug a Lion if you see one!!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Otten Bros. & Flower Farm Job Fair
Hamel VFW fish fry every Friday through Lent
PBYR Helps Marine Veteran and Family after Surgery
In February 2019, PBYR provided support and Schwann dinners to a Marine Veteran and his family to support his recovery. We thank him for his prior military service (Vietnam). This Veteran is getting stronger every day!!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Thank you for all you do. As always, if I can be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me, I am happy to help!
Yolonda Von Itter
Family Assistance Specialist Contractor
MN National Guard Readiness Center
1536 Ben Franklin Dr
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Office: 651-282-4055
Proto Labs Supports PBYR with a Generous Donation!!
I was delighted to participate in an event at Proto Labs on February 13, 2019 that was organized to help support Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. We greatly appreciated Proto Lab's invitation, support and trust!
Proto Lab's very generous donation of $700.00 will be put to good use helping service members, veterans and their families in times of crisis or need. Proto Lab's employees demonstrated great values and a lot of positive energy at the event ,especially in the bean bag game and the chili competition! Pictures of the event will be placed on PBYR.org.
PBYR is a proud member city of the Minnesota Beyond the Yellow Ribbon (BYR) network of 219+ Minnesota cities that have banded together to assist service members, veterans and their families. In April 2016, PBYR received a 5-year appreciation award for being a proud member of the Minnesota BYR network from General Nash, MN National Guard. This award is proudly displayed at Plymouth City Hall. In 2015 PBYR received certification from the IRS as a 501c3 non-profit corporation and as a result all donations are tax-deductible. PBYR has no paid staff and operates totally with volunteers.
Proto lab's donation is greatly appreciated by PBYR!
Greenwood Elementary Students and Parents Donate to PBYR!!
On February 8, 2019 Kersten and I had the privilege to again participate in the Greenwood Elementary School Family Service Night. The school was very active with a commitment and effort to help others, even with the temperature outside very cold and the roads slippery.
The Greenwood students wrote beautiful letters and created art work for service members which are always warmly received and appreciated by deployed Minnesota soldiers. The Greenwood parents AGAIN generously donated Holiday, Cub and Target Gift Cards! Their very generous gifts will help PBYR distribute needed assistance to Service Members, Veterans and/or their Families that could use some emergency help.
PBYR greatly appreciates the support of Angela Leger and the Greenwood Elementary Parents and Students!!!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D., LP
President, PBYR Board
BTYR Offer – Save $10 on Stars on Ice tickets
Thank you,
Karen Reisinger
Group Sales Coordinator
317 Washington Street * St. Paul, MN 55102
Direct: (651) 312-3486 * Fax: (651) 726-8246
February Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Newsletter
Ellyn E. Emde
Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program OIC
MN Family Programs, J1
147th Human Resources Company
Rear Detachment Commander
Arden Hills, MN
Unique Opportunities
Troops To Teachers Program
WHO: Current military members, retired, and honorably separated military personnel
WHAT: Troops To Teachers Program
WHEN: Ongoing
WHERE: Nationwide
WHY: To assist transitioning service members and veterans in beginning new careers in public, charter, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools.
HOW: Troops to Teachers is a DOD program which facilitates Service members' successful transition to a teaching career by providing counseling and financial and placement assistance for eligible Service members and veterans.
POC: Dr. Charles Rick at 218-780-0343 or for online information go to
|ZMC Hotel Discounts and Promotions
WHO: Military and Public Service Personnel (valid ID required)
WHAT: Hotel discounts and promotions
WHEN: Various year-round
WHERE: Duluth, MN
WHY: To show support for military, law enforcement, and public service personnel
HOW: go to www.zmchotels.com/military for details and rates
|Personal Financial Counselor
WHO: Military and their families
WHAT: Making Financial Decision
WHEN: Based on Appointment
WHERE: Multiple Locations
WHY: No cost Services
HOW: Contacts listed below
|Sam's Club Free $15 Gift Card "It's Our Salute to You!"
WHO: Active and Retired Military and their Spouses
WHAT: Free $15.00 Sam's Club Gift card
WHEN: Open
WHERE: All Sam's Club locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin
WHY: Sam's Club Salute to You for Your service
HOW: Present your Military ID to the Store Associates when signing up or renewing your membership with Sam's Club and you will get your $15.00 Gift Card
|School for Performing Arts
WHO: Military Families
WHAT: Opportunity to participate in School for the Performing Arts
WHEN: Open
WHY: Private Lessons for Voice, Acting, Beginning Piano, and Flute via videoconferencing tools Group Music and Theatre Classes on a Global Scale, Consistency and Flexibility
HOW: More information on the programs Play.Sing.Act, LLC offers please Check out
POC: April Vargo Founder, Owner, Educator Play.Sing.Act http://www.playsingact.com
Minnesota Military Museum Veterans Registry
WHO: Interested Military, Veterans and Individuals
WHAT: Camp Ripley, MN – The Minnesota Military Museum wants your story for their "Veterans Registry".
WHEN: The Minnesota Military Museum is open seven days a week from May through September and Thursdays and Fridays from October through April, with special tours coordinated at any time.
WHERE: Camp Ripley, MN – The Minnesota Military Museum
WHY: The Registry is easy to use and anyone can submit a Veterans story and pictures of the veteran. This service is also FREE and a great way to preserve a record of your service for your family.
HOW: Interested veterans and individuals should Click Here and also click on Veterans Registry.
POC: Executive Director, Jeff Thielen Email firstname.lastname@example.com
PROTOLABS selects Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon for a donation
I am pleased to announce that PBYR was selected by Protolabs for their quarterly project to support a local community non-profit. They heard about the PBYR mission and very much liked our PBYR.org website.
**KUDOS to John Swol for steadily helping behind the scenes to make our website interesting. The yearly increase in traffic to the PBYR website from 2012 to the present speaks to his efforts!! PBYR is very lucky to have John's help and support. He also helps PBYR even when he is engaged in competitive suntanning competitions in Florida!!
Protolabs will be doing a raffle and I will be the PBYR representative in attendance so the raffle will not be construed as violating gambling laws as we are a 501c3 organization. The date of the raffle is February 13, 2019 from 11 AM-1 PM at their office in Maple Plain.
** PBYR extends appreciation and sincere thanks to Protolabs for their support and trust!!!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D., LP
President, PBYR Board
Burgers for the troops – 4th Wednesday each month
Cragun's Resort Employment Opportunities
Month of the Military Child T-Shirts
Military Hiring Event – March 19
Operation Valentine
Military Youth Ice Fishing Clinic
HOLES FOR HEROES ice fishing tournament
|HOLES FOR HEROES ice fishing tournament
Who: 34 ID Deployed Soldiers and their Families
What: A time to ice fish and connect with loved ones at a fishing tournament supported by the community
When: 2 FEB 2019, Approx. 13:00-14:00
Where: Medicine Lake, MN and at various deployed locations via VTC
Why: Honor the Soldiers and Families and provide a place and time to connect.
Follow this link for more information:
FAC Newsletter – January
Happy New Year!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Attached please find this month's issue of the FAC Newsletter. The focus this month on is self-care and being deployment ready as a family.
FAC Newsletter- January 2019.pdf
As always, if I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to continuing to work with you, thank you for everything you do!
Yolonda Von Itter
Family Assistance Specialist Contractor
MN National Guard Readiness Center
1536 Ben Franklin Dr
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Office: 651-282-4055
April- Month of the Military Child
Please see attached and below the information for April Month of the Military Child Activities.
Come celebrate the Month of the Military Child on Friday, April 12th at the Mall of America. Activities include:
- Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band
- face painting
- character appearances
- photo booth,
- air brush tattoos
- YMCA Youth activities and more
Beginning Monday, March 18th Registration will open for the Nickelodeon Universe Wristbands and Build A Bears tickets.
Additionally, many activities will be available and advertised during the month of April. See the attached flyers for:
- Family Programs Art contest
- Photo Contest
- Register to receive a letter from the Governor.
Laura Groeneweg
MN National Guard Contractor
Lead Child and Youth Program Coordinator
Minnesota Wild Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Night
Welcome to the 6th Annual Beyond The Yellow Ribbon Awareness Night with the MN Wild! Thank you for your continued support of this great organization. This year's ticket package will include a new custom designed T-Shirt, pre-game on-ice photo, and entry into raffle for autographed items and game experiences. Plus, a portion of each ticket will be donated back to St Paul Beyond The Yellow Ribbon. The first 1,000 tickets purchased will also receive a BTYR Draw String Bag from Hiway Federal Credit Union. Please share this offer to help support a great night and great cause! For additional questions or support, please reach out to Matt Sayre at (651) 312 – 3479 or via email at email@example.com.
WHAT: 6th Annual Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Night on Tuesday, Jan 15, 2019 vs. Los Angeles! Ticket package offer to service members, veterans and military families.
To get access to the offer, simply click on the link: https://offer.fevo.com/beyond-the-yellow-ribbon-fe4f56b?ref=MSAYRE Limited packages so get yours soon!
WHEN: Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 7PM
Annette Brechon Kuyper
Director of Military Outreach
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
20 West 12th Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
Breakfast with Santa in Arden Hills
As a thank you to military service members and their families, the City of Arden Hills would like to extend an invitation to:
Breakfast with Santa
Saturday, December 15
9:30 – 11:30 am
Arden Hills City Hall
Ages 1 – 10 (other family is welcome)
Fee: waived for family of service members serving in Arden Hills/Ramsey county
Breakfast will include donuts, muffins, fruit, juice and coffee; craft, games and a photo op with Santa.
Please contact Joe at firstname.lastname@example.com for additional information and to register.
Yolonda Von Itter
Family Assistance Specialist Contractor
Strategic Resources, Inc.
…Creating Powerful Solutions
An International Company
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
CMMI Maturity Level 3 Rated
Please visit: www.sri-hq.com
MN National Guard Readiness Center
1536 Ben Franklin Dr
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Office: 651-282-4055
We Can All Save Lives
Employment Opportunity – Driver Needed
Driver/Transporter needed
(posted 12/5/2018)
One month position available starting Dec 10 driving a van filled with sensitive equipment, unloading the equipment with the use of the lift on the van, transporting nursing home patients, transferring them from wheelchairs, maintain positive interaction with patients, clients and staff, demonstrate a can-do attitude.
Must be able to drive the van, have no lifting restrictions, work full days and walk all day. Start and end the day in St. Louis Park. Monday-Friday, 7 am – 3 pm. Clean driving record, background check and drug screen. Be a team player working with others and patients. Good communication skills.
This is a fill in position for one month, but may become a full-time position. Contact Judy at 612-716-3131 or firstname.lastname@example.com for more information or to apply.
PBYR and Wayzata High School Y. E.S. Partner to Support MN Soldiers
On December 3, 2018 PBYR mailed 7 boxes of treats for deployed MN soldiers. This represents an annual partnership between WHS and PBYR to support deployed MN soldiers.
Minnesota Wild – Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Night – Tues Jan 15th vs. Los Angeles
Welcome to the 6th Annual Beyond The Yellow Ribbon Awareness Night! Thank you for your continued support of this great organization. This year's ticket package will include a new custom designed T- Shirt, pre-game on-ice photo, and entry into raffle for autographed items and game experiences. Plus, a portion of each ticket will be donated back to Beyond The Yellow Ribbon. The first 1,000 tickets purchased will also receive a BTYR Draw String Bag from Hiway Federal Credit Union. Please share this offer to help support a great night and great cause! For additional questions or support, please reach out to Matt Sayre at (651) 312 – 3479 or via email at email@example.com: 6th Annual Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Night on Tuesday, Jan 15, 2019 vs. Los Angeles! Ticket package offer to service members, veterans and military families. To get access to the offer, simply click on the link: https://offer.fevo.com/beyond-the-yellow-ribbon-fe4f56b?ref=MSAYRE. Limited packages so get yours soon!
WHEN: Tuesday, January 15, 2019, 7PM
Annette Brechon Kuyper
Director of Military Outreach
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
20 West 12th Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
Hamel VFW November Dinner & Dance!
Veterans Day Program was a Success!!
Kudos to the Heinzen Ditter VFW Post 5903 and the American Legion Post 394 for sponsoring an excellent Veterans Day Program on November 10, 2018. The parking lot was completely full. PBYR was honored to help promote the event.
All the speakers highlighted poignant reflections about America, such as clarity of purpose, mission, respect and the importance of character. I reflected on the comments about the dedication and time commitment of the Veterans that volunteer to serve with the Fort Snelling Rifle Squad and those that serve as a Color Guard to meet the numerous requests for assistance at burials and representation at special events. Veterans do us proud by their example and dedication! Congrats to VFW Commander Jim Heimerl et al in making this program a success.
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP
PBYR President
Twelve Step Retreat for members of the Military and Veterans in Recovery
Click on image to go to the Twelve Step Retreat website
Blacksmithing for Veterans
Click on image to see Kens Custom Iron website
Voices of the Winona Armory Exhibit Opening Reception
FREE Haircuts at Great Clips – 11/11
Military Appreciation Day – 11/11
State of Minnesota Veteran's Day event – 11/11
World War I Armistice Centenary Concert – Nov. 11
Armistice Day at Britt's Pub on November 11
Thank You for your service from the YMCA
The Metro area YMCA's have some great Veteran Appreciation events going on this month. We would love to have you be a part of any and all of these events.
We have a promo for sign up right now as well so make sure everyone takes advantage of this deal!!
Eastside YMCA – ST Paul MN
Rise and Shine Bootcamp: 8:45 am to 9:45 am (Open to all)
Pancake Breakfast: 9:00 am to 11:00 am (Open to all Veteran's and their family) The Eastside YMCA will also host an Open House to all military and their families
Open to all with proof of Military I.D or DD214.
WHEN: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10th
TIME: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
St. Paul Eastside YMCA
875 Arcade Street
St. Paul, MN 55106
Forest Lake YMCA
Veterans Potluck
When : Nov 30th
Time: 6-8pm
Where : At the Forest Lake YMCA
All are welcome to join. Please bring a DD214 for grant tracking purposes and also get an extra raffle ticket for doing so. We have two raffle baskets one from tin whiskers brewery and one from the YMCA swag bag. Bring a dish to pass
Midway YMCA
Open House and Veterans breakfast
Nov 14th 10am
1761 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55104
St. Paul Midway YMCA
Elk River YMCA
Open House and a Boot Camp Class Monday Nov 12th
13337 Business Center Drive Northwest
Elk River, MN 55330
Suits for Heroes
Recovery Night – November 8
Websites listing various Veterans Day deals, 2018
Bunker Labs–Veteran Resource Fair
November 8th, 1700-1930
Capella Tower
39th floor
225 South 6th St.
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Other deals for Vets!
Free Meals Before Veterans Day:
Huddle House, Nov. 9 – 12, 2018. FREE order of Sweet Cakes (Huddle House's fluffy, platter-size pancakes available in eight different flavor and topping combinations) to all active military members and veterans with proper I.D. on Veterans Day at all Huddle House locations nationwide.
Shane's Rib Shack, Nov. 8 – 10, 2018. Free sandwich combo, including sandwich, regular side, and 20 oz drink at participating Shane's Rib Shack locations only.
Free Meals on Veterans Day:
The following offers are all on Veterans Day, Nov 11, 2018:
54th Street Grill, Nov. 11, 2018. Free entree, up to $12, for Veterans and Active Duty Military. Proof of service required, Dine-in Only.
Acapulco, Nov. 11, 2018. Complimentary meal.
Applebee's, Nov. 11, 2018: One of 8 entrées to choose from for a free meal. Military ID or proof of service required. You can read all about the offer in our post here, and get more information and check out all of Applebee's locations on their website.
Bar Louie, Nov. 11, 2018. Free Flatbread or Burger, up to $15, with ID. You can check out Bar Loui's website to see all of their locations and details on their Veterans Day promotion.
CentraArchy Restaurants, Nov. 11, 2018. Free meal for veterans at select locations of New York Prime, California Dreaming, The Tavern at Phipps, Chophouse New Orleans, Carolina Roadhouse, Joey D's Oak Room, Chophouse '47 or Gulfstream Café. Find all the details at CentraArchy Restaurant's website.
Chevys Fresh Mex, Nov. 11, 2018. Complimentary meal.
Chili's, Nov. 11, 2018. Free meal from a select menu. Dine-in only and participating locations only. Proof of military service required.
The Chop House, Nov. 11th, and Nov. 12th, 2018. 50% off any dine-in lunch or dinner entree to veterans with military ID or in uniform.
Connors Steak & Seafood, Nov. 11th, and Nov. 12th, 2018. 50% off any dine-in lunch or dinner entree to veterans with military ID or in uniform.
Cotton Patch Café, Nov. 11, 2018. Free meal for current and former military members. Choices include full-size chicken fried steak or chicken fried chicken. Proof of service required. You can learn more on Cotton Patch Cafe's site, as well as seeing where your nearest location is.
Cracker Barrel, Nov. 11, 2018. Complimentary slice of Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola® Cake for dessert or a Crafted Coffee.
El Torito & El Torito, Grill, Nov. 11, 2018. Complimentary meal.
Famous Dave's, Nov. 11, 2018, and Nov. 12, 2018. Free 2 Meat Combo served with choice of side and cornbread muffin – for veterans and current military members. Bring proof of service. Participating locations only.
Friendly's, Nov. 11, 2018. Free breakfast, lunch, or dinner to guests with a valid military ID or honorable discharge card. Meal options include the Big-Two-Do® breakfast (choice of two slices of French toast, two buttermilk pancakes or two slices of toast; two strips of crispy bacon or two sausage links and two made-to-order farm fresh eggs), or All American Burger (fries and a beverage) during lunch or dinner. Dine-in only. This offer is limited to one per person at participating locations only.
Green Mill, Nov. 11, 2018. Free menu item for lunch or dinner. Offer includes any single item from our menu. Some limitations. Proof of military service required. Dine-in Only.
Grub Burger Bar, Nov. 11, 2018. Free entree for active, inactive, and retired military personnel. Proof of military service is required. Find your nearest location.
Hy-Vee, Free Breakfast, Nov. 11, 2018. Free Veterans Day breakfast from 7am – 11am at all participating Hy-Vee supermarkets with in-store dining.
Logan's Roadhouse, Nov. 11, 2018 (3 pm – 6 pm). Free entrée from the American Roadhouse Meals menu for veterans and active duty military personnel. 10% discount year-round. Call your local Logan's Roadhouse for details and to verify participation.
LongHorn Steakhouse, Nov. 11, 2018. Free appetizer or dessert (no purchase required, no restrictions). Additional 10% off for guests that dine with Veterans on November 11. Offer good for Veterans and active-duty military members. Proof of service required. Find a location near you.
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants, Nov. 11, 2018. Veterans will be able to choose a complimentary lunch or dinner entrée from a special menu. Veterans must provide proof of military service. No ID needed for Gold Star Family members (parents or spouse). Be sure to contact your local McCormick & Schmick's as this is valid at participating restaurants only. Space is limited and reservations are highly recommended. Be sure to review our rundown of this offer, and if you still need more information visit McCormick and Schmick's Veterans Appreciation Event.
Nékter Juice Bar, Nov. 11, 2018. Free 16 oz Juices and Smoothies to Veterans and Active Duty Military all day long at participating locations. Find a Nékter Juice Bar near you and get their contact info to learn more about their free smoothie offer.
Olive Garden, Nov. 11, 2018. Free entrée from a special menu. Entrées are served with unlimited soup or house salad and garlic breadsticks. Offer good for veterans and active duty military; proof of service required. Read our guide to Olive Garden's Veterans Day special and take a look at their locations.
On The Border, Nov. 11, 2018. Veterans and current service members will receive a free Choose-2 Combo Meal. Each combo is accompanied with sides of Mexican rice and refried beans (black beans upon request), plus endless complimentary tortilla chips and housemade salsa. Dine-in only, proof of service required.
Outback Steakhouse, Nov. 11, 2018. Free Bloomin' Onion and a non-alcoholic beverage. This offer is available to Military Personnel and veterans with ID. Also available 10% OFF Heroes Discount is open to servicemen and women, police officers, firefighters, and first responders, with corresponding state or federal service ID through Dec 31, 2018. You can learn more in our post on Outback's military discount and find an Outback near you with the restaurant's locator tool, as well as checking out their Operation Homefront initiative.
Primanti Bros, Nov. 11, 2018. Free Sandwich for veterans and active duty military at participating locations.
Rib Crib, Nov. 11, 2018. Free meal from Menu of Honor, which includes choice of two meats and two sides, and your choice of a non-alcoholic beverage.
Sagebrush Steakhouse, Nov. 11, 2018, 10 am – 11 pm. Free meal from select menu for veterans and current military members. Includes non-alcoholic beverage. Bring proof of military service.
Texas Corral, Nov. 11, 2018. Free meal from a special menu, plus lemonade, iced tea, or coffee for veterans and current military personnel. Bring proof of military service.
Texas Roadhouse, Nov. 11, 2018. Free meal from special menu. Includes sides and a soft drink, coffee, or tea. Proof of service required. Dine-in only. You can access more info and find locations on Texas Roadhouse's website.
TooJay's, Nov. 11, 2018. Free entrée from a special menu on Veteran's Day.
Vitality Bowls, Nov. 11, 2018. Free smoothies for current and former military members at all corporate-owned locations and participating franchises.
Wienerschnitzel, Nov. 11, 2018. A complimentary Chili Dog, small fries and 20 oz. drink at participating Wienerschnitzel locations, with valid military ID or by wearing a military uniform.
Wild Wing Café, Nov. 11, 2018. A complimentary meal with proof of service. Veteran may choose from any Awesome Salad, Wild Wrap, Beefy Burger, or Chicken Sandwich. Participating locations only.
Free Meals After Veterans Day:
Arooga's Grille House & Sports Bar, Nov. 12, 2018. Current and former military members will receive a free meal from a special menu. Dine-in only.
Golden Corral, Nov. 12, 2018 (5pm – 9pm): The 18th annual Golden Corral Military Appreciation dinner is available to any person who has ever served in the United States Military. If you are a veteran, retired, currently serving, in the National Guard or Reserves, you are invited to participate in Golden Corral's Military Appreciation dinner, which you can learn all about on the website.
Hoss's Family Steak & Sea House, Nov. 12, 2018. Free Soup, Salad, and Desert Bar. Beverage Included. Available for all veterans and active duty military. Dine-in only, valid ID or proof of service required. Valid at participating restaurants only, 11am – 9pm. Hoss's website provides you with more info and locations.
K&W Cafeteria, Nov. 12, 2018. Free meal, including entrée, 2 vegetables, Bread, and Beverage.
Rock & Brews, Nov. 12, 2018. Complimentary pulled pork sandwich and a side dish or Strawberry Fields Salad. Available for Veterans, Armed Forces, and First Responders. Proof of military service required. Participating locations; Dine-in Only. More info is available on their website.
Twin Peaks, Nov. 12, 2018. Military Monday. Free menu item from a select menu at participating locations. Please call ahead to verify participation.
2018 Veterans Day offers, discounts
Military.com has compiled a list of free or reduced goods and services offered to service members, veterans and their families by businesses and organizations in honor of Veterans Day. The list will continue to be updated as it gets closer to Nov. 11.
The following discounts have been confirmed by Military.com, through either press releases or direct communication with the company.
Most businesses require proof of military service, which can include a VA health identification card, military ID, DD-214 or veterans service organization card (e.g., The American Legion, VFW, DAV, AMVETS, MOAA, FRA, etc.). In some cases businesses will accept a picture of the veteran in uniform.
Note: Not all franchise locations participate in their national chain's Veterans Day programs, so contact your nearest establishment to make sure they are participating.
Also, visit www.legion.org/veteransbenefits/state to see what benefits and opportunities are available to veterans in your state.
2018 Veterans Day Restaurant Specials
54th Street Grill — Veterans and active-duty military get a free entree up to $12 on Nov. 11.
Applebee's — Veterans and active-duty military receive a free meal from a limited menu on Nov. 11.
Arooga's — Veterans and active-duty military get a free meal from a fixed menu on Nov. 12.
Bar Louie — On Nov. 11, veterans and military personnel get a free burger or flatbread up to a $15 value.
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse — For the month of November, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse and Dr Pepper are contributing 11,000 Pizookies® to the restaurant's 'Buy a Hero a Pizookie' program. Current or retired military simply claim a Pizookie® at www.bjsrestaurants.com/heropizookie Nov. 1-30, while supplies last. Once claimed, the offer is emailed and valid for 72 hours. Guests who would like to honor these heroes can contribute $1 or more on their restaurant bill to the program. With a contribution of $1 of more, guests will receive a bounce-back coupon for a FREE Pizookie® with any food purchase of $9.95 valid through 12/31/2018. And on Sunday, Nov. 11, all military members who dine in-restaurant receive a complimentary entree up to $12.95, plus a free Dr Pepper beverage, by presenting a military ID or proof of service at any BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse location nationwide.
Buffalo Wild Wings — Veterans and active-duty military personnel receive one small order of wings and a side of fries for free on Nov. 11.
CentraArchy Restaurants — Veterans and active-duty servicemembers get a free entree on Nov. 11.
Chevys Fresh Mex — On Nov. 11, veterans and current servicemembers will be served a free meal from a select menu from 3 p.m. until closing.
Chop House — On Nov. 11-12, veterans get 50 percent off any dine-in lunch or dinner entree.
Connors Steak & Seafood — On Nov. 11-12, veterans get 50 percent off any dine-in lunch or dinner entree.
Cotton Patch Cafe — Veterans and active-duty military get a free chicken fried steak or chicken fried chicken on Nov. 11.
Cracker Barrel — Veterans get a complimentary slice of Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake or a Crafted Coffee on Nov. 11.
Eat'n Park — All active and former military personnel will receive a 10 percent discount for the entire month of November.
El Torito — On Nov. 11, veterans and current servicemembers will be served a free meal from a select menu from 3 p.m. until closing.
Famous Dave's — On Nov. 11-12, former and current military personnel will receive a free 2 Meat Salute.
Friendly's — Veterans and active military get a free breakfast, lunch or dinner from a limited menu on Nov. 11.
Golden Corral — Golden Corral Restaurants' Military Appreciation Night free dinner will be available on Nov. 12 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Military retirees, veterans, active duty, National Guard and reserves are all welcome.
Green Mill Restaurant and Bar — Veterans and active-duty military get a free meal on Nov. 11.
Grub Burger Bar — Active, inactive and retired military personnel get a complimentary entree on Nov. 11 at all locations.
Hoss's Steak and Sea House — Veterans and active-duty military get a free meal from the soup, salad and dessert bar on Nov. 12.
Hy-Vee — Veterans and active-duty military members get a free breakfast buffet on Nov. 11.
K&W Cafeterias — Veterans and active duty get a free meal on Nov. 12 from 11 a.m. until closing.
Kings Family Restaurant — Veterans and active military members get a free meal from a select menu on Nov. 12.
Logan's Roadhouse — On Nov. 11 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., veterans and military personnel receive a free meal from the American Roadhouse Meals menu.
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants — Veterans and Gold Star honorees (parents and spouse) can enjoy a free entree from a special menu on Nov. 11.
On the Border — Veterans receive a free Create Your Own Combo entree (Choose 2) on Nov. 11.
Pancho's Mexican Restaurant — Veterans and active-duty servicemembers will receive a 25 percent discount on their bill on Nov. 11.
Primanti Bros. — Veterans and active-duty military get a free sandwich all day on Nov. 11.
Rock and Brews — Veterans and active military personnel receive a complimentary pulled pork sandwich or salad on Nov. 12.
Ruby Tuesday — Veterans, active-duty and reserve service members get a free appetizer on Nov. 11.
Sagebrush Steakhouse — Veterans and active-duty military receive a free meal from a select menu on Nov. 11.
Shane's Rib Shack — Active-duty military and veterans get a free sandwich combo Nov. 8-10 at participating locations.
Texas Corral — Veterans and active service members get a free entree from a special menu along with an iced tea, lemonade or coffee on Nov. 11.
TooJay's — Veterans and active-duty military get a free entree from a special menu on Nov. 11.
Twin Peaks – Active-duty and veterans get a free meal from a select menu on Nov. 12.
Wienerschnitzel — Veterans and active-duty military receive a free Chili Dog, small fries and a 20 oz. drink on Nov. 11.
Wild Wing Cafe — Veterans eat for free all day from select items on Nov. 11 at participating locations.
2018 Veterans Day Travel and Recreation Discounts
9/11 Memorial and Museum — Veterans will receive free museum admission, as well as half-price museum tickets for up to two family members, Nov. 7-11.
Aquarium of the Pacific — Veterans and military personnel get free admission on Nov. 11.
B&Bs for Vets — Complimentary rooms at inns will be offered to veterans on or around Nov. 11.
Birmingham Zoo — Veterans, active and retired military and their dependents will receive free admission on Nov. 11-12.
Boston Bruins — In conjunction with Military Appreciation Night on Nov. 5, all military will receive a 20 percent off discount at the ProShop and all GameDay ProShop locations.
Boston Duck Tours — Veterans and active military ride free Nov. 12-16. Dependents ride for $10 per person (plus 5 percent CCF surcharge).
Colonial Williamsburg — Military families can receive a free admission ticket during Veterans Day weekend.
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden — Veterans get free admission on Nov. 11.
Harley-Davidson Museum — The Harley-Davidson Museum is offering free admission to active military, veterans and their families November 9-11 in honor of Veterans Day.
Killington Resort – Active-duty, retired and honorably discharged members of the military ski for free on Nov. 11.
Knott's Berry Farm – Active-duty military and veterans receive free admission for themselves and 1 guest Nov. 1 – 15 and Nov. 26 – December 21. Additional discounted tickets may be purchased at the ticket booth.
LEGOLAND Florida – November 1-30, all veterans and active-duty military can receive free admission. Veterans also can purchase theme park tickets for up to six guests at a 50 percent discount on the same dates.
Montpelier — Veterans get free House tours Nov. 9-11. Veterans also receive a 10 percent discount on any purchase at the Museum Shop.
Monticello — Veterans get complimentary admission for Veterans Day weekend, Nov. 10-12.
Mount Vernon — All active-duty, former or retired military personnel are admitted for free on Nov. 11.
National Parks — On Nov. 11, veterans will have access to over 100 national parks that require entrance fees for free.
National WWI Museum and Memorial — Admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel Nov. 9-11.
New Mexico Museum of Space History — Veterans get free admission on Nov. 11.
Newseum — Veterans and active-duty members of the military plus one guest get free admission on Nov. 10-11.
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium — On November 10-12, active-duty service members and veterans receive free admission. Immediate family members will receive half off general admission.
Pro Football Hall of Fame — Throughout the month of November, all veterans and active military plus one guest get free museum admission and parking.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden — All military veterans who have served or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, will receive free admission on Nov. 11.
Super 8 by Wyndham — From Oct. 16-Dec. 11, 2018, any current or retired military personnel, veterans and their families who book and stay at participating Super 8 hotels in the United States and Canada can take advantage of Super 8's 20-percent-off military discount. Additionally, guests who book using this offer through a Wyndham direct booking channel will be automatically enrolled into Wyndham Rewards and eligible for 500 bonus points. Learn more at super8.com/military.
Westgate Resorts — Westgate Resorts are honoring our U.S. military personnel and their families by giving away free vacations. On Nov. 9, they will open up registration for the event that will be held in May 2019.
Woodland Park Zoo — Active, retired and veteran military personnel and their spouses get free admission on Nov. 11.
World of Coca-Cola — Active-duty, reserves and retirees get free admission year-round, and from Nov. 1-11, members of the armed forces may also purchase up to four half-price general admission tickets for their friends and family.
2018 Veterans Day Retail Offerings
Brides Across America — Brides Across America holds a wedding gown giveaway for military in partnership with bridal salons across the country in November. Qualifying brides register to attend the event at a participating bridal salon by completing the registration form and paying a $40 fee. Attend the event and select one of the designated gowns on display. Visit the Brides Across America website for more details.
Enterprise Car Sales — Active-duty military members, veterans and their dependents get a Firestone Prepaid Maintenance Package with any used-vehicle purchase during the month of November.
Grace for Vets — Car washes from around the world that join this program offer free car washes to veterans and service members on Nov. 11.
Great Clips – On November 11, veterans and current military members can visit a Great Clips salon to receive either a free haircut or a free-haircut card to use at a later date. Non-military customers can purchase a service on Veterans Day and get a free-haircut card to give to a veteran you know. Haircuts are redeemable until Dec. 31.
Home Depot — Home Depot offers a 10 percent discount to all veterans on Nov. 11. Home Depot offers the 10 percent discount year-round to active-duty and retirees.
Rack Room Shoes — Military personnel and their dependents get a 10 percent discount off an entire purchase on Nov. 11.
Sears Garage Services — From Nov. 9-12, anyone with a valid military ID can save 10 percent off any product or service.
Sport Clips — Participating locations are offering veterans and active-duty servicemembers free haircuts on Nov. 11.
Tractor Supply — This Veterans Day, customers with a valid military ID or proof of service, and their dependents, will receive 15 percent off their entire purchase. This discount will be offered on Saturday, Nov. 11, and will be available at all of Tractor Supply's more than 1,725 locations nationwide.
Construction Estimator or Estimator II position available
October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month is a great time to take action for bullying prevention in schools, recreational and faith-based programs, communities, and at home. Below are some tips and resources on how you can take action to stop or prevent bullying.
From Bystander to Upstander Twitter Chat, October 25, 3:30 Eastern
Learn how to become an Upstander to Bullying on October 25. Join StopBullying.gov's Twitter Chat with the Family Online Safety Institute, GLSEN, Islamic Networks Groups, and the Music in Me Foundation for From Bystander to Upstander at 3:30 p.m. eastern. Use #BeAnUpstander to join the chat. Parents and teens – join the chat and tell us how you stand up against bullying!
FAC Newsletter – October
Happy October! This month's newsletter focuses on employment resources. As with every issue, there are so many resources to choose from and so many programs available that it is difficult to decide what to put in! If ever we can help with additional information or questions, please do not hesitate to let us know. Each case is always a little different!
I want to thank you all for everything that you are doing for our military families, whether you are a volunteer, provider, or in our military family serving. Thank you for all you do!
Have a wonderful day! I have also attached a copy of our quick glance FAC sheet, so if you need us you will have our contact information handy!
FAC Newsletter- October 2018.pdf
Yolonda Von Itter
Family Assistance Specialist Contractor
Strategic Resources, Inc.
…Creating Powerful Solutions
An International Company
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
CMMI Maturity Level 3 Rated
MN National Guard Readiness Center
1536 Ben Franklin Dr
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Office: 651-282-4055
Veterans Day Celebration in Hamel on November 10
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Heinzen-Ditter V.F.W. Post #5903
19020 Hamel Road Hamel, MN
Sponsored by Heinzen-Ditter V. F. W. Post #5903 – Hamel American Legion Post #394
Announcement and support by Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon (PBYR)
PBYR Volunteers Agree to Assist 90 year old Veteran
In October, 2018 PBYR was alerted that a 90-year-old Veteran in Minnetonka needed some assistance as he enters hospice. Three PBYR volunteers offered to run errands and do some chores to help the family as needed. Kudos to Jennifer Rodgers and Sylvia Grismer!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Hamel VFW Halloween Costume Dance – October 27
Call and reserve a table if you have a larger group. There's always good crowd at this event!
Jim Heimerl
Commander VFW
(651) 261-3111
Camp Gratitude 2019
The FREE 2019 Camp Gratitude for Military/Veterans and their families at The Veterans Camp Ground on Big Marine Lake in Marine on St Croix, MN will be held June 14-21. Please pass along to your members and clientele that it is not too early to register. Two of the Twelve available openings have already been taken. For further information, photos and online fillable applications, visit the Camp Gratitude website at www.campgratitude.org.
Camp Gratitude is a FREE week-long camping experience for military and veteran families to relax and have fun while building strength and resilience.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Bill Hottel | founder
Camp Gratitude
Phone 952.500.1476
Email firstname.lastname@example.com
Website www.campgratitude.org
Address 11200 West 78th Street | Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Employment Opportunity
This is a 7-8 hour day, 7 AM to 2.30-3.30 PM, 3-4 days a week. It pays $14 per hour and starts immediately. If interested, please call me at 612-716-3131.
Thank you,
posted 10/2/18
Ironwood Spring Ranch – Family retreat opportunities
Who: Service Members, Veterans, and their families
What: "Operation Welcome Home" is a series of retreats hosted by Ironwood Springs free of charge
Where: Miracle Lodge Retreat and Conference Center at Ironwood Springs, Stewartville, MN
When: October 19-21 – Fall Family Retreat
Why: To strengthen marriages, develop strong family connections, and have fun!
How: To register, go to their website, http://ironwoodsprings.com/operationwelcomehome
POC: Tracy Bashore at: firstname.lastname@example.com, or (507)533-4315
Xcel Energy Center Military Discounts!!
Sesame Street Live! Let's Party!
When: Sunday, October 7, 2018 at 1pm and 5pm
Where: Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN
What: Guests 1 year and older are required to have a ticket. Everyone is invited to take part in the sunniest and funniest street celebration in Sesame Street Live! Let's Party! The show features favorite Sesame Street pals Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Big Bird and more in a brand-new sensory adventure live on stage. Sesame Street Live! Save $3 per ticket when ordering 1-8 tickets on-line at www.xcelenergycenter.com/military. Call (651) 312-3486 to purchase 9+ tickets at the discount price. More Info: Call (651) 312-3486 or e-mail Karen Reisinger at email@example.com.
Disney on Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic
When: December 6-9, 2018 (8 performances)
Where: Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul, MN
What: Grab your Mickey ears and get ready for the ultimate Disney experience when Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! Be charmed by a cast of over 50, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princesses, and Disney's Frozen as they bring 14 stories and 30 songs to life, leaving your whole family captivated with memories to last a lifetime. Save on select performances when ordering on-line at www.xcelenergycenter.com/military. Call (651) 312-3486 to purchase 9+ tickets. More Info: Call (651) 312-3486 or e-mail Karen Reisinger at firstname.lastname@example.com.
FREE Chiropractic Adjustments
Dinner & Comedy Show with John Deboer
SAT/ACT Prep
Toolkit for college 2018
FREE BBQ Cookout & Fundraiser
New offers from the Xcel Energy Center
As a Yellow Ribbon Company, the Xcel Energy Center is pleased to share special ticket offers with BTYR communities.
New offers include: Rod Stewart (Oct 14), Disney on Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic (Dec. 6-9); Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Dec. 29) and several other concerts! All offers are posted: www.xcelenergycenter.com/military. Feel free to share this announcement with your community via your social media, website, etc. and contact me with any questions.
Thank you,
Karen Reisinger
Group Sales Coordinator
317 Washington Street * St. Paul, MN 55102
Direct: (651) 312-3486 * Fax: (651) 726-8246
Please contact me for group and event suite reservations.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day Event-September 21
The above event will be held this Friday, September 21st at Central Park Greenfield at 5:30. There is a roofed enclosure at the park so weather's not a problem. The Hamel American Legion and VFW will provide the Color Guard for this event. I hope you can attend.
I've been asked to speak that day because I was listed as "Missing In Action " in 1966. I made it home and there was closure for my family. Almost 90,000 of our servicemen and women never came home. There's been no closure for their families and the pain still remains. Please join us for this short ceremony as we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Lest we forget!
A number of people are meeting at the Hamel VFW at 4:00 pm and will be carpooling to Greenfield. You are welcomed to join us!
Jim Heimerl
Commander-Hamel VFW
(651) 261-3111
FAC September Newsletter
There are many resources for families that we can get military families connected to, many are free or low-cost. As always, if I can be of assistance please do not hesitate to contact me. I am happy to help!
Have a wonderful day!
Yolonda Von Itter
Family Assistance Specialist Contractor
Strategic Resources, Inc.
…Creating Powerful Solutions
An International Company
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
CMMI Maturity Level 3 Rated
MN National Guard Readiness Center
1536 Ben Franklin Dr
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Office: 651-282-4055
PBYR is now a member of Thrivent Choice
We are pleased to announce that Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is now a member of Thrivent Choice and is listed in the Thrivent Choice online catalog–an option for non-profits to receive donations. This option will apply to you if you have a Thrivent financial account.
Thrivent Choice is a member-advised program that allows eligible members to recommend where Thrivent Financial distributes part of its charitable outreach funds each year. When eligible Thrivent Financial members direct Choice Dollars® to your organization in a particular month, Thrivent Financial reviews the recommendation and makes an electronic deposit in your organization's bank account by the 10th of the following month. Those funds may be used to carry out the religious, charitable or educational purposes of your organization.
To promote your organization to members who may be eligible to direct Choice Dollars, refer to the Promotional Tip Sheet and the Thrivent Choice Best Practices. Additionally, a wide range of free promotional material is available, including web text, inserts and banner ads under the "Promote Thrivent Choice" section on the Thrivent Choice website.
If you have any questions about Thrivent Choice, please contact a Customer Care Professional from the Member Connection Center at 1-800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) and say "Thrivent Choice" at the prompt or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
This option should help PBYR help service members and their families!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Two Career Opportunities Available
The following positions are available. Please contact Todd Webb for additional information.
Conservsis – Software company building software for Agriculture (Farmers) located in downtown Minneapolis. $100 – $120K Full time direct hire
MTS Systems – Publicly held Measurement systems company located in Eden Prairie MN $130K (Military Supply Chain experience desired) $130K . MTS is a defense contractor and appreciate the professionalism and background of former Military personnel.
Todd Webb
Vice President of Business Development
OCC Partners Corporate & Technology
Business & Technical
Search & Placement
612.225.1834 (fax)
The Fabulous Armadillos November 7-9 in Chanhassen
The Fabulous Armadillos in St. Cloud – October 4-6
Camping with the Crocs
Register by September 17
A Soldier Never Forgets North Platte
When service members pass through this small town in Nebraska, the community comes together to thank them.
'We were overwhelmed," said Lt. Col. Nick Jaskolski. "I don't really have words to describe how surprised and moved we all were. I had never even heard of the town before."
Col. Jaskolski, a veteran of the Iraq war, is commander of the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade of the Arkansas Army National Guard. For three weeks earlier this summer, the 142nd had been conducting an emergency deployment readiness exercise in Wyoming, training and sleeping outdoors, subsisting on field rations. Now it was time for the 700 soldiers to return to their base.
A charter bus company had been hired for the 18-hour drive back to Arkansas. The Army had budgeted for a stop to get snacks. The bus company determined that the soldiers would reach North Platte, in western Nebraska, around the time they would likely be hungry. The company placed a call to the visitors' bureau: Was there anywhere in town that could handle a succession of 21 buses, and get 700 soldiers in and out for a quick snack?
North Platte said yes. North Platte has always said yes.
During World War II, North Platte was a geographically isolated town of 12,000. Soldiers, sailors and aviators on their way to fight the war rode troop trains across the nation, bound for Europe via the East Coast or the Pacific via the West Coast. The Union Pacific Railroad trains that transported the soldiers always made 10-minute stops in North Platte to take on water.
The townspeople made those 10 minutes count. Starting in December 1941, they met every train: up to 23 a day, beginning at 5 a.m. and ending after midnight. Those volunteers greeted between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers a day. They presented them with sandwiches and gifts, played music for them, danced with them, baked birthday cakes for them. Every day of the year, every day of the war, they were there at the depot. They never missed a train, never missed a soldier. They fed six million soldiers by the end of the war. Not 1 cent of government money was asked for or spent, save for a $5 bill sent by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The soldiers never forgot the kindness. Most of them, and most of the townspeople who greeted them, are dead. And now, in 2018, those 21 busloads from the 142nd Field Artillery were on their way, expecting to stop at some fast-food joint.
"We couldn't believe what we saw when we pulled up," Col. Jaskolski said. As each bus arrived over a two-day period, the soldiers stepped out to be greeted by lines of cheering people holding signs of thanks. They weren't at a fast-food restaurant: They were at North Platte's events center, which had been opened and decorated especially for them.
"People just started calling our office when they heard the soldiers were on their way," said Lisa Burke, the director of the visitors' bureau. "Hundreds of people, who wanted to help."
The soldiers entered the events center to the aroma of steaks grilling and the sound of recorded music: current songs by Luke Bryan, Justin Timberlake, Florida Georgia Line; World War II songs by Glenn Miller, the Andrews Sisters, Jimmy Dorsey. They were served steak sandwiches, ham sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, deviled eggs, salads and fruit; local church groups baked pies, brownies and cookies.
Mayor Dwight Livingston stood at the door for two days and shook every soldier's hand. Mr. Livingston served in the Air Force in Vietnam and came home to no words of thanks. Now, he said, as he shook the hands and welcomed the soldiers, "I don't know whether those moments were more important for them, or for me. I knew I had to be there."
"It was one soldier's 21st birthday," Lisa Burke said. "When I gave him his cake, he told me it was the first birthday cake he'd ever had in his life." Not wanting to pry, she didn't ask him how that could possibly be. "I was able to hold my emotions together," she said. "Until later."
When it became time to settle up—the Army, after all, had that money budgeted for snacks—the 142nd Field Artillery was told: Nope. You're not spending a penny here. This is on us.
This is on North Platte.
Originally published in the Wall Street Journal – https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-soldier-never-forgets-north-platte-1532289711
Waterfowl for Warriors
click on images to make them larger
Minnesota Gophers Volleyball Big Ten/ACC Challenge
The MINNESOTA GOPHERS VOLLEYBALL open their 2018 season hosting the BIG TEN/ACC CHALLENGE, August 24th-25th at Target Center. Wisconsin and North Carolina return for this year's event, while Florida State joins the fifth-annual challenge in 2018. Two matches will be held on both August 24 and 25 as the Gophers and Badgers face UNC and FSU in four total matches. The Gophers face Florida State on Friday, August 24, followed by North Carolina on Saturday, August 25.
To purchase a General Admission Weekend Pass for $35 (Includes Two Total tickets: One Ticket For Both Games On Friday and One Ticket For Both Games On Saturday) as well as save families the fees which they would have to pay if they purchased tickets through another site, please click on this link: http://bit.ly/b10_acc_challenge_military
6th Annual VA Health Summit – August 20
Duluth Vet Center Pig Roast – FREE!
Veterans Job Fair
Fifth Annual Hugo Lions Community Scramble
Hamel VFW Dinner & Dance
The Arcades are back at the Hamel VFW on Saturday, August 11th playing their great classic rock from 7:00-11:00 pm. Food from 5:00-8:00 pm. Enjoy dinner and dance to The Arcades. These guys are really good if you haven't heard them before!! Bring some friends and we'll see you there. Call for reservations if you have a large group.
PBYR Assists Service Member's Family with College Planning
In July, 2018 Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon was able to track down valuable information for a family involved in college search. There is a Department of Defense Yellow Ribbon Program for Colleges and significant cost savings are possible if families qualify for this program. This article discusses the program and the military family was appreciative that PBYR was able to promptly respond and help: https://www.military.com/education/gi-bill/the-yellow-ribbon-program-explained.html
The Yellow Ribbon program is designed to help students avoid up to 100% of their tuition.
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
MACMH Children's Mental Health Focus Group
The Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health (MACMH) is looking for parents and professionals to participate in an upcoming focus group. The purpose of this activity is to gain insight and feedback into the online children's mental health content that MACMH will soon be offering.
Please join us at the MACMH offices, 23 Empire Drive, STE.1000, 1-3pm, Saturday, August, 11th from 1-3pm. Light snacks will be offered and gift card drawings will be held. If you are a children's mental health professional or a parent/caregiver of a child that has a mental health diagnosis and would like to participate, please register here.
Please fee free to contact me at the information below with any clarification needed or questions!
Thank you for the consideration!
Rachael Jacques
Director/Development and Programming
Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health
23 Empire Drive, Ste. 1000
St. Paul, MN 55103
Hug a Plymouth Lion!
I am pleased to announce that the Plymouth Lions just donated $8,000 to PBYR!!! The Plymouth Lions have consistently helped support the PBYR mission since 2011. On behalf of PBYR, I wish to acknowledge our sincere appreciation to the Plymouth Lions for their partnership, friendship and Trust over the years.
**The Plymouth Lions are clearly an inspiration to all with their efforts to do service and good in our community with the type of projects that they support. Please hug a Plymouth Lion!!!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Post-Rodeo Dinner & Dance at Hamel VFW
The Hamel VFW is hosting a post-rodeo Dinner & Dance Saturday, July 14th. Food served 5:00-8:00 pm with music from 7:00- 11:00. The Band Tailspin will be on stage playing their country rock. What a great way to kick back after a long rodeo week! Rose will be serving her humongous hamburgers along pulled pork sandwiches. So put on your cowboy hat one more time and join us at the Hamel VFW.
Jim Heimerl
(651) 261-3111
Hamel VFW
19020 Hamel Rd.
Plymouth, MN 55446
Rampage at the Ridge – August 18 at Giants Ridge
Tween Overnight at Lake Superior Zoo
Forest Lake YMCA Community Pancake Breakfast – July 21
Music in Mears
Low-Cost Dental Clinic – July 25
Golf Tournament – August 30
I just wanted to pass on an exciting event we are having in Carver County to help and support our county veterans — we have partnered with MACV to raise funds to help support our county veterans through a golf tournament — I'm excited about this opportunity because we are looking at this event to help reach out into our communities and show people about the needs of our veterans and how we help — if you're a Golfer and would like to participate please go online and register to play — The tournament will be held at the Deer Run Golf Course in Victoria MN on August 30, 2018. For additional info please see the PDF below.– Thank you!!!
Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans.pdf
Mark Muhlenkort
2018 Power of One Wellness 5K
Click on the image to make it larger and easier to read
The Minnesota National Guard has hosted the annual Power of One Suicide Awareness Fun Run for the past 3 years. This year we are taking a holistic approach to wellness! The Minnesota National Guard would like to invite military members (past and present), military families, employers, and community members to our family friendly and free, Power of One Wellness Run/Walk/Ruck 5k.
MN United Salute to Freedom Night – Ticket includes MNUFC Camo Hat
To purchase tickets please click on the image above or go to https://www.mnufc.com/tickets/special-offers
PBYR Says Thanks to the Plymouth Lions
On June 14, 2018, Gary Goldetsky, PBYR President, on behalf of the PBYR Board of Directors presented a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon coin to the Plymouth Lions during their picnic at Medicine Lake. This BYR coin represents PBYR's sincere appreciation and acknowledgement of the Plymouth Lions' support and assistance since 2012. PBYR greatly appreciates the partnership with the Plymouth Lions as without this support PBYR would not be able to do its' mission in the BYR network of cities.
Minnesota Zoo salutes our troops with special discounts and promotions
The Minnesota Zoo salutes our troops with special discounts and promotions throughout the year. Individuals eligible for military discounts and promotions include current, former, and retired members and family members of the US Military, National Guard, and Reserve in the United States (including Puerto Rico). Valid military ID or proof of military service is required. No other discounts apply and not valid for special programs or exhibits.
All Year Long
Minnesota Zoo
Military personnel receive $2 off regular admission and $1 off regular admission for family members.
Summer Promotion
June 30 – July 8, 2018
Minnesota Zoo
Military personnel receive free admission, free parking, and half-price admission for family members.
Winter Promotion
November 11, 2018 – December 31, 2018
Minnesota Zoo
Military personnel receive free admission, free parking, and half-price admission for family members.
MN State Fair – Military Appreciation Day Volunteers Needed
It is that time of year again. Military Appreciation Day at the State Fair! We are looking for volunteers (18+) from our communities that are knowledgeable with our program who can help pass out swag, talk with folks stopping by the tent and general tasks. If you are able to make it please sign up below. Looking forward to seeing you, it is always a great day!
This year we're using SignUp.com
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Click this link to see our SignUp onSignUp.com: http://signup.com/go/zxKMhWQ
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It's Easy – you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password onSignUp.com.
Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly via email, phone or text.
Tiffany Kovaleski
MN State Coordinator – Building Healthy Military Communities (BHMC)
Contractor – Alutiiq, LLC
MN National Guard/Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
8180 Belden Blvd
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
BYR Xcel Energy Center Ticket Offers
As a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Company, I am pleased to share special Xcel Energy Center ticket offers with you and your community members. These include Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Styles, Shawn Mendes and Sesame Street Live! Details are available on-line at www.xcelenergycenter.com/military. Feel free to share this announcement with your network (social media, e-mail, etc) and contact me with any questions.
Thank you
Karen Reisinger
Group Sales Coordinator
317 Washington St.
St. Paul, MN 55102
(651) 312-3486 – direct
(651) 726-8246 – fax
Valleyfair Military Days – June 30 to July 4
Valleyfair is proud to announce a special event in honor of our nation's military heroes: on public operating days from May 25 – 28 and June 30 – July 4, any member of the armed services, active or veteran, will receive free regular admission to the park. Plus, each military guest will be able to bring up to six family members at a discounted rate of just $35 per person. It's our special way of saying thank you to our country's biggest heroes.
Twin Cities Honor Flight – September 29
I am sending you the date for the next honor flight. Honor flights help World War II Veterans and now Korean War Veterans have a day in Washington D.C. at no cost. Help welcome them home when they arrive back in MN. Gather a group, make some welcome homes signs, wear your company or Yellow Ribbon shirts and show your support!
WHEN: Saturday, September 29, 2018. Arrive at Terminal 2 Baggage Area by 10PM. Flight typically arrives about 10:20-10:30PM. Meet in Baggage Area. No need to RSVP, just show up! Bring signs and lots of cheers!
WHERE: Terminal 2 (previously called the Humphrey Terminal) Minneapolis Airport, 7150 Humphrey Drive, Minneapolis, 55450
Note: There are currently over 300 Korean War Veterans on the waiting list so help pass the word to encourage Korean War veterans to submit a request for a flight. More information can be found at: https://www.honorflighttwincities.org/.
Annette Brechon Kuyper
Director of Military Outreach
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
20 West 12th Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155-2004
Office: 651.282.4002
Cell: 651.955.3108
FREE! Minnesota Elks Summer Youth Camp Troops Week
Volunteers Needed – DAV Food Packaging Event – July 10
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill – Discounted Tickets
Target Center
July 7, 2018
For Tickets, Go To: http://bit.ly/tim_faith_military
Minnesota Twins Military Kids Baseball Clinic – July 7
Please register by June 26
Veterans Job Fair – June 27
Salute to Servicewomen Golf Classic – June 26
click on images to make them larger and easier to read
Ray Wilkens Memorial Golf Scramble
Looking for an opportunity to help your fellow Veterans?
Military OneSource Webinars (Interactive Webinars)
Have a Healthier Summer
Summer is almost here! This can mean lots of BBQs, vacations, and plenty of sun. Join us for a webinar presentation to learn tips to stay healthy and safe during the summer months.
June 14th 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm | June 20th 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Link: https://connect.militaryonesourceconnect.org/iwebs/ (link for both event dates)
Presenter: Liz Gray and Alyson Lilley
PTSD Care and Support: Real Warriors Campaign Resources
Post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after experiencing, witnessing or learning the details of a traumatic event. Join this webinar to learn about the care and support available to those suffering with PTSD.
June 21st 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5172326288832376323
Presenter: Air Force TSgt Bradley Blair
Michael J. Meier | Minnesota Military OneSource State Consultant
email@example.com | Office: 612-751-4290
Visit www.militaryonesource.mil or call: 800-342-9647
Club Y.E.S. volunteer opportunities
Club Y.E.S. (Youth Extending Service) is a youth service program for students attending Wayzata High School. It offers students a wide range of exciting opportunities for volunteer service: Interfaith Outreach, Carnivals and Family Fun Nights, MATTER, City of Plymouth, Trillium Woods, Adopt A Highway and much more.
2018 SUMMER BROCHURE_FINAL UPDATED 51018.pdf
FREE Drop-In Legal Clinic for Veterans – June 12
Volunteers needed to help serve breakfast
Volunteers Needed for Food Packaging Event
Flag Retirement Ceremony & Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Presentation
FREE Golf Lessons for Veterans
12th Annual Veterans Career Fair – July 18
The Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) will host the 12th Annual Veterans Career Fair.
We strongly encourage participation by employers who have full-time jobs with benefits available. Please respect the Veterans military experience and training, and future contributions to your workforce by offering meaningful, family-sustaining wages. Due to the high demand for exhibit space, we are limiting registrations to W2 employers only and will be unable to accommodate staffing agencies or schools.
For questions or accommodations needed to exhibit at the Veterans Career Fair, please contact Eveline at email@example.com Friday, June 22, 2018.
Veterans Career Fair JobSeeker Flyer 2018
Annette Brechon Kuyper
Director of Military Outreach
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
20 West 12th Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155-2004
Office: 651.282.4002
Cell: 651.955.3108
DAV Donor Connect – May 17, 2018
Good Afternoon Donor Connect Network-
It has been quite some time since a new list has gone out and I truly apologize for that! I have attached a new list I generated yesterday and I will likely have another updated list next week.
Please let me know if you see anything of interest and I will get you the contact information.
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (Donor Connect)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (Transportation)
Minnesota National Guard and Youth Camp
KARE 11 and Flags for Fort Snelling partner to honor vets this Memorial Day
Help place a flag on every headstone at Fort Snelling National Cemetery for the first time in 30 years.
As Minnesota's front door for generosity, we are always excited to see all of the support on GiveMN.org from Minnesotans to power the good being done by nonprofits and schools in every corner of our state.
As we look forward to Memorial Day next weekend, we are especially thrilled to highlight a major project and fundraiser taking place in the Twin Cities. Flags for Fort Snelling, KARE 11, Mall of America, and RBCU have teamed up to ensure a flag will be placed on every grave at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, a feat which hasn't been accomplished in more than 30 years.
Help purchase flags for Memorial Day 2018
Below, learn more from KARE 11 on how you can get involved by helping to purchase flags or volunteering to help place the flags next weekend.
Support our local veterans by helping purchase flags during the KARE 11 Flags for Fort Snelling Giving Day
Today, KARE 11 will host a special Flags for Fort Snelling Giving Day. It will be a day spent sharing stories of local veterans and our local heroes. Your support will ensure every Veteran is honored, both this year and for years to come.
Here's how you can help:
Help us purchase flags for each headstone for our partner nonprofit Flags for Fort Snelling. Your donation, large or small, will ensure every hero that has been laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery will be remembered this Memorial Day and lay the groundwork to make this a yearly tradition.
Donate to help purchase flags for every Fort Snelling headstone
Volunteer to help place flags over Memorial Day weekend and provide photos to requesting families who are unable to visit in person for Memorial Day. Volunteer registration is available on the Flags for Fort Snelling website.
Volunteer to help place flags over Memorial Day weekend
We only have 11 more days until Memorial Day weekend and we need your support to make this Memorial Day, and those to come, special for every Veteran.
See more of KARE 11's Flags for Fort Snelling coverage
Volunteer Opportunity – The Wall that Heals June 21-24
Twin Cities PBS – TPT and Minnesota Remembers Vietnam are hosting The Wall That Heals Thursday, June 21 through Sunday, June 24 on the grounds of the State Capitol in St. Paul, MN. This brand-new version of the Wall is a traveling, 3/4–scaled replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Since its original dedication in 1996, The Wall has been displayed in nearly 600 communities throughout the nation. The Wall is free and open to the public and will be open 24 hours a day, beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 21 and ending in the mid-afternoon on Sunday, June 24. In addition to the Wall itself, there will be programming throughout the weekend. (For a list of our scheduled events, visit MNVietnam.org/wall)
Volunteers Needed!
We wanted to offer you the chance to be a part of this amazing event! As a volunteer you will have the opportunity to experience The Wall while giving back and serving the community. Duties may include but are not limited to: greeting and welcoming guests, assisting visitors in locating names on the Wall, helping complete rubbings of engraved names, giving directions, answering questions, and providing informational material to visitors. We are looking for individual and groups. In order to qualify as a group, you must be able to register a minimum of 6 people, at least 15 years in age, for at least one of the same shift.
Shifts are available in 4-hour blocks. Your group is welcome sign up for multiple blocks. T-shirts will be provided for you, as well as a private volunteer area with water, snacks, and a dedicated space to reflect. There is not a designated volunteer parking lot, but there are several lots and parking areas nearby. The Capitol grounds are also easily accessible by Metro Transit.
Training will take place on Wednesday, June 20 beginning at 5:30 p.m. and will last approximately 2 hours. Please make every reasonable effort to attend as it will not only make your volunteering experience much more enjoyable, but there are also forms and waivers that MUST be filled out prior to your volunteering.
If you have mobility/accessibility concerns (or any other questions) about volunteering, please contact Samantha Grangaard, Volunteer Coordinator, at firstname.lastname@example.com. Please let Samantha know if you have any questions about this opportunity.
We are looking forward to this event and hope to see you there!
To sign up to volunteer, please go to the link below:
Annette Brechon Kuyper
Director of Military Outreach
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
20 West 12th Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155-2004
Office: 651.282.4002
Cell: 651.955.3108
Minnesota Military Teen Summit
Space is limited so please don't delay in registering if you are interested.
Shortened URL for registering: www.jointservicessupport.org/Info/36H319
Memorial Day
Hamel VFW Armed Forces Day Dinner & Hanger Dance
The Hamel VFW is hosting an Armed Forces Day Dinner & Dance on Saturday, May 19th, Food from 5-8:00 pm. Rose will be serving burgers and a chicken dinner with all the trimmings. The Arcades will be on stage playing their great classic rock from 7-11:00 pm! We have several prizes for the best 'dance' customs. Bring a friend or relative who served in the military and enjoy the evening. Make sure to wear something patriotic and show your colors. I'd like to get a group picture of all the vets. Thank you for your service!
Jim Heimerl
(651) 261-3111
Military and Community Family Fun Day
The Plymouth Memorial Day Program
Empowering Veteran Entrepreneurs
Get more information and register at http://bit.ly/empoweringvets
Partners in Prevention Spring Newsletter
We are getting ready to celebrate another great year and we'd love for you to join us. Attached is our Spring Newsletter.
PIP Newsletter Spring 2018.pdf
Monday, June 4th, 9-10:30am
IOCP, Shannon Hall
Coffee and bagels will be provided. 🙂
Alison Wobschall, M.A.
Partners in Prevention, Director
Plymouth, Minnesota
(612) 412-8202
Partners in Prevention is a community coalition working to prevent and reduce youth substance use. We are nearly all volunteers representing more than twelve different sectors within the community, including: business, civic/volunteer organizations, health care, government, law enforcement, media, other substance abuse organizations, parents, religious organizations, school, youth, and youth-serving organizations. We rely heavily on collaboration to support our efforts to positively impact our community. We are hoping to reduce substance use by addressing the factors in our community that increase the risk of use and also by promoting the protective factors that minimize the risk of use.
PIP serves the Wayzata School District, consisting of all or parts of Corcoran, Maple Grove, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka, Orono, Plymouth, and Wayzata. The district educates over 11,000 students made up of eight elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school.
Plymouth Station Holiday to host PBYR FUNdraiser on July 24th
Allan has been successful in his lobbying efforts with Plymouth Station Holiday!! They will again host PBYR for a BBQ FUNdraiser on July 24th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Plymouth Station Holiday
16825 County Road 24
Plymouth, MN 55447
**Please plan to come out for a burger and also to buy a book of car washes to support PBYR.
**We need to replenish our funds to continue to perform our mission in the BYR network of cities. Please bring a friend—everyone needs lunch and a clean car!!
These fundraisers are crucial for PBYR to provide assistance and support to Service Members, Vets and their Families!!
Classified state positions with Military Affairs
The MN Department of Military Affairs is excited to announce the opening of three new state employee positions to help strengthen the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program across the state. Yellow Ribbon Regional Outreach Coordinators will be located in Mankato, Cottage Grove and Camp Ripley and we need your help in finding the perfect people for these important positions.
Note: The positions will be open until May 18th, please help distribute broadly. If anyone has any questions, have them contact Annette Kuyper at 651.282.4002 to speak more about the opportunity.
Use this link Interns and Student Workers / Then hit the "Search for jobs" / Search under "Military Affairs" and you will find the position description and qualifications.
Annette Brechon Kuyper
Director of Military Outreach
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
20 West 12th Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155-2004
Office: 651.282.4002
Cell: 651.955.3108
Military OneSource: Dynamic Group Discussion
Love Can Last
It is that time again! Another fantastic Dynamic Group Discussion, please pass on to our service/family members.
Topic: Love Can Last
Join us to talk about what helps couples stay together. Learn tips for a healthy, lasting relationship that brings you both contentment and helps you weather any storm. Details and registration is on the attached flier! Thank you!
Dates: Thursday, May 10, 2018, 8-9 p.m. ET & Wednesday, May 16 2018, 2-3 p.m. ET
NOTE that times are in ET
May 2018 DGD_Love_Can_Last.pdf
Michael J. Meier | Minnesota Military OneSource State Consultant
firstname.lastname@example.com | Office: 612-751-4290
Visit www.militaryonesource.mil or call: 800-342-9647
Friday Night Hamel VFW Dinner & Dance – May 11
We're changing things up at the VFW this Mom's Day weekend. We're hosting a Dinner & Dance Night this Friday, May 11th. Food from 5:00-8:00 pm (1/2 pound hamburgers with trimmings)! The Band Tailspin will be on stage play playing great country and classic rock from 7:00-11:00 pm. 'There is a $5.00 cover'. Come for dinner and wear your cowboy boots! Please pass this info along. Thanks!
2018 Camp Gratitude
To those not familiar with Camp Gratitude, we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides a FREE week-long camping experience for military and veteran families to relax and reconnect while building strength and resilience following deployment. We do this to honor and thank these families for their service too our Country. Further information, photos and additional inclusions are available at http://www.campgratitude.org.
In 2018, Camp Gratitude will be operating in two (2) locations. June 15-22 at The Veterans Camp Ground on Big Marine Lake in Marine on St Croix, MN where we will have the honor to host twelve (12) families, and Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch in Stewartville, MN (near Rochester) where we will be hosting 24 families.
Currently we have one (1) opening still available at The Vets Camp location and 12 at the Ironwood Springs location. If you know of a military family within your community you would like to sponsor, please have them complete an on-line application from our website, www.campgratitude.org.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.
Bill Hottel | founder
Camp Gratitude
Phone 952.500.1476
Email email@example.com
Website www.campgratitude.org
Address 11200 West 78th Street | Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Plymouth Memorial Day Event: May 24th
I have attached the Program for the Plymouth Memorial Day Event. It is scheduled for May 24th at 11 AM.
Please pass the announcement to your networks as we would like a strong turnout. The program represents our strong and healthy community.
The program will remind us of the costs and sacrifices made for our safety & freedom. Please consider to attend!!
Plymouth Memorial Day Program 2018.pdf
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Building Healthy Military Communities (BHMC) Town Hall Round Table
On behalf of the MN National Guard, we are asking for your assistance to pass this invitation on to any SPOUSE and DIRECT family members (above the age of 18) of a Service Member who is CURRENTLY in the MN National Guard.
Thank you for your help, much appreciated.
Tiffany Kovaleski
MN State Coordinator – Building Healthy Military Communities (BHMC)
Contractor – Alutiiq, LLC
MN National Guard/Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
8180 Belden Blvd
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
Tips for Late Tax Filers
Lecture Opportunity – Human Stress Response in Veterans
Who: Open to the public
What: Dr. Stevan Hobfoll (Speaker)
Where: College of St. Scholastica Science Center Auditorium
When: May 3rd at 6 pm (time may change slightly)
POC: Jeff Pearson at firstname.lastname@example.com or 218-723-5944
**Synopsis of lecture:
Dr. Hobfoll will speak regarding the background of human stress response as well as PTS. He will highlight his research and treatment successes of PTS among the veteran population, as well as how combat, experience and social factors affect PTS among US and Isreali Defense Forces veterans.
The Hamel VFW is hosting a Dinner & Dance Night on Saturday, April 28th. Food from 5-8 with music from 7-10:30. The Arcades are back playing their great classic rock! Last month 'Anthony's Sock Hop' drew 250 people. Call ahead to reserve a table if you have a large party. $5.00 cover charge. Bring some friends and we'll see you there!
MN United Soccer Military Appreciation Match!
Who: Service members and their families
What: Professional Soccer
Where: Allianz Field, St. Paul MN
When: Saturday May 26 at 7:00 pm
Cost: discounted tickets start at $20
To purchase tickets:
For more info, contact Josh Elvig at firstname.lastname@example.com
Ice Cream Social – Dilworth VFW Post 1223
Dunbar Family Update
Dear BTYR Communities,
It is with a warm and heavy heart that we at Family Programs extend our deepest gratitude for coming together to raise the travel funds necessary for Master SGT Jonathan J Dunbar's MN extended family to attend his funeral. The "Youcaring" link is no longer up and the family was able to lay their loved one to rest today. Thank you for coming together as a network to serve those who serve us. The family wanted this statement to go out to you:
"Please forward to all involved. Today we as a family were able to all come together in honor and to say goodbye to our loved one, Master Sgt Jonathan J Dunbar at National Arlington Cemetery. Thank you to all who made this burden lighter through your support and words of condolence. We as a family have sorrow and grief for his loss but know that he loved this country and his family and that is why he served. It was amazing to see the strength and sorrow at the same time of the soldiers wearing Dunbar on their badges to honor him today. Thanks again for all your generosity and kindness. The Dunbar Family"
Tiffany KovaleskiMN State Coordinator – Building Healthy Military Communities (BHMC)
Contractor – Alutiiq, LLC
MN National Guard/Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
8180 Belden Blvd
Cottage Grove, MN 55016
2018 Military Mental Health Conference
click on image to make it larger and easier to read
BTYR Family in Need
Dear BTYR Communities,
Unfortunately, the extended family (who live in MN) of a Service member are in need due to a tragic loss. Sgt Jonathan Dunbar was killed in active duty. The immediate family of this soldier have their costs covered but the extended family here in MN are travelling to attend the funeral in Arlington, VA via vehicle with limited monetary resources. They have stated they have the capacity to reach Arlington but would have to utilize credit to do so.
If your community would like to donate to help offset their travel cost, you are able to donate to the family's "you caring" site listed below. At this time this is the only need, the family anticipates to have. The family has asked for privacy and no direct contact or outreach to the family is authorized at this time.
Please send any questions to MN National Guard Family Programs Director, CPT Adam Gades at (651)-248-2912 or email@example.com
The following statement was given and approved by the family of the soldier,
"We are grieving the loss of our nephew, Sgt Jonathan Dunbar, cousin, family member from the IED bombing in Syria. Our family is close and big and several aunts, uncles and cousins would like to attend the service of Jon at Arlington National Cemetery for his internment. We know Jon would want us all there to support our loved ones. We are looking for funds to get us there from Minnesota to out east. Plans for service are the week if 4/17 per government schedule. We have made the most economical travel plans including driving out. We are also staying 4 per room at the Virginian with a rate of 385.00 for 2 nights. We will have one hotel out and back, but uncertain where that will be or the cost depending on where we stop. RIP Jonathan Dunbar. He was an amazing father, husband, son, brother, and beloved family member. It is sure different when it is one of your own. Thank you all for your support and care! The Dunbar Family."
PBYR Assists Family to Attend a Funeral at Arlington Cemetery
On April 18, 2018 the PBYR Board authorized $200 to assist the extended family of Sgt Jonathan Dunbar to attend his funeral. He was killed in action. The family has expressed a desire for privacy. Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and we acknowledge Sgt Dunbar's service and sacrifice.
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, President, Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Tillman Honor Run
PRINCE – Live on the big screen!
Presented by Paisley Park
Who: Service Members, Veterans, and their families
What: Buy one get one free ticket offer
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis
When: Saturday, April 21, 2018 at 8:00 pm – Changed to April 20, 2018
Why: To celebrate Prince's legendary career!
How: BOGO DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY NIGHT! Go to: http://bit.ly/2018princebogo
Scoops for Troops
Suicide Prevention Awareness and Intervention Program
Ironwood Spring Ranch – Family/Couple retreat opportunities
Who: Service Members, Veterans, and their families
What: "Operation Welcome Home" is a series of retreats hosted by Ironwood Springs free of charge
Where: Miracle Lodge Retreat and Conference Center at Ironwood Springs, Stewartville, MN
When: Various dates, see below
Why: To strengthen marriages, develop strong family connections, and have fun!
How: To register, go to their website, http://ironwoodsprings.com/operationwelcomehome
POC: Tracy Bashore at: firstname.lastname@example.com, or (507)533-4315
Upcoming Dates:
April 20-22 – Military Marriage Retreat
July 20-27 – Camp Gratitude Family Camp week
October 19-21 – Fall Family Retreat
Youth Mental Health First Aid Class – May 11th
Attached is a flyer for a Youth Mental Health First Aid class that we are offering on May 11th at the North Memorial Health Specialty Center located at 3435 West Broadway Ave in Robbinsdale. This class is free, but space is limited – register early! To register for this class, please visit northmemorial.com/events.
Youth Mental Health First Aid Class Flyer FINAL_May 11
Maple Grove Hospital and North Memorial Health are partnering with
the Minnesota Department of Health to offer this Youth Mental Health
First Aid class in our community.
Resolving Anger – Dynamic Group Discussion
Hamburger Nights in Hugo
April FAC Newsletter
Happy Spring! Please see attached the April edition of the FAC Newsletter. This month we focus on Month of the Military Child. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance to you in any way. There are some very useful and fun links in this newsletter that you and your child may enjoy.
Have a wonderful day!
Yolonda Von Itter
Military Family Assistance Specialist
Skyline Contractor
MN National Guard Readiness Center
1536 Ben Franklin Dr
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Office: 651-282-4055
The Hamel VFW is hosting a Dinner & Dance on Saturday, April 14th from 5-11:30. Food will be served from 5-8:00 pm. The band Tail Spin will play from 7-11:30. These folks play great country and classic rock.
Grab your boots and head to the "V"!
YMCA presents "A Run For Everyone" Minneapolis Fun Run
Who: Everyone!
What: Family-friendly fun run
Where: Bde Maka Ska (Formerly Lake Calhoun), Minneapolis, MN
When: Saturday, April 14th, 2018
Register now at: https://www.zapevent.com/reg/event/15104
**Volunteer opportunities are available if you are looking for volunteer time or something to do while family and friends run. Register to help at: http://signup.com/go/eLxuhsJ
Military Kids – Bear a Lot
April – Month of the Military Child
Please help promote Crisis Text Line!
As of April 1, Crisis Text Line is offering Text-based suicide prevention services across Minnesota. People who text MN to 741741 will be connected with a counselor who will help defuse the crisis and connect the texter to local resources. Crisis Text Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Now we need your help in getting the word out!
FREE Books
The Ridgedale YMCA just finished its annual media drive to help support our scholarship program. We always end up with extra boxes of media and would like to offer these to our community partners. We have about 70 boxes left of media items which include: vhs, dvd's, cd's, Books (teen, fiction, non-fiction and more). Please email Kit Swanson firstname.lastname@example.com if you would be able to use some of these at your sites or in your programs. These are free and available for pick up almost any time during the Y's open hours.
Kit Swanson
Camp Christmas Tree Director &
Outreach Director of Ridgedale YMCA
DAV Donor Connect – April 2, 2018
I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
I have seen a recent increase in the need for lift recliners. I have updated the needed items portion of the Donor Connect List as there are a number of pending lift recliners needed.
I was also speaking with the DAV Chapter in Hutchinson who stated they are assisting with supplying the Minnesota Honor Flight riders with manual wheelchairs. The flight is coming up very soon (this coming Saturday April 7th, 2018). Please reach out to Van Karg at 612-791-5143 if you have manual wheelchairs you would like to donate to the cause.
If you know of someone who may benefit from the information in the list please feel free to share it with them or share my information.
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (Donor Connect)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (Transportation)
Pikedale Lodge – Military Appreciation
Six Boys and 13 Hands
Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade class from Clinton, WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.
On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history — that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.
Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed toward the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, 'Where are you guys from?'
I told him that we were from Wisconsin. He said, 'Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.'
(It was James Bradley who just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who had passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington, DC, but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night .)
When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)
'My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I wrote a book called 'Flags of Our Fathers'. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.
'Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game, a game called 'War.'
But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old – and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it.
(He pointed to the statue): 'You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph…a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.
'The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys.They called him the 'old man' because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'
'The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes was one of them who lived to walk off Iwo Jima. He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero.' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?'
So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down, drowned in a very shallow puddle, at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was taken).
'The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night.' Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store.
'A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. Those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.
'The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers or The New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada. Usually he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.
'You see, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a combat caregiver. On Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And boys died on Iwo Jima, they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the pain.
'When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.'
'So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time.'
Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.
One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th-grade students in DC that is not mentioned here is . . . that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God.'
March FAC Newsletter
This month's focus in the March FAC Newsletter is on deployment as we have units that have left, are leaving, and are preparing to leave. Please distribute as you deem appropriate, and if you have any questions or if I can assist you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me.
2018 FAC Newsletter- March.pdf
Have a wonderful day.
Yolonda Von Itter
Military Family Assistance Specialist
Skyline Contractor
MN National Guard Readiness Center
1536 Ben Franklin Dr
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Office: 651-282-4055
Minneapolis Home & Garden Show
Minnesota Humanities Center Veterans Voices Award
Here is your chance to nominate a deserving veteran in your workplace or community! Application and nomination forms can be found at the website below.
The Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) https://mnhum.org/ is excited to announce that nominations for their 2018 Veterans' Voices Awards are now being accepted. Nominations will be open through Thursday, June 7, 2018.
Now in its sixth year, the Veterans' Voices Award recognizes former and actively serving Minnesota Veterans who are making significant contributions to their communities and are exemplary humanists. These Veterans also embody the Humanities Center's mission — "to build a thoughtful, literate, and engaged society" – and values: to build and strengthen relationships, recognize the power of story and danger of absence, learn from and with multiple voices, and amplify community solutions for change.
These awards are part of the Humanities Center's Veterans' Voices program that draws on the power of the humanities to call attention to the contributions and often-missed stories of Veterans. This program empowers all Minnesota Veterans to speak in their own voices through storytelling, art, theater, discussion groups and more – amplifying the voices of Veterans throughout our state and helping to bridge the Veteran-civilian divide.
Annette Brechon Kuyper
Director of Military Outreach
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
20 West 12th Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155-2004
Office: 651.282.4002
Cell: 651.955.3108
Youth Mental Health First Aid class – May 11
Military Children Appreciation Day
Minnesota Military Museum Veterans Registry
WHO: Interested Military, Veterans and Individuals
WHAT: Camp Ripley, MN – The Minnesota Military Museum wants your story for their "Veterans Registry".
WHEN: The Minnesota Military Museum is open seven days a week from May through September and Thursdays and Fridays from October through April, with special tours coordinated at any time.
WHERE: Camp Ripley, MN – The Minnesota Military Museum
WHY: The Registry is easy to use and anyone can submit a Veterans story and pictures of the veteran. This service is also FREE and a great way to preserve a record of your service for your family.
HOW: Interested veterans and individuals should Click Here and also click on Veterans Registry.
POC: Executive Director, Jeff Thielen Email email@example.com
Laketrails Wilderness Camping
Who: Military Teens ages 13-18 (All Branches)
What: Lake trails Camp: Experience a 9 day Outdoor Adventure at Lake of the Woods. Campers will have an experience of a lifetime and will canoe, cook their own food, portage and set-up camp.
When: This summer! Check the website for open sessions.
Where: Lake of the Woods, Oak Island, MN (Transportation is available)
Register: Click Here
POC: Sue Lemm,
Personal Financial Counselor At No Cost
WHO: Military and their families
WHAT: Making Financial Decision
WHEN: Based on Appointment
WHERE: Multiple Locations
WHY: No Cost Services
HOW: Contact one of the PFCs on the attached list
2018 Women Veterans Conference
Who: All female Veterans
What: Woman Veterans Conference
When: Saturday, May 26, 2018 7:45am-5:00pm
Where: Ramada Inn, 2705 Annapolis Lane N. Plymouth, MN 55441
Register: Contact info below
P.O.C: Kimberly Dobler, 612-283-5863
**The mission of the Minnesota Women Veterans Program is to ensure women Veterans have equitable access to federal and state benefits and services. We respond to the gender specific needs of women Veterans and ensure that women Veterans are treated with dignity and respect. Our outreach events are geared to improve the awareness of available benefits, services and eligibility criteria for the women who served in the United States Armed Forces.
Lutheran Social Services Therapeutic Foster Care
Below please find a blurb on an informational meeting for Lutheran Social Services Therapeutic Foster Care, and the link to Youth Services Network, ysnmn. Ysnmn is the mobile app for finding homeless services.
Lutheran Social Services Therapeutic Foster Care is hosting a group information meeting on their program on Wednesday, March 28th at 6:30pm at the Center for Changing Lives, 2400 Park Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404. The registration link is below.
LSS Therapeutic Foster Care booklet.pdf
Please let me know if you have any questions, updates or changes. Thank you!
Catherine Christiansen
Office: 763-745-5037
Mobile: 612-501-2632
Trolling for The Troops
Who: All Veterans and Service Members
What: A day of fishing with professional anglers
When: Thursday May 31 2018 – Friday June 1 2018
Where: Mille Lacs Lake and Mississippi River
Register: Complete and print the application form from this link: http://mnlegion.org/html/trolling.html
Stars on Ice
Baby & Toddler Story Time
Build Your Dream
Register at: http://bit.ly/vetsbusiness
Military Night At The Shrine Circus
Shrine Circus! *military deal applies to one night only!
Shrine Circus! *military deal applies to one night only!
Target Center Special Military Deals
Saturday, March 31, 2018
2:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Tickets: http://bit.ly/harlem_globetrotters_military
Offer Expires: 3.26.18
Hamel VFW "Sock Hop" on March 24
The Hamel VFW is hosting a 1959 Sock Hop/ Birthday Party for one of our dearest friends on March 24th.
There'll be burgers, fries and root beer floats. So put some grease in your hair (if you have any), ask your honey to slide on her poodle skirt and make it over to the VFW.
There's a best costume contest as well.
See you there!
Give Kids a Smile for Veterans' kids ages 3-14
Register by March 23
Military Tax Information and Scam Warning
With the 2017 tax return season upon us, a surge in potential tax scams is likely to come with it. These scams come in many forms including fraudulent returns, phony calls, fake Internal Revenue Service (IRS) emails, as well as phishing schemes. These can lead to the theft of taxpayer money and/or personal data.
- Do not carry your Social Security card or any documents that include your SSN or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
- Do not give businesses your SSN or ITIN just because they ask
- Protect your financial information
- Check your credit score every 12 months
- Secure PII in your home
- Protect you personal computers by using firewalls, anti-virus software, updating security patches, changing passwords for internet accounts on a regular basis
- Do not give your personal information over the phone, through the mail, or on the internet unless you have initiated the contact and are sure of the recipient
- File your taxes as soon as possible
Contact Military OneSource with any tax questions and assistance with tax prep and filing. http://www.militaryonesource.mil/taxprep
Female Veteran's Wellness & Pampering Retreat
Bayport American Legion Pig Roast & Luau
Women Veteran's Entrepreneurship Symposium
Warrant Resolution & Legal Services
Transportation Security Administration Careers for Veterans
NCHC Frozen Face-Off College Hockey Tournament
Who: Military members and their families
What: Discounted tickets ($17) for the Frozen Face-Off NCHC College Hockey Tournament
When: 16-17 March
Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Buy tickets online at :
Use code: NCHCHERO to receive the discount
Military Appreciation Dinner – March 15
DAV Donor Connect
I have attached the most recent Donor Connect list to this email. If you know of a veteran/veteran's family in need of equipment listed on the database please get in touch with me and I will supply the donor's contact information. If you find any of the items are no longer available please update me with that information so I can follow up. If you have any suggestions on how to improve the program I absolutely appreciate feedback!
Have a great day-
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (Donor Connect)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (Transportation)
MN United Soccer Military Appreciation Matches!
Who: Service members and their families
What: Professional Soccer
Where: Allianz Field, St. Paul MN
When: Saturday March 17th at 1:00 pm, Saturday May 26 at 7:00 pm
Cost: discounted tickets start at $20
To purchase tickets:
March 17th Match:
May 26th Match:
For more info, contact Josh Elvig at email@example.com.
ACEs – Train the Trainer program
As you may have heard we will be offering an ACEs Train the Trainer program.
This is a two day, comprehensive training program. The intent of the program is that, upon completion of the training, you will train others in our community to be trauma informed. If you are interested in attending please see below:
· Timing/Agenda:
- April 26 & 27, 9:30-4:30
- Agenda reads 9:00-5:00 – Facilitator is planning for 9:30-4:30.
- Highland Park Reserve, Bloomington.
- Lunch and snacks provided.
April 2018 Participant Agenda.pdf
· Candidate Agreement form:
- Please read through this, if you are still interested, fill it out then fill out the Participant Application form.
ACE Interface Presenter Candidate Agreement.pdf
2018 Presenter Application.pdf
· Participant Application:
- Please return application and candidate agreement form to me as soon as possible.
- We will begin reviewing right away, deadline for submission is March 23, 2018.
- I will let people know by March 28.
- We have 6 slots available.
- 4 collaboratives are participating in the training. 30 people total.
· Facilitator Bios – attached for your reference
April 2018 Training Facilitator Bios.pdf.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Looking forward to hearing from you –
Catherine Christiansen
Office: 763-745-5037
Mobile: 612-501-2632
DAV Donor Connect
I have attached the most recent Donor Connect Database. I have updated the CVSO groups so if you receive multiple emails or know someone who needs to be added that hasn't received one please let me know.
Have a wonderful rest of the week!
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (Donor Connect)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (Transportation)
Youth essay contest on disasters
The MN Council for Economic Education is hosting a Money Smart Teen Essay
Contest for youth in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area on disasters.
Participants are asked to write a brief newspaper article describing the
potential devastating effects of a natural disaster on a family's financial
Check out the essay information online:
Please share this opportunity across your networks. The awards are fairly
substantial — $3000 first place scholarship & two $1000 runners up
scholarships. Deadline is approaching quickly – March 16.
Sara Croymans, MEd, AFC
Extension Educator & Extension Professor | extension.umn.edu
University of Minnesota Extension
Center for Family Development
46352 State Hwy. 329 Morris, MN 56267
email@example.com | Office 320-589-1711 | Cell 320-226-6052
One source connecting you to your best MilLife
Thursday, March 8, 2018, 8-9 p.m. ET Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 2-3 p.m. ET
Facilitated by: John Mack, MSW
Military OneSource is pleased to offer dynamic group discussions where you can see, text and chat with licensed counselors and a small group of other service members and their families online.
Getting ready for a PCS or other move? Join our relocation expert and others just like you to discuss ways to manage the stress of relocating and learn practical tips to help you get ready for your move.
March 2018 DGD Moving Again.pdf
Michael J. Meier | Minnesota Military OneSource State Consultant
email@example.com | Office: 612-751-4290
Visit www.militaryonesource.mil or call: 800-342-9647
Military OneSource & Armed Forces Tax Council present MilTax Facebook Live Event!
Who: Service Members and their families
What: MilTax Facebook Live event to answer questions about tax services offered through Military OneSource and the Military Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.
When: Wednesday, Feb 28 2018, at 1400 CST (2:00 pm)
Where: https://www.facebook.com/events/153165695349805/?active_tab=discussion
Minnesota Home Expo – FREE TICKETS!
Who: Service Members and their friends/families
What: Complementary tickets to the Minnesota Home Expo
When: March 9-11, 2018 (see website for times)
Where: Target Field, Delta Sky360 Legends Club, Minneapolis, MN
How: Pick up tickets in person at the Cottage Grove armory Public Affairs Office
For more information, go to: www.MNHomeExpo.com
NCHC Frozen Face-Off College Hockey Tournament
Who: Military members and their families
What: Discounted tickets ($17) for the Frozen Face-Off NCHC College Hockey Tournament
When: 16-17 March
Where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
Buy tickets online at :
Use code: NCHCHERO to receive the discount
Youth and Family Turkey Hunt
Who: Youth ages 12-17 (18 year old's can hunt as an adult) Must have a Firearms Safety Certificate and a parent or guardian during the youth hunt
What: Learn to Turkey Hunts are sanctioned and managed between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)
When: 21-22 April
Where: 17 locations Statewide
POC: Mike "Cold Front" Kurre, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at 651-259-5193 or email@example.com
Register: By Feb 12 http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/turkeyhunt/index.html
Sea Life Aquarium Family Overnight – Mall of America
REGISTER NOW! Slots fill quickly!
Who: MN Army National Guard members with children ages 5-18 yrs.
What: Overnight with sea life
When: April 27-28, 2018
Where: Mall of America Sea Life Aquarium, Bloomington, MN
Cost: $65 for Adults, children are free
Register: By April 9th at https://johnsme218.wufoo.com/forms/zm11i5300d4f33/
Before bedding down for the night, families will enjoy an evening of learning about the resilient and adaptable animals that call the Sea Life Aquarium home. Space is limited. Priority is given to MN National Guard families; other branches will be put on a wait list. You are not confirmed for this event until you receive an email from Mel Johnson, Child and Youth Program Coordinator.
Activities include:
– Night hike through the aquarium
– Behind-the-scenes tour
– Pizza party
– Light breakfast in the morning
– Souvenir craft
2018 Women Veterans Conference
Who: All female Veterans
What: Woman Veterans Conference
When: Saturday, May 26, 2018 7:45am-5:00pm
Where: Ramada Inn, 2705 Annapolis Lane N. Plymouth, MN 55441
Register: Contact info below
P.O.C: Kimberly Dobler, 612-283-5863
**The mission of the Minnesota Women Veterans Program is to ensure women Veterans have equitable access to federal and state benefits and services. We respond to the gender specific needs of women Veterans and ensure that women Veterans are treated with dignity and respect. Our outreach events are geared to improve the awareness of available benefits, services and eligibility criteria for the women who served in the United States Armed Forces.
Troops To Teachers Program
WHO: Current military members, retired, and honorably separated military personnel
WHAT: Troops To Teachers Program
WHEN: Ongoing
WHERE: Nationwide
WHY: To assist transitioning service members and veterans in beginning new careers in public, charter, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools.
HOW: Troops to Teachers is a DOD program which facilitates Service members' successful transition to a teaching career by providing counseling and financial and placement assistance for eligible Service members and veterans.
POC: Dr. Charles Rick at 218-780-0343 or for online information go to www.proudtoserveagain.com
ZMC Hotel Discounts and Promotions
WHO: Military and Public Service Personnel (valid ID required)
WHAT: Hotel discounts and promotions
WHEN: Various year-round
WHERE: Duluth, MN
WHY: To show support for military, law enforcement, and public service personnel
HOW: go to www.zmchotels.com/military for details and rates
Personal Financial Counselor
WHO: Military and their families
WHAT: Making Financial Decision
WHEN: Based on Appointment
WHERE: Multiple Locations
WHY: No cost Services
HOW: Contact one of the PFCs on the attached list
Parenting Skills
WHO: Families with kids ages 5-18 (All Branches of Service)
WHAT: Learn how to be the best parent you can be and gain new parenting skills
WHEN: sign up today and you will be assigned a group
WHERE: on-line and in person
WHY: Opportunity to gain new parenting skills
HOW: sign up Click and scroll down to "Join ADAPT4U in MN or MI Now"
POC: Laura Groeneweg
Lead Child and Youth Program Manager
MN National Guard Child and Youth Program
Sam's Club Free $15 Gift Card "It's Our Salute to You!"
WHO: Active and Retired Military and their Spouses
WHAT: Free $15.00 Sam's Club Gift card
WHEN: Open
WHERE: All Sam's Club locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin
WHY: Sam's Club Salute to You for Your service
HOW: Present your Military ID to the Store Associates when signing up or renewing your membership with Sam's Club and you will get your $15.00 Gift Card
Lake Trails Camp
Who: Military Teens ages 13-18 (All Branches)
What: Lake Trails Camp: Experience a 9 day Outdoor Adventure at Lake of the Woods. Campers will have an experience of a lifetime and will canoe, cook their own food, portage and set-up camp.
When: This summer! Check the website for open sessions.
Where: Lake of the Woods, Oak Island, MN (Transportation is available)
Register: Click Here
POC: Sue Lemm
School for Performing Acts
WHO: Military Families
WHAT: Opportunity to participate in School for the Performing Arts
WHEN: Open
WHY: Private Lessons for Voice, Acting, Beginning Piano, and Flute via videoconferencing tools Group Music and Theatre Classes on a Global Scale, Consistency and Flexibility
HOW: More information on the programs Play.Sing.Act, LLC offers please Check out
POC: April Vargo Founder, Owner, Educator Play.Sing.Act www.playsingact.com
Minnesota Military Museum Veterans Registry
WHO: Interested Military, Veterans and Individuals
WHAT: Camp Ripley, MN – The Minnesota Military Museum wants your story for their "Veterans Registry".
WHEN: The Minnesota Military Museum is open seven days a week from May through September and Thursdays and Fridays from October through April, with special tours coordinated at any time.
WHERE: Camp Ripley, MN – The Minnesota Military Museum
WHY: The Registry is easy to use and anyone can submit a Veterans story and pictures of the veteran. This service is also FREE and a great way to preserve a record of your service for your family.
HOW: Interested veterans and individuals should Click Here and also click on Veterans Registry.
POC: Executive Director, Jeff Thielen Email firstname.lastname@example.com
Resources to help children in the wake of a school shooting
Resources to help children in the wake of a school shooting
As adults struggle with their own reactions to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida—the 29th mass shooting in the United States in the first two months of 2018 alone—young eyes and ears are watching and listening.
This is an important time to talk to children about what they are seeing and hearing, even when they did not directly witness the event. While it can be difficult to know what to say, evidence from research and clinical practice can help us with these difficult conversations. We begin with a few suggestions for adults who care for children indirectly affected by a school shooting:
Talking to children about school shootings
Honesty is important when speaking with children about school shootings, but that doesn't mean they need to know the details. What children need to know, and how we talk with them about such tragedies, is best considered through a developmental lens. How we answer their questions, for example, should depend on what they can understand and process without heightening their distress.
For a child of any age, it is important to begin by finding out what they already know. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network recommends gently correcting inaccurate information, encouraging children to ask questions, and answering them directly. Adults can respond by acknowledging the child's experience and feelings about the event, rather than focusing on the event itself. Parents can use a number of resources to find the right words to say, including apps such as Help Kids Cope. However, conversations should be tailored to the age of the child:
- Infants and toddlers are comforted when caregivers are warm, sensitive to their needs (e.g., feeding, sleeping, comforting), and maintain predictable routines. Conversation about the event can be harmful to very young children, who are highly sensitive to adults' emotions. Even if they can't understand the content, they can sense that something is wrong and experience distress
- Preschoolers do best when adults use a calm voice, simple language, and respond to their questions honestly but with limited detail. Death should not be a taboo subject with young children just because it is upsetting to adults. Most important, preschoolers need reassurance that they are safe. Safety can also be communicated nonverbally—for example, by participating in normal, everyday activities and receiving extra attention from adults. Early childhood programs and parents can jointly support children who experience a school shooting.
- School-age children understand more than younger children and may want to talk about events at length with a trusted adult. Still, it is important not to offer disturbing details or to assume that children's concerns are the same as those of adults. Like younger children, they need comfort and reassurance of their safety. They may want extra attention from adults and friends, and time to talk about subjects other than the school shooting. Schools can also serve as important sources of support by understanding and responding to a school shooting in trauma-informed ways.
- Adolescents benefit when adults take time to listen, without judgment, to their thoughts and feelings about the school shooting. Teenagers can think abstractly and may struggle with larger issues, such as the meaning of life and death and social justice. They tend to value honesty and are quick to point out hypocrisy. However, it is important not to force adolescents to discuss the event until they are ready, as they are likely to resent when adults appear push their own agenda.
Other helpful hints
Talking to children and adolescents is not the only way to help them negotiate tragic events such as a school shooting. Here are a few additional tips:
- Protect children from too much information. It is critical to carefully monitor adult conversations, limit media use in children's presence, and seek support from other adults in private—exposure to disturbing images and conversations about the school shooting can stir up difficult feelings in children of all ages.
- Keep children busy. Boredom can intensify negative thoughts and behaviors, but children are less likely to experience distress when they play and interact.
- Ensure that adults receive the attention, support, and care they need. Parenting in the wake of a trauma can be difficult. Adults also need time and space to cope with their own reactions, as well as social support from family, friends, clergy, mental health professionals, and other adults.
- Seek professional help. Seek professional help if a child's difficulties do not improve. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) recommends seeking help if problems persist longer than six weeks.
- Find age-appropriate ways for children to help. Even very young children benefit from being able to make a positive difference in others' lives while learning important lessons about empathy, compassion, and gratitude.
- Emphasize hope and positivity. Children need to feel safe, secure, and positive about their present and future. Seeing and hearing stories of people helping people in difficult times is both healing and reassuring.
Children with direct exposure to a school shooting
Children who directly experience school shootings are at the highest risk of developing posttraumatic stress and related symptoms (e.g., nightmares, trouble eating and sleeping, academic difficulties, excessive crying, clinginess, irritability, withdrawal, aggression, or avoiding the issue altogether). Moreover, upheaval among families, the school, and the community after a shooting can make it especially challenging for adults to maintain the predictable routines and calm demeanor that help children feel safe. In these instances, comprehensive approaches grounded in research on risk and resilience after trauma, such as Psychological First Aid, can be implemented. This may enhance both parents' and children's sense of safety, orient and soothe survivors, provide assistance to address a family's immediate needs, and connect survivors with social support and services.
Additional resources
Helping Young Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: Policies and Strategies for Early Care and Education
Parenting a Child Who Has Experienced Trauma
Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators
Talking to Children about the Shooting
DAV Donor Connect
There has been a lot of negativity happening lately in the world. The recent school shootings which have occurred since January serve as a constant reminder of how we need to cherish every minute of every day and show those around us we appreciate them and what they have done for us. The Donor Connect is a great way to show veterans and their families the sacrifices they made are appreciated by being a donor or helping to connect items to veterans in need. I want you all to know how much I appreciate the assistance you have given to ensure our veterans and their family's needs are not forgotten.
Please share the information contained in this email with people who may benefit from it or share my contact information with them.
Have a wonderful weekend
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (Donor Connect)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (Transportation)
2018 Military Mental Health conference
You are formally invited to the 2018 Military Mental Health conference!
"Together – Serving Those Who Serve: Behind the Uniform"
Subject: 2018 Military Mental Health Conference
When: Thursday, April 26 – Friday, April 27, 2018
Where: Camp Ripley Training Center
15000 Highway 115
Little Falls, MN 56345
Even if you cannot personally attend, please forward this invitation along to anyone and everyone you think might be interested.
For more information and to register visit:
Military Mental Health Conference 2018 Flyer.pdf
Troy A. Davidson
Program Manager
Resilience, Risk Reduction, & Suicide Prevention (R3SP)
Minneapolis Legal Clinic for Veterans
A reminder that MN Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) offers legal clinics for ANY veteran or currently serving service member in the state, this is an amazing free resource for those with legal issues or questions.
MACV is hosting a legal clinic for veterans on March 13th at the Minneapolis VA. Please distribute this information to veterans who may need civil or family legal assistance. For more information, please contact Sara Sommarstrom (651) 224-0292.
Information on additional upcoming Legal Clinic's in Anoka and St Cloud can be found here: http://www.mac-v.org/calendar.html
Annette Brechon Kuyper
Director of Military Outreach
Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
20 West 12th Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155-2004
Office: 651.282.4002
Cell: 651.955.3108
PBYR Participates in the Greenwood Elementary School Community Service Event
PBYR proudly participated in the Greenwood Elementary School Community Service Program on Feb. 9, 2018. This was our 2nd participation and we have been invited back for next year! The student and parents were again super and they were very generous with the following donations:
- $400.00 Holiday Gift cards
- $400.00 Cub Gift cards
- The students wrote letters and drew beautiful pictures for service members.
The gift card donations will be used to assist service members and their families and such donated gifts are very helpful to the PBYR mission. The Family Assistance Center will locate a deployed service member or Chaplain to receive the pictures to distribute.
Jobs and opportunities
Equity Coordinator Position open at the Minnesota Department of Human Services
Closing date February 26, 2018
The Equity Coordinator will provide guidance and support to division directors, managers, and staff in the Community Supports Administration (CSA) at the Minnesota Department of Human Services on equity-related issues and activities. This position will also be responsible for facilitating the CSA's internal equity initiatives. With the support of the division directors, this person will coordinate with staff at all levels to assess equity and inclusion awareness/capacity, identify activities to build equity and inclusion, and implement those activities at all levels of the Administration. This position will work in partnership with the CSA Equity Committee to achieve alignment with the DHS Equity Policy. Equity is a key part of the CSA Strategic Plan and the Equity Coordinator will also play a role in supporting the work outlined in the Plan.
To learn more about this position and to apply please visit the State of Minnesota Job Posting site (Job ID # 19859)
Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP)
Deadline: March 15, 2018
Harold Amos was the first African-American to chair a department at Harvard Medical School. Honor his legacy and create yours.
The Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program believes the health care landscape requires diverse leadership. The program offers four-year postdoctoral research awards to increase the number of physicians, dentists, and nurses from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.The Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP) offers four-year postdoctoral research awards to increase the number of physicians, dentists, and nurses from historically disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to:
- Developing careers and achieving senior rank in academic medicine, dentistry, or nursing;
- Fostering the development of succeeding classes of physicians, dentists, and nurses from historically disadvantaged backgrounds;
- Improving the health of underserved populations; and/or
- Working toward understanding and eliminating health disparities by achieving senior rank in academic medicine, dentistry, or nursing.
To learn more, please visit the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website.
Funding opportunities
Early Childhood Care and Education: Health Equity in Action Grant
Deadline April 10
Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation is offering the following grant opportunity: Early Childhood Care and Education: Health Equity in Action will provide grants of up to $100,000 each per year. Applicants can apply for one or two-year grants. A total of up to $1M will be available over two years.
Program details and eligibility criteria can be found in the funding guidelines.
Applications are due on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, at 4 p.m. Central Time, through the online application system.
To learn more visit the BCBS Foundation website
Nonprofit Capacity-Building Grants: Management Improvement Fund
No deadline
Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation have partnered to offer capacity-building grants to nonprofits across Minnesota through the Management Improvement Fund. Qualified nonprofits can apply for grants to support projects that strengthen organizations through strategic planning, program evaluation, governance, racial equity, financial planning and more. To learn more, visit the Saint Paul Foundation website.
Hamel VFW Valentine's Dance
The Hamel VFW is hosting a Valentine's Dinner & Dance on Saturday, February 17th. Food from 5-8:00 pm with music from 7-11:00. The Arcades will be playing great classic rock with a touch of country and a polka or two. Everyone who's heard these guys say their music and rotation is outstanding! Bring your sweetheart and enjoy a relaxing night. There is a $5.00 cover.
PBYR at Work
This weekend the military Family Assistance Center (FAC) contacted PBYR with a request for service. A service member's father is in an AZ hospice. He is very ill and will likely die in several days. The service member would like to see his father and bring 4 family members to AZ, however does not have the funds. The service member contacted the FAC, the airline , the Red Cross and the American Legion . The cost for the flight is $1,760.
PBYR agreed to provide an emergency grant of $880.00 to assist this family. We appreciate the FAC for bringing this situation to our attention as we want to support this military family in their time of need.
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP
President – Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Donor Connect has some requests
Donor Connect Friends,
I have received a few recent requests after the updated list was sent out this week which I would like you to think about over the weekend and if you're able to help in any way or know of someone who might be able to help please refer that information to me and I will get in touch and go from there.
Metro area request for a small stationary exercise bike.
Bloomington area request for a Lift Recliner.
St. Cloud area request for a Lift Recliner.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (Donor Connect)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (Transportation)
DAV Donor Connect – January 23, 2018
Donor Connect Friends
January has flown by and been full of all kinds of excitement! I hope you all are doing well after this last snow storm. Fortunately we were lucky here in St. Cloud and didn't receive a single flake. Thank you all for being so very patient with me as I know it has been a while since I sent out an updated list, I truly appreciate it!
If there are any questions about the list or if you would like the donor information for a specific item please either call or email me and I will get you that information. If you do not see an item on the list please get in touch with me and I can reach out to different places or add it to the requests.
Have a wonderful day!
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (Donor Connect)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (Transportation)
myHealth hosting dental clinic for Children's Dental Services – January 31
myHealth is hosting another dental clinic for Children's Dental Services on Wednesday January 31st 9-4, at our Hopkins Clinic.
Feel free to post and pass the attached flyer onto youth and families in need of dental services. The clinics fill up fast, so encourage those interested to call and schedule early. Thanks for helping spread the word!
Give Kids a Smile Day 2018!
Children's Dental Services will be hosting Give Kids a Smile Day on February 2nd and 3rd at our Headquarters location in Minneapolis. On these days we are able to provide a full range of free services to uninsured patients, and we have many appointments still available! Please feel free to post and pass along this flyer to help spread the word!
Thank you.
- Alyssa Beaulieu
Operations Manager
Children's Dental Services
- 636 Broadway St. NE
- Minneapolis, MN 55413
612-843-0202 (direct)
- 612-746-1531 (fax)
Supporting Military Children with Traumatic Grief
Child Traumatic Grief Series
Supporting Military Children with Traumatic Grief
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2018 @ 9:00 am PT/ 12:00 pm ET
Presenters: Judith Cohen, MD, Allegheny Health Network; Robin Goodman, PhD ATR-BC, A Caring Hand, The Billy Esposito Bereavement Center; Zaneta Gilano, LMSW, CT, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS); Carole, family member
During both peace and conflict, children with parents in the military face unique military related stressors. Military children may develop childhood traumatic grief following the death of a caregiver from combat or non-combat situations. This presentation will provide an overview of issues specific to military culture and family life, describe two models for treating military children with traumatic grief, and will highlight a military consumer voice.
Developmental Trauma Disorder: Identifying Critical Moments and Healing Complex Trauma Series
Guiding Youth through Loss and Betrayal
Date/Time: Thursday, February 15 at 1:00 PM ET/ 10:00 AM PT
Mark your calendars for the next Developmental Trauma Disorder Training Webinar coming in February. And in case you missed it, watch the first two clinical training webinars here:
New Resources for Military Families:
Sesame Street for Military Families
Sesame Street for Military Families has released new content! Visit the link below to find interactive games, videos, and printable activities for military families to do with their preschool children. Topics include staying healthy together, creating fun and meaningful birthday traditions, encouraging children's self-expression, making changes more comfortable, and so much more!
New Guide for Parents and Caregivers:
Talking to Your Child About a Suicide Death
The death of a loved one is the most difficult life event that many children ever experience. A death due to suicide can be especially hard to face. Parents and caregivers may feel overwhelmed as they try to decide what to tell their children about a suicide death while struggling with their own grief over how the person died. This new guide includes tips for caregivers in preparing to tell their children about a suicide death and helping children to grieve in healthy ways.
Talking to Your Child About a Suicide Death
Upcoming Webinar:
Human Trafficking and the Opioid Crisis
During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center (NHTTAC) will host a 90-minute webinar that highlights emerging trends, case studies, and research on human trafficking and substance use with a specific focus on the opioid crisis. Presenters Elizabeth Hopper (Project Director of REACH, the Trauma Center at the Justice Resource Institute), Audrey Morrissey (Associate Director of My Life My Choice), and Ginny Sprang (Professor, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky) will discuss (1) the role of substance use for individuals at risk of, currently experiencing, or recovering from trafficking; (2) trauma-informed approaches from provider, client-based, and research perspectives to understand contributing factors to vulnerability; and (3) promising practices and treatment options that address the underlying issues that put victims and survivors at risk.
Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2018 Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm ET
New Resource:
Network members Virginia Strand and Ginny Sprang have edited a comprehensive reference, Trauma Responsive Child Welfare Systems (Springer 2018), which offers a framework for introducing and sustaining trauma-responsive services and culture in child welfare systems. Organized around concepts of safety, permanency, and well-being, chapters describe innovations in child protection, violence prevention, foster care, and adoption services to reduce immediate effects of trauma on children and improve long-term development and maturation. Foundations and interventions for practice include collaborations with families and community entities, cultural competency, trauma-responsive assessment and treatment, promoting trauma-informed parenting and, when appropriate, working toward reunification of families. The book's chapters on agency culture address staffing, supervisory, and training issues; planning and implementation; and developing a competent, committed, and sturdy workforce.
Topics covered include the following: (1) trauma-informed family engagement with resistant clients; (2) introducing evidence-based trauma treatment in preventive services; (3) working with resource parents for trauma-informed foster care; (4) use of implementation science principles in program development for sustainability; (5) trauma-informed and secondary traumatic stress-informed organizational readiness assessments; and (6) caseworker training for trauma practice and building worker resiliency.
New Article:
R. Rodriguez-Rey, J. Alonso-Tapia, N. Kassam-Adams, and H. Garrido-Hernansaiz are authors of the article The Factor Structure of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory in Parents of Critically Ill Children, published in 2016 in the Spanish journal Psicothema (Volume 28, Issue 4) and available in English and Spanish at the link below. The study analyzed the factor structure of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) in a sample of parents whose children had survived a critical hospitalization, in order to consider the structural validity of the PTGI scores for this population and to report our understanding of posttraumatic growth (PTG) as a construct. PTG was conceptualized as consisting of changes in three broad dimensions: self, interpersonal relationships, and philosophy of life. Authors studied 143 parents who completed the PTGI six months after their child's discharge from pediatric intensive care. The PTGI scores' factor structure was studied through confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of different models supported in prior research, followed by an exploratory principal component analysis (PCA). While prior models tested through CFA did not provide an acceptable fit for the data, through exploratory PCA, three components emerged that explained 73.41% of the variance: personal growth, interpersonal growth, and transpersonal growth. Subsequent CFAs on this three-factor model showed that a bifactor model had the best fit. Authors concluded that the three dimensions initially theorized appear to be robust, which supports the structural validity of its scores.
New Article:
C. D. Santiago, A. K. Fuller, J. M. Lennon, and S. H. Kataoka had their article Parent Perspectives from Participating in A Family Component For CBITS: Acceptability of A Culturally Informed School-Based Program published in 2016 inPsychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy (Volume 8, Issue 3). They explored parents' responses to a family component developed as an addition to the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). The family component was developed to improve engagement and participation in CBITS and to support parents' skill-building. To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the family component from the perspective of parents who participated, qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 low-income, Latino parents (80% female; 80% immigrants; average age = 38.07). Researchers found that parents (1) agreed that there was a need for programs like CBITS; (2) expressed a firm belief in the importance of parental involvement with their children and schools; and (3) reported a high level of satisfaction with the family component, indicating that it was beneficial to them, culturally relevant, and that they would recommend it to others. Parents noted some logistical barriers to participation and areas for improvement. Overall, the results of the study indicate that CBITS + Family is an appropriate, acceptable, and feasible intervention for Latino families. Supplemental data from children whose parents participated in the program provided further support for the value of the family component. Authors also discussed clinical implications for implementing culturally sensitive, school-based interventions.
New Article:
Michelle Sherman, Jenna Gress Smith, Kristy Straits-Troster, Jessica Larsen, and Abigail Gewirtz are the authors of Veterans' Perceptions of the Impact of PTSD on Their Parenting and Children published in Psychological Services (Volume 13, Issue 4) in 2016. Although considerable research has examined the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on couples and partners, relatively little is known about how it can affect parenting, children, and the parent-child relationship. While adverse effects of parental PTSD on child functioning have been documented, the processes by which these outcomes occur are unknown. Additionally, parents' perspectives on how their PTSD affects parenting and children have yet to be studied. This 3-site, mixed methods exploratory study included 19 veteran parents who had a diagnosis of PTSD. Participants were recruited from Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. Veterans participated in focus groups or individual interviews and completed questionnaires, responding to questions about the effects of PTSD on their functioning as parents. Two sets of themes emerged from the qualitative inquiry: (1) Veterans reported parenting difficulties that were associated with three PTSD symptom clusters, including avoidance, alterations in arousal and reactivity, and negative alterations of cognitions and mood; and (2) Veterans described both emotional (e.g., hurt, confusion, frustration, fear) and behavioral (e.g., withdrawal, mimicking parents' behavior) reactions in their children. Veterans also shared numerous ways in which their children provided practical and emotional support. Authors offer implications of these findings for future research, program development, and clinical care, including a free online parenting resource for veterans with PTSD based on this research.
JANUARY 2018 Mental Well-Being Learning Community!
January Topic: BUILDING CAPACITY IN 2018—WHEN DO WE ACT?
As a leader in your community or organization, please join us for an important discussion to move the Mental Well-Being Learning Community to the next level in 2018. In 2017 we learned about 7 different initiatives happening in Minnesota to build mental well-being and resilience. Let's talk about what's next!
- REFLECT– on lessons learned from 2017
- LEARN– about local community actions prompted by the learning community
- KNOW– about upcoming state and local opportunities
- PLAN– direction and next steps for the learning community and your community.
Your contribution is important to create a more powerful Learning Community in 2018.
Tuesday, January 30th 2017
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Register to Participate (NEW LINK!)
More Information
Sites? The link to Registration includes a list of sites near you.
No Site Address? We will update site addresses as identified. Hosts will also email participants before the event.
No Site Near You? Email email@example.com to confirm if one is currently available or to become a host.
Other Questions? Email email@example.com
Cambridge Family Assistance Center Job Posting
Help pass the word for a Family Assistance Center job opening in Cambridge, MN.
Below and attached is a Family Assistance Center (FAC) Specialist job opportunity. This is a Full-Time civilian contracted position and we are looking for widest dissemination. Please share the attached information with Soldiers, Airmen and civilians.
JOB TITLE: Family Assistance Center (FAC) Specialist
EMPLOYER: Skyline-ULTD
OPEN PERIOD: Thursday, January 11, 2018 – Friday, January 24, 2018
POSITION INFORMATION: Full-Time Contract
VACANCY LOCATION: Cambridge, MN
Point of contact for this position is: Ms Nancy Launderville firstname.lastname@example.com or 651-282-4209
PBYR 2017 Financials
Plymouth Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Financial Statements
As of and for the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016
One number for mental health crisis services now being piloted in the Twin Cities
As we announced at the end of September, DHS has been testing a new phone number to connect people to crisis services. Testing of this number in the metro area has been completed, and the pilot of the new crisis number is now getting underway.
Starting Monday, January 8, individuals and service providers in the Twin Cities metro area, calling from a cell phone, can call one number — **CRISIS — and have their call seamlessly forwarded to their county crisis team.
At this time, **CRISIS is being piloted in the metro area only. The counties in the **CRISIS pilot are Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington. Eventually, **CRISIS will replace a list of 30 county crisis numbers across the state. As the system rolls out, a landline 800 number will be added for people without cell phones, especially in rural areas.
Note that during the pilot, in order not to miss any calls, if an individual outside of the metro area calls the number they will be routed to their local team as well. However, data collection will be focused on the metro area at this time. Also important is that the contractor was only able to set boundaries based on county lines not the reservations. Individuals will need to continue to dial the current number if they hope to reach a tribal team.
Statewide crisis provider meeting
During the February 13 statewide crisis provider meeting, we will discuss a plan to partner with crisis teams in the metro to promote the number within those communities.
Thank you again for your cooperation in partnering with the Department of Human Services to provide crisis services to Minnesotan's.
Please contact email@example.com with any questions.
For more information about mental health services in Minnesota, visit:
Children's mental health / Adult mental health / Resources for partners and providers
Linking Freedom in our Backyard
FAC January Newsletter
I hope your holidays were enjoyable and you were able to spend time with loved ones. My children all came home so it was a wonderful holiday for me!
Attached please find the January FAC Newsletter. This month we focus on personal wellness. If you have questions, or would like to find resources near you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for all you do for our military families! I am looking forward to working with you in the coming year, have a great day.
Yolonda Von Itter
Military Family Assistance Specialist
SKYLINE ULTD, Contractor
MN National Guard Readiness Center
1536 Ben Franklin Dr
Arden Hills, MN 55112
Office: 651-282-4055
Interfaith Speaker on January 11
Join your friends and neighbors at the Great Expectations Speaker Series!
Dr. Michael Rodriguez: Professor and founding Co-Director of the Educational Equity Resource Center College of Education and Human Development University of Minnesota.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Shannon Hall
Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners
1605 County Road 101 N, Plymouth 55447
Lunch will be provided
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required
Follow this link to register: iocp.ejoinme.org/gespeakerseries
Wayzata Public School District Family Services Collaborative
Formerly: Communities in Collaboration Council (CICC)
Donor Connect
Donor Connect contacts:
I was approached by Gary Komaniecki of the Rochester Public Schools who stated his auto shop students have repaired a 1998 Ford Conversion Van with a powered wheelchair ramp which is in good working order for donation.
If you know of anyone who would benefit from having a handicapped vehicle please get in touch with Gary at 507-261-7566.
Thank you.
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (cell)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (office)
Fishing for Life Events
What: Fishing for Life Holes 4Heroes Ice Fishing Festival
When: 1/27/2018 at Medicine Lake – 1-4:00pm
When: 2/3/2018 at White Bear Lake – 1-4:00pm
How: To Register please go to: FISHINGFORLIFE.ORG
Please see attached pdf for more information.
Free Training Course
myHealth will be facilitating a training course on LGBTQA Inclusive Education Practices for woman-identified educators. Please feel free to attend in Hopkins on January 9th and pass this information along.
See attached flyer!
Delta Kappa Gamma flyer Jan. 2018.pdf
DAV Donor Connect
Donor Connect Friends
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season so far! I have attached the last item list for 2017 to this posting. If there is anyone you think may benefit from the information please feel free to pass it along or refer them to me.
Donor Connect weekly listing 12.29.17.pdf
Thank you and have a happy New Years!
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
(320)828-6761 (cell)
(320) 252-1670 ext 6676 (office)
PBYR assists service member with temporary housing
On December 27, 2017 the Bloomington Family Assistance Center (FAC) encountered a Service Member that needed temporary housing for 3 weeks prior to starting National Guard Training. PBYR and The American Legion quickly partnered to house the Service Member at an Extended Stay Motel. The Service Member was very pleased that she was protected from homelessness prior to starting training, especially with the severe winter weather upon us in Minnesota.
Kudos to all that were able to agree to effectively partner in such a helpful manner!! PBYR wishes the Service Member well in her future training and a Happy and Healthy New Year. We thank her for her planned service! And PBYR acknowledges the assistance and support from our partners –the American Legion and John Wagle, Bloomington FAC Representative!
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP, PBYR President
Hamel VFW dinner & dance – January 13
The Hamel VFW is kicking off 2018 with a Dinner & Dance on Saturday, January 13th. The Arcades go on stage at 7:00 pm. The guys play great classic rock, a touch of country and a polka or two. The Hamel VFW is the place to be if you enjoy dancing, having fun and good food!
DAV Donor Connect – Available Item
Donor Connect Friends-
As we near Christmas I want to send a special thank you to all of you who have helped make the Donor Connect Program as successful as it is. Without your donations and offers to assist many veterans and their family members would not have been able to benefit from the equipment listed with the Donor Connect Program.
I was contacted by Greg Peterson, CVSO for Brown County, who has a unique item he would like to let people know is available as a donation- Please get ahold of Greg if you know of anyone who is interested or could benefit from this great walk-in bath tub.
"We received a walk-in bath tub as a donation last week. The tub is in great shape, but it does not have whirlpool jets. The tub is currently in the back of our Veterans van and will be at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center on Friday, Dec 15th, and at the Minneapolis VAMC on Monday, Dec 18th. We are willing to deliver it to anyone in the near proximity of these two locations. It is heavy and would take at least two strong people to lift out of our van. The photos were taken with the tub in the van, and the interior photos include two exterior access panels.
Please call 507-233-6636 if you would like to have the tub. If it is not taken by Monday, we will store it at our DAV chapter in New Ulm."
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
PBYR Meets with Wayzata High School Students to Discuss Recent Partnering
Plymouth Beyond Yellow Ribbon further explored the PBYR mission with Brenda Badger's Y.E.S. students on December 7, 2017. This was a follow-up to the prior project and partnering with PBYR in November, 2017 to send treats to deployed MN soldiers. In the presentation, the students asked many good questions about PBYR. We addressed many reasons why people volunteer with non-profit organizations, such as agreeing with the mission and to demonstrate support, personal skill development, leadership training and to contribute to a healthy sense of community. Also, the many advantages for Minnesota to have a large network of BYR cities was reviewed in detail as this effort has assisted many people and decreased the military suicide rates over the past several years.
Strategies and reasons for students to connect with PBYR and/or other non-profits was reviewed in detail. The students seemed to resonate with the PBYR mission and history. Hopefully, they will desire to partner again with PBYR in 2018! They were reminded that their knowledge and skill with social media could be used effectively by many non-profit organizations, especially as community outreach efforts can take many creative forms in the current digital age.
Gary Goldetsky, Psy.D, LP
PBYR Board Chairman
DAV Donor Connect
I hope you are enjoying the burst of Minnesota winter we recently received. I have received a plentitude of calls recently about ramps. I would like to find out if there are any contacts for ramps you may know of (businesses/charities ext.) The ramp requests I have received range from a veteran recently becoming an amputee and requiring a ramp for 4 steps into his home and another request for a veteran in his 90's who fell while attempting to carry his wife down the exterior steps of their home because she cannot walk up and down the stairs on her own. I know a few DAV Chapters have notified me they were installing ramps for veterans or had supplied funds for the building of a ramp as service projects- There has to be more we can do to assist veterans needing ramps to allow them to stay in their homes and we cannot expect DAV Chapters to purchase ramps to fill every need.
Donor Connect updated weekly listing 12.5.17
If you know of anyone who may benefit from the information in this email please feel free to pass along the information.
Stephanie Zeimetz
St. Cloud VA HSC
Donor Connect
Teen Stress
Reducing stress isn't always about changing your life, sometimes it's about changing the way you deal with it. Change to Chill is here to help you figure out what stress is, what causes it and how you can manage it. Here is a link to resources addressing teen stress: http://www.changetochill.org/
We Will Never Forget
With the Bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 by the Japanese and
ended with the surrender of Germany and Japan in 1945, the following 3 1/2
years of World War II, the following items were produced:
22 aircraft carriers
8 battleships
48 cruisers
349 destroyers
420 destroyer escorts
203 submarines
34 million tons of merchant ships
100,000 fighter aircraft
98,000 bombers
24,000 transport aircraft
58,000 training aircraft, 93,000 tanks
257,000 artillery pieces
105,000 mortars
3,000,000 machine guns
2,500,000 military trucks.
Also, America put 16.1 million men in uniform in the various armed services,
invaded Africa, invaded Sicily and Italy , won the battle for the Atlantic,
planned and executed D-Day, marched across the Pacific and Europe, developed
the atomic bomb and ultimately conquered Japan and Germany .
We cannot and should not ever forget that the bombing of Pearl Harbor started
it all 76 years ago.
Semper Fi.
Forwarded by Jim Heimerl
United Heroes League & Minnesota Timberwolves opportunity for child dependents
The Minnesota Timberwolves and United Heroes League (UHL) would like to extend the following offer to Minnesota Military Families from all service components. Please see the PDF below for additional information.
Who: Male and female military kids ages 6-18 years old with parents holding the rank of E5 or below. This is open to all services with parents of currently serving service members or veterans.
What: Basketball clinic and SURPRISE holiday shopping spree with the Timberwolves players