The New England Center for Homeless Veterans (NECHV) extends a helping hand to any homeless veteran facing the challenges of addiction, trauma, severe and persistent mental illness, and unemployment; however, the veterans must be committed to sobriety, nonviolence and working for personal change. The organization is located in Boston, and though most clients are from the Boston area, the NECHV has aided veterans from all 50 states.

Homeless veterans seeking help should go to 17 Court Street, any time of the day or night, and request assistance. Veteran status will be verified through the discharge form (DD214). If the DD214 is not readily available, NECHV staff will make an emergency request from the Military Personnel Records Center in St. Louis for the appropriate information.

The center’s support services include a residential program, specialized counseling, housing programs, training opportunities, job placement and medical help. The residential program has three levels. The first is the “Cot Squad,” in which veterans receive intensive counseling to address and resolve immediate personal issues. Individuals are given thorough assessments and the determination is made about the need for more intensive medical care.

The second level is the “Transitional Housing Program” that offers more comfortable living environments. To qualify for this, veterans must be working or enrolled in a training or educational program. This level concentrates on financial management and the search for permanent housing; clients are prepared to transition to self-sufficiency. The third level is a move to the 59 single-occupancy permanent units in the John Joseph Moakley Veterans Quarters located at the center. Typically, the rooms are 98 percent occupied with veterans who have completed level two.

The center’s Veterans Training School offers life skills as well as pre-vocational and vocational courses. It also assists with résumés and provides career counseling, JumpStart workshops and a job posting board. More information about the NECHV, its efforts and the ways to assist with time, talent and treasure is available on the Web site.

The Fisher House Foundation, in concert with Newman’s Own and the Military Times Media Group, is sponsoring the 2009 Newman’s Own Awards. The program awards grants to organizations with ideas to improve the quality of life for military and veterans’ families. A total of $75,000 is available. The top prize is $15,000, with the other $60,000 being distributed at the judges’ discretion. The deadline to apply is May 1, 2009, and winners will be announced in September 2009. Application guidelines and more information are available online.

By enrolling in My Soldier, participants adopt deployed service members provided by the program and agree to send them periodic upbeat letters or e-mail messages. Care packages also can be sent but are not required. After enrolling, participants can download a My Soldier Starter Kit that contains instructions on how to begin the process as well as letter-writing guidelines. In addition to receiving a troop pen pal, participants also receive a bracelet, taking a cue from the POW bracelets popular in the 1970s as well as the yellow Live Strong bracelets. The bracelets are only available to program enrollees.

More information about My Soldier and how to donate or participate is available on the Web site. Additional offerings include educational materials to encourage people to communicate with and understand the needs of troops and veterans. My Soldier also has spawned the spin-off program Hats Off to Veterans, which supports and honors veterans and their sacrifices.

Dust off those bikes, take them out of the garage and get rolling for a great cause! Face of America 2009 begins April 25 in Bethesda, Maryland, to raise awareness of service members injured in the line of duty. The 110-mile bike ride, which ends April 26 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, also raises funds for World TEAM (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports, an organization that strives to increase awareness, acceptance and integration of people with disabilities through sports. Face of America focuses specifically on disabled veterans by reaching out and actively including troops who have been severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The ride honors wounded warriors by using sports to help integrate them back into society. World TEAM Sports wants to thank these young men and women for their service and also let them know that they still can be active members of the TEAM. The event focuses on meeting challenges, promoting camaraderie and developing the lasting knowledge that all of the participants are integral members of society. The group works with several other organizations including Soldiers’ Angels, the Injured Semper Fi Foundation, and service members from military hospitals and installations around the country to put on the ride.

Any service member—injured or otherwise—who wants to ride is invited to participate for free. Anyone else who wants to join in can register online at www.worldteamsports.org. Service members and sponsors also can attend the kick-off dinner the night of April 24. Civilians must pay a $50 registration fee and raise a minimum of $600 in donations. All registrations must be in by April 23 at 8:59 PDT.

Additional information, including instructions on what to bring, where to stay, how to sign up as a team captain, schedule, links to registration and more, is available on the Web site.

Wounded, ill and injured military members and their families are often in need of financial and medical resources as they recover. The National Resource Directory (NRD) home page provides information on and access to a range of medical and non-medical services and resources. The site offers links to affiliated programs such as the Wounded Warrior Resource Center, which offers information about local military facilities, health care services and benefits. Another asset is the Recovery Coordination Program designed to improve the care, management and transition assistance for wounded, sick and injured military personnel. Other services include information about benefits and compensation; education, training and employment; family and caregiver support; housing and transportation; and support resources.

Sentinels of Freedom awards scholarships to wounded veterans—but this money does not lead to a degree. Instead, the organization provides “life scholarships” in an effort to help the injured readjust to civilian life and their new physical challenges. Through donations of time, money, goods and scholarships, veterans receive housing, transportation and employment and education assistance. They also are connected to a team of volunteers that provides guidance, mentoring and friendship during a four-year program.

The teams include up to 10 business professionals with associations relevant to the components of the program. They mobilize to carry out the Sentinels of Freedom mission in their communities, coordinating and managing donations and preparing for the veterans’ arrivals, including a welcome home ceremony.

The Web site offers a wealth of information including details about sponsoring a veteran, applying for the program, donating, establishing volunteer teams, securing resources and providing on-going mentorship.

Dust off those bikes, take them out of the garage and get rolling for a great cause! Face of America 2009 begins April 25 in Bethesda, Maryland, to raise awareness of service members injured in the line of duty. The 110-mile bike ride, which ends April 26 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, also raises funds for World TEAM (The Exceptional Athlete Matters) Sports, an organization that strives to increase awareness, acceptance and integration of people with disabilities through sports. Face of America focuses specifically on disabled veterans by reaching out and actively including troops who have been severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The ride honors wounded warriors by using sports to help integrate them back into society. World TEAM Sports wants to thank these young men and women for their service and also let them know that they still can be active members of the TEAM. The event focuses on meeting challenges, promoting camaraderie and developing the lasting knowledge that all of the participants are integral members of society. The group works with several other organizations including Soldiers’ Angels, the Injured Semper Fi Foundation, and service members from military hospitals and installations around the country to put on the ride.

Any service member—injured or otherwise—who wants to ride is invited to participate for free. Anyone else who wants to join in can register online at www.worldteamsports.org. Service members and sponsors also can attend the kick-off dinner the night of April 24. Civilians must pay a $50 registration fee and raise a minimum of $600 in donations. All registrations must be in by April 23 at 8:59 PDT.

Additional information, including instructions on what to bring, where to stay, how to sign up as a team captain, schedule, links to registration and more, is available on the Web site.

In another example of how the military community can receive help through military organizations, the U.S. Defense Department has released a comprehensive handbook (PDF link) outlining compensation and other benefits service members and their families are entitled to after separating or retiring from the military because of serious injury and illness. The departments of Veterans Affairs, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, as well as the Social Security Administration, cooperated on the book’s development. Information about assistance from other governmental and nongovernmental organizations also is included.

The handbooks are available in hard copies and electronic versions. Both provide Web sites and toll-free numbers for more help and assistance, and the electronic publication includes hyperlinks. The hard copy will be updated annually and the electronic copy will be updated frequently.

Honor Flight Chicago is a little different from most veteran support organizations, and it proves there is no end to the ways people can make a difference in the lives of those who served. The program flies World War II veterans from Chicago Midway Airport to Dulles International Airport and then takes them by bus to see the World War II Memorial erected in Washington, D.C., in their honor. After spending two hours there and eating a box lunch, the group continues to the Korean and Vietnam war memorials and the Iwo Jima Memorial. If time allows, veterans receive a tour of Washington as well. Everyone flies home later the same day. “Guardians”—who make the trip at their own expense—accompany each tour to assist the group during the trips.

The 2008 flights are filled, but the 2009 schedule will be posted on the Web site soon. An application that can be faxed or mailed to Honor Flight Chicago is available online. Information about volunteering and donating also is posted on the site.

Patriot Paws trains dogs to work with injured military members and other disabled persons to help restore physical and emotional freedoms. The organization provides high-quality service dogs for the minimum possible price to those who need them. Any physically disabled U.S. veteran or other American with mobile disabilities can apply for a Patriot Paws service dog by downloading the application form online or requesting one by mail. The necessary contact information is listed on the Web site. When an application is accepted, applicants are interviewed, and the organization makes every effort to find a compatible pet. Training the dogs takes 12 to 18 months and costs $20,000, so donations and volunteers are crucial to the program’s success. Anyone interested in donating funds can give through the site’s PayPal feature or can mail a check to the address listed online. Individuals who want to volunteer with the program can walk and bathe the dogs, run errands, help in the office, arrange fundraisers or round up donations. Foster families for the dogs also are needed. Other site features include donation news, frequently asked questions and an events page. Patriot Paws Service Dogs will raise funds with “Dogwalk in the Park” in Harry Myers Park, Rockwall, Texas, on November 8.