Though Kitty had never met Ed, when he walked into the VA clinic she could see he was in serious trouble. Kitty is an Operation: Veteran Connect member who serves at the front desk, greeting veterans as they arrive at the VA for their appointments. Thanks to her extensive training on PTSD and veteran suicide, Kitty immediately recognized the warning signs from Ed’s heightened stress and emotional state.
Ed didn’t have an appointment, but he urgently needed to talk to someone.
The VA had a strict no walk-ins policy, but Kitty knew that turning Ed away could be a fatal mistake. Determined to help, Kitty became Ed’s biggest advocate. She approached the nurse on duty and explained the situation. Despite the nurse’s initial refusal to accept walk-ins, Kitty didn’t back down. She used all her training, including skills from Crucial Conversations, to persuade the nurse to make an exception.
Two hours later, as Kitty left the clinic, Ed was still talking to a mental health professional. Kitty knew she had made a difference that day. Her persistence paid off in more ways than one. Thanks to Kitty’s efforts, the VA changed its policy to welcome walk-ins, especially those in a mental health crisis.
Victoria has been a Readers in Motion student for two years, which means she has benefitted from a Classroom Grandma each year, Grandma Gladys and Grandma Manning pictured with her on the left. Her mom shared, “Victoria is growing up without her grandmas. We left them behind when we left our country but I’m so happy that she gets to have Grandma in her class because they fulfill that emptiness of not having her Grandma from back home.”
“I got a really tough student the other day and I just wanted to let you know that Grandma Paulette is totally connecting with him. He feels so comfortable with her. She’s AMAZING. In the past, he has struggled to complete work and she has him working on day one! He’s even excited to be building words with her.”
-Ms. Healey, Seminole Elementary
When Neil retired he thought he was leaving behind the construction world to serve in a food pantry. Little did he know that the skills he gained during his career were exactly the skills the Volunteer Way needed. On Neil’s first day he encountered two toilets and a garden irrigation system that hadn’t been working for a long time, and he jumped right in to solve the problem. After his first week, Neil reported that he is “plugged in and they are happy to have a handyman available as needed.” Neil is a shining example of how re-wiring retirees for service can bring tremendous value to our community.
Julia knows the devastating feeling of seeing your whole life on the curb. Her house was flooded during Hurricane Helene. Even though her own home had been flooded, Julia showed up to help others with debris clean-up. The answer to despair is in service to others. Instead of focusing on myself and my loss, I helped others. In that, we all found strength and hope.”
Senior Companion volunteer Nona knew something was wrong when her client Diana didn’t respond. The worry began around 10 a.m. when Nona headed to the store to pick up some groceries for Diana and sent her a text to see if she needed anything else. No response. Nona knocked on Diana’s apartment door to drop off the groceries. No answer. She called Diana. No answer. It wasn’t like her not to answer. As the worry took over, Nona called the police but they weren’t able to help. Nona checked with neighbors. They said Diana was probably fine and told Nona to mind her own business. She called the apartment management company to open the door, but there was no one on site, and they wouldn’t come unless 911 had been called.
By now it was getting dark, and Nona wouldn’t give up. She went back to Diana’s apartment to see if the lights were on. There were no lights. That’s when Nona heard Diana’s downstairs neighbor complaining about the banging noise she had been making all day. Now, Nona knew she needed to call 911. Diana used a baseball bat as a cane. She had been banging on the floor all day to get someone’s attention. When emergency services arrived and opened the door, they found that Diana had suffered a stroke.
Unfortunately, the stroke was too severe, and Diana passed a week later. But thanks to Nona’s compassion and persistence, Diana’s daughter, who lives in Sweden, was able to see her mom one last time.