Bethlehem Morning Star Rotarians Sponsor a Concert to Support Victory House A concert on 20 November conducted by the Allentown Band, America’s oldest concert band, and sponsored by the Bethlehem Morning Star Rotarians in recognition of the Armed Forces worldwide and the coming 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor will benefit Read more…
Judith’s Reading Room Helps Veterans Sanctuary As an extension of one of its ongoing efforts, which is support our troops with books to read, Judith’s Reading Room is donating to Veterans Sanctuary a custom designed mobile library stocked with books hand picked to help in the recovery of veterans suffering Read more…
President Christopher Posch of the Band of Brothers veterans group at Northampton Community College, a member organization of LVMAC, announced at the September Council meeting that his organization is raising funds for a “Tribute to the Troops” section in the Tribute Garden at the main campus site. (more…)
18 April….Crayola Factory Family Day Camp….Sponsored by the PNG Children & Youth Program…..Many activities throughout the day….To register visit http://www.jointservicessupport.org/events/kioskRegistration.aspx?Mode=AddNew&ld-bd7eaaf6-0722-4b71-99b2-647a90fdbb36 or you can call the PNG Child & Youth Program @ 717.861.6289 22 April…….Keystone Wounded Warriors Day @ Hershey park. the park is reserved for military and special organizations this day. A Read more…
Council Speaker: On 21 September 2011, Captain Samuel Johnson, USMC – who is assigned as an Instructor-Inspector to the newly relocated 150 personnel Battery I, 3-14 Regiment of Artillery (155 mm) which closed on the Lehigh Valley’s Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center from Reading on 15 September – spoke to the Council on the origins and initiatives of the Keystone Wounded Warriors, a new nonprofit, charitable 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in October of 2010 and just beginning to operate in the Lehigh Valley. (more…)
Trout Unlimited – Hokendauqua Is Having Another Event for Injured Veterans Trout Unlimited’s Hokendauqua has arranged for its third Project Healing Water Fly Fishing event of the season to occur on 8 October just upstream of the Robin Hood Dell bridge in Little Lehigh Park. Rain date is 9 October. Read more…
Speaker: On 17 August, BG (PA) Michael Gould, the Deputy Adjutant General for Veterans Affairs in the Commonwealth, spoke to the council. He explained that most states have a Secretary of Veterans Affairs but in this state the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has the responsibility. He is one of three deputies and serves at the pleasure of the Governor, though he sees his responsibility is in serving first the veterans.
His Office of Veterans Affairs is primarily consumed with the operation of six state veterans homes, requiring some 1800 employees. Its other functional responsibilities, in comparison, are relatively small. For example, the Office of Veterans Affairs has three small field offices of veterans service officers located in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Ft. Indiantown Gap which file VA claims on behalf of veterans and work in confederation with the County Directors of Veterans Affairs.
This does not mean he is not busy. He has an open door policy for any veteran and has traveled approximately 63,000 miles on veterans business in the last year.
General Gould pointed out that his office manages six benefits programs, such as a paralyzed veteran pension and an emergency assistance fund, to the tune of $1 million but these touch only 1 to 2 per cent of the state’s veterans and as constituted are mostly redundant, considering the federal programs available for the same purposes.
He believes changes are necessary in his office (more…)
Although not available yet in printed form, the 2011 edition of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors handbook is now available online at (more…)
Speaker: Ann Friedenheim, Clinical Supervisor for Confront Services, Treatment Trends, Inc. spoke about a new program to be launched by Treatment Trends and called, “Supporting the Homefront: Educational Footing for Families of Veterans and Active Duty Men and Women.”
After three years of planning and effort, (more…)
The Easton Area High School Vietnam War Memorial Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is trying to build an Easton Area High School memorial site to honor those who served during the Vietnam War. It will have a website soon.
In the interim, (more…)