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Dear Volunteers,
We did it! As you know, we experienced some financial anxiety this year when we lost some of our funding, but as a result of the amazing help we received from our volunteers and donors, we had no disruption of services, and had a strong finish to the year.
This is especially good news because we are experiencing an uptick in activity due to the recent phone bank in Detroit and the increased need that many service members and veterans experience around the holidays. No, it is not good news that more people are in need and, therefore, turning to us for help. But it is good news that Buddy-to-Buddy is and will continue to be here to help.
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For every volunteer who selflessly devotes his or her time and heart to helping Michigan's service members and veterans, we are able to do more good in the world. For every grant and donation we receive, we are able to do more good in the world. For every radio, television, and newspaper story about this program that spreads the word that help is only a phone call away, we are able to do more good in the world.
From all of us here at Buddy-to-Buddy, thank you for being a part of this program. Many times the work that we do is intense and challenging, and sometimes the results are not immediately apparent, but together, we are doing great good in the world.
Stephanie Zarb
Program Manager
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WDIV Local 4 News Phone Bank
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Channel 4 hosted a phone bank again this year so that veterans from across Michigan could call in and get assistance from Buddy-to-Buddy volunteers. Six volunteers, Buddy-to-Buddy staff, and a representative from the Department of Veterans Affairs received over 100 calls in 150 minutes during the on-air phone bank at WDIV Local 4 News on December 7 (Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day). Service members, veterans, and family members called the help line and our volunteers were able to provide assistance on topics that ranged from help with benefits, employment, and finances to getting legal help, to accessing the VA for mental health care.
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Thank you to volunteers Dee Harris, Mark Reynolds, Bob Baumstark, Mark Lindke, Eric Jackson, and Ken Wood for participating and assisting callers, as well as all of the volunteers who are working to connect those callers to the services and resources they need. See below for more photos from this event.
Watch the WDIV Local 4 story about volunteers Bob Short and Bianca Racine...
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Volunteer Veteran of the Month
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Keith Overby was our Volunteer of the Month for November!
Keith has dedicated his life to public service, first as a Marine and then as a deputy sheriff, and now as a Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran. He has been a volunteer with the program for a little over a year, and in that time he’s demonstrated the utmost dedication to going above and beyond to assist service members and fellow veterans.
Read more about Keith...
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We welcomed the following volunteers to our team this month:
Dave Williams served four years in the Army. He works for Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit as a Veterans Family Strengthening Coordinator and is a certified Peer Specialist. He lives in Metro Detroit.
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Iris Bruin served in the Navy for three years. She works as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant for the VA, is pursuing a Master's degree, and lives in Benton Harbor.
Jack Jackson served in the Army for eight years and separated at the beginning of this year. He is working on a degree at Central Michigan University and works as a Veteran Service Officer at the Crawford County Veteran Services Offices. He lives in Jackson.
John Kroll served in the Army for three years. He works as a Vehicle Evaluation Coordinator and spent four years as a volunteer and care team lead for the Detroit Metro Airport Freedom Center. He lives in Metro Detroit.
Salvatore Cutino served a total of 35 years, including over 30 years in the Air Force and four in the Michigan Air National Guard. He retired from the service in 2014 and is now back in his home state of Michigan working as a professor in the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry and living in Metro Detroit.
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The top log submissions in November:
Joseph McClellan - 25
Cliff Tholen - 19
Julia Treme - 17
Steve Alguire - 14
Carl Underhill - 11
Most events attended and logged in November:
Bruce Binns- 5
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Thank you for taking the time to submit your logs and using the website to communicate with us. These submissions are key in helping us continue to serve Michigan’s veterans.
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Training Anniversaries This Month
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The following volunteers are celebrating their training anniversaries with the program this month:
Six Years (Wow—Special Kudos to Debby and Wilson!)
Debby Hardeman
Wilson Coomer
Three Years
Julia Treme
Lloyd Putnam
Two Years
Burr Tolles
One Year
Dale Harris
Richie Roberts
Thank you for your years of service!
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We're mixing things up! We have revised the format of the notes we send out after our weekly support calls. Rather than opening the email and clicking on a link to open a document with that week's notes, you can now read the more streamlined and organized notes in the body of the email. Each of these weekly emails now includes a bulleted summary of the week's calls with additional links to full call notes, useful web links, and any additional resources or presentation materials. We hope you find this new format easier to access and more helpful!
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Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteers with M-SPAN and Buddy-to-Buddy staff at the WDIV Local 4 News Phone Bank in Detroit on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
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M-SPAN staff members Mallory Mareski and Brittany Risk work together
to assist callers with B2B volunteer Mark Lindke and David Leonard from the Department of Veterans Affairs at the phone bank
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Where Will We Be This Month?
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Click here to view a calendar of events that either our Outreach Coordinator, Valeria Shipp, or various Volunteer Veterans will be attending on behalf of Buddy-to-Buddy. This calendar gets updated on a regular basis and we encourage you to refer to it frequently.
If there are any events throughout the state that you think might be good for Buddy-to-Buddy to have a table at, please contact Valeria Shipp at [email protected] or (734) 249-0380.
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Buddy-to-Buddy is part of Military Support Programs and Networks (M-SPAN),
a suite of military mental health programs within the University of Michigan Depression Center.
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Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program
1-888-822-8339 | [email protected] | www.buddytobuddy.org
2025 Traverwood Dr., Suite C | Ann Arbor | MI | 48105
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