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Crowdfunding Campaign Photos at the Recognition Event
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Dear Volunteers,
We are glad that many of you were able to join us at the Volunteer Recognition Event on April 30 in Lansing. Spending time with the volunteers who make this program possible is an amazing experience, and it reminds us what makes Buddy-to-Buddy special.
For those who were not able to make it, we missed you!
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I am grateful to the many of you who volunteered to participate in a special photo shoot for the crowdfunding campaign. We asked those who were interested to fill out a small sign with "I'm a Buddy because..." printed at the top with the reason or one of the reasons why you choose to dedicate your time, passion, and expertise to Buddy-to-Buddy.
To say that I was impressed with the messages on those signs and the images of Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteers holding them up and looking into the camera is an understatement. These images are powerful testaments to the diversity of your motivation for participating in the program, but one thing that is consistent throughout this photo series is each volunteer's heartfelt commitment to making an impact on the lives of fellow veterans.
A couple of these photos are displayed lower down in the newsletter, but you may view all of them here. If your photo is in this series and you would like the file emailed to you, please contact Buddy-to-Buddy's Communications Specialist, Alyssa Wealty, at [email protected].
For those who haven't had a chance to participate in the photo project but would still like to, we will send information to everyone about how to do so in the next few weeks, along with more information about the crowdfunding campaign as the 4th of July launch nears. While we continue to pursue other strategies for keeping Buddy-to-Buddy adequately funded, we are very excited about this campaign and appreciate the support that many of you have expressed since we announced it.
Stephanie Zarb
Buddy-to-Buddy Program Manager
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We welcomed the following volunteers to our team in April:
Carl Underhill
Carl retired from the Army in 1990 after serving for 24 years. During this time he served in Iran and Vietnam, among other assignments. He more recently worked as a Tax Preparer, which he now does as a volunteer with AARP. Carl will be assigned to the Wyoming armory.
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Ty Woods
Ty served in the United States Marine Corps for 4 years and has spent the last 28 years in the Funeral and Cemetery Industry. He is active with the Marine Corps League in Muskegon and will be volunteering at the Wyoming armory.
Melvin Kelly
Melvin’s joining Buddy-to-Buddy adds another Marine to our ranks! After separating from the military in 1980, Melvin had a varied career that brought him to recently becoming a certified peer support specialist working at the Battle Creek VA. He is active with Vet-to-Vet and the Mental Health Advocacy Council there. Melvin will serve as an at-large volunteer, assisting veterans he meets through his work at the VA.
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Volunteer Veteran of the Month
Paul Jingozian was our Volunteer Veteran of the Month for April!
Paul was part of the first group of Volunteer Veterans trained by the program and does an excellent job of representing Buddy-to-Buddy both through his work assisting the soldiers in his assigned armory and as a tireless advocate for veterans in Michigan. Read more about Paul...
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The top log submissions in April:
Joe McClellan – 36
Paul Jingozian – 31
Steve Alguire – 10
Adeyemi Obanjoko – 10
Keith Overby – 10
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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Dee Harris (center) at a Women's Army Corps Luncheon.
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Darcy Capitano: "I'm a Buddy
because a Buddy saved me!"
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Eric Jackson: "I'm a Buddy
because [I] did not want others
to be forgotten."
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Outreach Coordinator, Valeria Shipp,
with 101-year-old WWII veteran
Mable Anderson.
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Mark Lindke's dog, Scout,
sporting a Buddy-to-Buddy patch.
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Congratulations, Bruce and Sierra!
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Congratulations to Bruce Binns, a Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer who was awarded a Star Volunteer Award by the organization Volunteer Southwest Michigan on April 13 in St. Joseph. Bruce has been serving as a Volunteer Veteran with us since June 2013 and has personally assisted over 20 veterans and dedicated 110+ hours to attending drill and other military events.
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Congratulations to our Program Coordinator, Sierra Sharpe, for being awarded a University of Michigan Health System Making A Difference award! We are grateful for her good brain, big heart, patience and hard work.
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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 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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