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How Can I Help?
Participation
Operation Grateful Heart is not
limited to State Agencies; all Alabamians are encouraged to participate.
Communities can assist deployed service members and their families
through neighborly acts, visits, assisting with home maintenance, or
childcare. Private and public agencies can use their resources to
provide practical outreach. Examples include, offering discounts on
goods and services, reduced or free admission to recreational
activities/events, tuition waivers, youth programs, adopt-a-family,
potlucks, briefings, and meetings. You may also contact the local
Veterans Services Officer or Alabama Career office for information and
ideas on how your community can become apart of Operation Grateful
Heart.
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Ways to Become Involved |
| a. |
Establish Operation Grateful
Heart Task Force(s) in each county to provide leadership to
community-based programs and activities, municipalities may form
sub-task forces. |
| b. |
Identify existing
programs and services designed to assist designed to assist
service members, their families, and returning veterans,
establish a cooperative effort within the community. |
| c. |
Informally assess
the nature and extent of the needs of service members and their
families, identify and contact families in the community who
have a member serving on active duty. |
| d. |
Design and implement
new and extended programs and services to meet identified needs,
task organize, publicize, and encourage involvement. |
| e. |
Refer service
members, their families, and veterans to government agencies,
community support groups, faith based organizations, or other
organizations that offer assistance. |
| f. |
Develop
and implement special events to show appreciation and
recognition to military members and their families upon
development or return from deployment. |
| g. |
Encourage community
and business leaders to help service members transition back to
civilian life, provide employment and veteran assistance.
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| h. |
Most programs will
be volunteer-driven at the local level, people want to serve,
they just need to be asked. |
| i. |
Federal and State
agencies whose jobs is to provide employment assistance and
services for veterans should be included in this endeavor, all
of the community can work together toward a common goal of
helping veterans, service members and their families; core
agencies are:
1) Department of Veteran Affairs, Veteran Services Officers -
Veterans Benifits
2) Department of Industrial Relations, Area Career Centers -
Employment Assistance
3) Alabama National Guard - Military member and family
assistance |
| j. |
Log onto
www.americasupportsyou.mil for ideas on how to help and to
express support. Job seekers and employers may also log onto
www.hirevetsfirst.gov for assistance. |
Other Outreach Sources: |
| a. |
Go to
www.ngb.army.mil/features/supportourtroops/ |
| b. |
Go to
www.defendamerica.mil then click on "Support Our Troops" |
| c. |
Go to
www.americasupportsyou.mil |
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| Alabama Directory