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Spotlight on Veteran Brad Lam

Brad Lam completed the Trauma Resiliency Program at This Able Veteran in the fall of 2022.  At the end of the program, he was paired with his service dog Charity.  Lam says applying for the Trauma Resiliency Program was one of the best decisions he has ever made other than marrying his wife Brooke, whom he has been together with for 15 years.  Brad, Brooke, and Charity live in Carbondale, Illinois.

“I enlisted when I was 17 years old, and my initial goal was to be a career soldier.  I served in the U.S. Army for four years as a heavy equipment repairer.  I was with the 642nd Engineer Battalion in Ft. Devens, Massachusetts, and then with the 326th Engineer Battalion in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky.  While there, I attended Air Assault School,” said Lam.

Within two and a half years Lam was promoted to Sergeant .  In 1987, he was deployed to Korea for a year and served with the 44th Engineer Battalion.  Lam decided to ETS from active duty after hearing from his Chief Warrant Officer that the Army was going to downsize.  Lam continued to serve with the Illinois National Guard for two years.  The Army did start downsizing after the Cold War, which affected a lot of soldiers whom Lam served with.

“I made the right choice,” he said.

After Lam left active duty, he was hired as a mechanic for the City of Carbondale.  During this time, he also pursued a childhood dream of becoming a firefighter.

“It took six years before a firefighter position was available and in 1996, I was hired as firefighter.  It was the job I wanted it to be, but later in my career, my body started breaking down, both mentally and physically.  I experienced trauma as a child as well as in the military, and this continued in the fire service where there were also numerous traumatic incidents that started taking a toll on me. I came from the old school of “suck it up” and did not talk about things.  However, during my last three years of fire service, I started having nightmares and more suicidal ideations. My coping mechanisms were to isolate and self-medicate,” said Lam.

In May of 2021, Lam went to a rehab center where the physician diagnosed him with complex PTSD, among other things.  The physician said he was a perfect candidate for a service dog, which resonated with Lam as he has loved dogs throughout his life.

“Brooke and I had already been a strong supporter of This Able Veteran by donating to them throughout the years, so when the doctor told me I could benefit from having a service dog, I immediately thought of This Able Veteran,” said Lam.

Lam shares that he was apprehensive after he was chosen for the class of 2022 because he felt he was not worthy as other veterans who were suffering.

“Even though I did not feel worthy, I was ecstatic about being chosen.  After going through the Trauma Resiliency Program, I can say it topped everything I learned during rehab.  They taught me to live in the moment and learn skills to put my past behind me.  I could not speak more highly of This Able Veteran, and I encourage other veterans to apply for the program,” he said.

For the 2023 Trauma Resiliency Program, Lam served as the class mentor.

“It was an honor to have been asked.”

Lam wants to bring more service-oriented projects into his life.  Lam retired from the City of Carbondale after 32 years. For 25 of those years, he served as a firefighter where he obtained the rank of Captain.  Lam is currently in his fifth term as the Carbondale Township Highway Commissioner.

When he is not doing service work, Lam and Charity enjoy walking, hiking and entering 5ks and 10ks.  Brad and Brooke have a blended family of three adult children and three grandchildren.

If you would like to learn more about This Able Veteran and its mission, please visit thisableveteran.org. To learn how you can support This Able Veteran, visit https://thisableveteran.org/how-you-can-help/donate-now/. If you are a veteran or know a veteran who could benefit from This Able Veteran’s services, please contact [email protected].

#veterans #nonprofit #veteranlove #servicedogs #donate #thisableveteran #ptsd

 

 

 

 

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Meet Eric Beach, This Able Veteran Graduate, and His Dog, Maddie

Eric Beach completed the Trauma Resiliency Program at This Able Veteran in the fall of 2014. At the end of the program, he was paired with his service dog, Maddie, and he says it has been an amazing adventure ever since. He and Maddy live in Milwaukee Wisconsin where Beach leads his non-profit organization, Project Echelon.

“We educate, equip, and empower veterans through physical activity and self-discovery. I also practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as I love the fight, and have a podcast called “Rest Rounds” where we apply lessons learned from physicality to our life and growth. I am also the in-home mentor for my two daughters.

Beach says his experience with This Able Veteran (TAV) was a catalyst for a completely new path in life.

“I remember early on, Behesha showing me a new way of viewing our life and our traumas. It was something I’d never heard, nor considered, but it resonated deeply. She had helped me see a core belief I had long held was incorrect. I told her this and she said, “If this belief wasn’t rooted in truth, what else isn’t?” Looking at life through the eyes of a dog, a wolf, a fellow traveler who has healed, I was free to question myself and my beliefs and begin the lifelong pursuit of understanding who I am and what I want. It was a lot to take on for me as I wasn’t comfortable expressing my confused thoughts to anyone lest I sound foolish! But with my dog Maddie, I could verbalize all the disjointed thoughts that made no sense so I could clear the mental fog and find clarity. She loved letting me talk it out because she’s always eager for connection. She leans in when others might lean out,” said Beach.

When asked how he would encourage other veterans who are considering TAV’s Trauma Resiliency Program, Beach instantly responded.

“First, ask yourself is what you’re doing working? Are you happy, capable of regulating your emotions, able to process grief, and don’t avoid people or situations because of potential triggers? If you’re not, then what you’re doing isn’t working. What I was doing wasn’t working and it got to be too much. I needed a new way to see myself and the world. Seeing life from this vantage point, and knowing now how much beauty I’ve discovered since Maddie has joined my life, my encouragement is always, how much longer do you need to suffer before you’ve paid your penance? You are the hero of your life story. You have the power to open to possibility and let new knowledge in. Go for it today, because tomorrow never comes,” he said.

Beach says Maddie has enriched his life in a variety of ways, but two stories quickly come to mind.

One, when I take Maddie in public, people ask questions. I wasn’t comfortable having social conversations with people I didn’t know, but I soon realized I wasn’t talking to people, I was speaking for Maddie. Sometimes I even speak in Maddie’s voice! She’s allowed me to bring some of my goofier side out and see its okay to talk with others.” said Beach.

He said that eventually, he found himself wanting to have the conversation and shift focus to me and the person. Maddie was the social lubricant I needed!”

Beach says the second story is something he still does from time to time.

“I give Maddie the command “Free” when she can break from her place or her “Stay” command. Sometimes she sits next to me when I say free but instead of running off, she pushes into me. She cuddles harder as if to say, “Boy, I’m already where I want to be,” said Beach.

When asked if there was anything else he would like to share with fellow veterans and/or service dog owners, Beach thoughtfully responds.

“A service dog is a partnership. They will help you take further healing steps. My path won’t match up to yours, but what I’ve discovered is Maddie met me where I was and helped me find the confidence to keep choosing growth daily because she was my confidant. Even nine years later, she’s right next to me, taking a quick nap while I type this, ready to sit with me, ready to hear from me, and ready to stay by my side when I say “Free.”

If you would like to learn more about This Able Veteran and its mission, please visit thisableveteran.org. To learn how you can support This Able Veteran, visit https://thisableveteran.org/how-you-can-help/donate-now/

#veterans #nonprofit #veteranlove #servicedogs #donate #thisableveteran #ptsd

 

 

 

 

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Massac Quilters Guild Raises Donations for This Able Veteran Six Years in a Row

The members of the Massac Quilter’s Guild have long believed in the power of giving back to others. Over the years, they have created a variety of items to help others — from pillowcase dresses, items for Lourdes Hospice, to pillowcases for area nursing homes.

“Those things were good,” said president Janet Mittendorf. “But we decided we wanted to do something that would make a bigger difference.”

The group decided that would be by helping veterans, but they weren’t sure how to find a local organization.

And then, Mittendorf attended a Red Hats Society meeting where This Able Veteran representatives were speaking and passing out brochures.

“I thought their program sounded amazing, so I contacted them,” Mittendorf said. “We decided we wanted to find a place that was helping veterans and we knew they were getting the help they need. We’ve found something and stuck with it.”

That was seven years ago since the partnership began. Since then, Massac Quilter’s Guild has made and raffled off quilts, raising thousands of dollars for the veterans’ organization. That latest donation was presented to This Able Veteran executive director Rebecca Renshaw on June 5.

The raffling of two quilts raised $2,442.80 during the 2023 AQS Paducah Quilt Show.

Those funds are used by This Able Veteran to train service dogs for U.S. military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Headquartered in Carbondale, This Able Veteran has been helping veterans since 2011. Serving veterans from around the country, it was founded by Behesha Doan, who is the organization’s training director and the owner of Extreme K-9. As a trauma survivor, Doan brings insight to how a correctly trained service dog, combined with a trauma resiliency program, can make a difference in the lives of those suffering from post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries and those with co-occurring substance abuse. Through This Able Veteran, Doan has developed a veteran-centric model of care that involves the veterans, their clinicians, the service dogs and This Able Veteran.

Renshaw explained the training program costs over $30,000 for each service dog as they get the service dogs as puppies to start training them right away. The dogs go home every night with a trainer and are specially trained for each veteran.

“There’s a very strenuous process we go through to select both the veterans and the dogs. Service dogs are selected based on their temperament, structural soundness, proven lineage of healthy genetics and several other qualifications. Veterans must fill out an online application to be considered for the program,” Renshaw emphasized.

“Once selected, we find out what they need,” Renshaw said. “We pair the dog with the veteran based on where the veteran lives, the veteran’s lifestyle, and the temperament of them both. We train that dog for that veteran specifically.”

During its almost 12-year history, This Able Veteran has graduated 80 pairs of dogs and veterans. The next class is set to graduate in late October.

“It’s a great thing to be a part of,” Mittendorf said.

Massac Quilter’s Guild members have already begun the work on the quilt they will be raffling off during the 2024 AQS Paducah Quilt Show. The fabric and other materials will be donated allowing proceeds to go to This Able Veteran. The members divvy up the work of each block and then put it all together by January.

“Ticket sales will begin in February. Tickets are $1 each and available from guild members or during the April quilt show, during which AQS allows us to sell tickets at the Julian Carroll Convention Center,” said Mittendorf.

The Massac Quilter’s Guild was organized in 1983 to encourage interest in all phases of quilting. The group meets the first Monday of the month at the Metropolis Community Center at 9:30 a.m. with doors opening at 9 a.m. Meetings are held the second Monday if the meeting day falls on a holiday.

“We’re a very small group, but we try to get a lot done,” Mittendorf said.

For more information on This Able Veteran, visit thisableveteran.org.

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This Able Veteran Spotlight: Meet Dani Figueroa, This Able Veteran Graduate, and Her Dog, Valor

Dani Figueroa completed the Trauma Resiliency Program at This Able Veteran (TAV) in the fall of 2020.  At the end of the program, she was paired with her service dog, Valor.  Dani is currently an artist in residence in Lorton, Virginia, with the Workhouse Military in the Arts Initiative (WMAI) program, which is a program for active or retired service members who want to create original works of art in a collaborative environment.  Dani credits This Able Veteran as the catalyst for becoming an artist in residence. 
 
“As I prepared to go to TAV’s 21-day Trauma Resiliency Program, I debated about whether to take my guitar.  I was anxious about traveling for the first time with a service dog during the pandemic, and only wanted to travel light,” said Figueroa.
 
In the months before TAV’s program, the veterans are paired with mentors who work with the veterans before and during the program.  Figueroa was paired with Kim DeFiori (and her dog, Thor) and they quickly connected.
 
“Kim talked to me about the importance of self-care, especially during the course, so I trusted her and brought my guitar.  It was then I realized music as an important self-care tool that helps me stay in the moment.  On the night I graduated, and was officially paired with my service dog, I wondered,  “What would it be like to Create With Valor?”  This thought was like a coin, because it had two sides.  (What would it be like to create with him physically by my side, but also with bravery or value?),“ said Figueroa.
 
After her graduation from TAV’s program, Figueroa was selected to be an artist in residence with WMAI.
 
“My residency ends in June with a final show that will run for three months.  It will combine music and visual art.  The title I’ve given it is “Together.”  It’s about strength and growth, and what happens when there’s connection, service, and support.  I consider TAV to be a huge contributing factor to the path I am currently on with my art,”  said Figueroa.
 
Figueroa says that through TAV’s dog training and the 21-day Trauma Resiliency Program, she now has the tools to take over after Valor has stepped in.
 
“I belong to a strong pack not only with myself and Valor, also with my peers, and with the staff that I can turn to and lean on in time of need.  I can now say my life and focus, as a result of TAV and Valor, are about the ‘This-Ability’ instead of the ‘Dis-Ability,’” she said.
 
Figueroa would highly encourage other veterans suffering from PTSD to apply for TAV’s Trauma Resiliency Program.
 
“It took me a very long time to apply.  My belief was that I didn’t have it as bad as other military members, so I didn’t rate a service dog.  I am grateful I took that step and sent in my application.  I could never have imagined living a healthier more connected life,”  said Figueroa.
 
Since Valor has been in her life, she has experienced so much joy with him.
 
“There are two amazing moments that rise to the top for me.  One, is having been a mentor; and two, having played at Kim’s wedding.  It was so amazing to have shared that moment with her and her wife, with all of our service dogs, and to meet their extended families and close friends.” she said. 
 
Figueroa has created a website, creatingwithvalor.com, with the intention to pay it forward through art sales and commissions, and to highlight the organizations that have given so much to her and others.  This Able Veteran highly encourages its readers to visit and see photos of Figueroa and Valor along with her artwork, and blog.  She also has listed This Able Veteran and Victor Pet Foods as organizations she supports.
 
If you would like to learn more about This Able Veteran and its mission, please visit thisableveteran.org.  To learn how you can support This Able Veteran, visit https://thisableveteran.org/how-you-can-help/donate-now/
#veterans #nonprofit #veteranlove #servicedogs #donate #thisableveteran #ptsd
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Massac Quilters Guild Raises Donations for This Able Veteran Six Years in a Row

Massac Quilter’s Guild president Janet Mittendorf (third from left, front row) presents the group’s donation to This Able Veteran executive director Rebecca Renshaw. The group raised $2,442 during the 2023 AQS Paducah Quilt Show with its raffle of two quilts. Guild members present are Irene Reising, Charlene Sirmer, Sarah Crim, Martha Bowman, Diane Block, Faith Hammel, and Lorraine Ashby.

 

The members of the Massac Quilters Guild have long believed in the power of giving back to others. Over the years, they have created a variety of items to help others — from pillowcase dresses, items for Lourdes Hospice, to pillowcases for area nursing homes.

“Those things were good,” said president Janet Mittendorf. “But we decided we wanted to do something that would make a bigger difference.”

The group decided that would be by helping veterans, but they weren’t sure how to find a local organization.

And then, Mittendorf attended a Red Hats Society meeting where This Able Veteran representatives were speaking and passing out brochures.

“I thought their program sounded amazing, so I contacted them,” Mittendorf said. “We decided we wanted to find a place that was helping veterans and we knew they were getting the help they need. We’ve found something and stuck with it.”

That was 2017 since the partnership began. Since then, Massac Quilters Guild has made and raffled off quilts, raising thousands of dollars for the veterans’ organization. That latest donation was presented to This Able Veteran executive director Rebecca Renshaw on June 5.

The raffling of two quilts raised $2,442.80 during the 2023 AQS Paducah Quilt Show.

Those funds are used by This Able Veteran to train service dogs for U.S. military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Headquartered in Carbondale, This Able Veteran has been helping veterans since 2011. Serving veterans from around the country, it was founded by Behesha Doan, who is the organization’s training director and the owner of Extreme K-9. As a trauma survivor, Doan brings insight to how a correctly trained service dog, combined with a trauma resiliency program, can make a difference in the lives of those suffering from post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries and those with co-occurring substance abuse. Through This Able Veteran, Doan has developed a veteran-centric model of care that involves the veterans, their clinicians, the service dogs and This Able Veteran.

Renshaw explained the training program costs over $30,000 for each service dog as they get the service dogs as puppies to start training them right away. The dogs go home every night with a trainer and are specially trained for each veteran.

“There’s a very strenuous process we go through to select both the veterans and the dogs. Service dogs are selected based on their temperament, structural soundness, proven lineage of healthy genetics and several other qualifications. Veterans must fill out an online application to be considered for the program,” Renshaw emphasized.

“Once selected, we find out what they need,” Renshaw said. “We pair the dog with the veteran based on where the veteran lives, the veteran’s lifestyle, and the temperament of them both. We train that dog for that veteran specifically.”

During its almost 12-year history, This Able Veteran has graduated 80 pairs of dogs and veterans. The next class is set to graduate in late October.

“It’s a great thing to be a part of,” Mittendorf said.

Massac Quilters Guild members have already begun the work on the quilt they will be raffling off during the 2024 AQS Paducah Quilt Show. The fabric and other materials will be donated allowing proceeds to go to This Able Veteran. The members divvy up the work of each block and then put it all together by January.

“Ticket sales will begin in February. Tickets are $1 each and available from guild members or during the April quilt show, during which AQS allows us to sell tickets at the Julian Carroll Convention Center,” said Mittendorf.

The Massac Quilters Guild was organized in 1983 to encourage interest in all phases of quilting. The group meets the first Monday of the month at the Metropolis Community Center at 9:30 a.m. with doors opening at 9 a.m. Meetings are held the second Monday if the meeting day falls on a holiday.

“We’re a very small group, but we try to get a lot done,” Mittendorf said.

For more information on This Able Veteran, visit thisableveteran.org.

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What Makes a This Able Veteran Service Dog Special?

The US Department of Veteran Affairs says Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) “is a mental health problem that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault.”

Fortunately, This Able Veteran is doing something to assist qualified veterans suffering from PTSD with highly trained service dogs.

In this post, we will identify what makes a This Able Veteran service dog so remarkable and unique and how they help veterans suffering with PTSD by the tasks they’ve been trained to perform.

What Makes TAV Dogs Special?

Behesha Doan, founder and Program Director of This Able Veteran, is a certified dog trainer and a certified service dog trainer through the International Association of Canine Professionals, and her training career spans nearly 40 years. Doan explains what makes TAV dogs so special.

“One of the things that makes TAV service dogs so remarkable is our puppy selection process of the service dog candidates. Given the importance of the tasks these dogs will need to perform, we start with puppies that come from a genetic and temperamental history of proven service dog stock. That means the mother and father have produced puppies whose temperaments are consistent with the kind of work they will need to do as adult working dogs.” said Doan.

This Able Veteran typically takes pups in at eight weeks of age and their training begins at that time. It takes between 16-18 months from start to finish.

“One of most important things is that our new puppies must learn how to learn.  We accomplish this in our 8 week old pups by teaching interactive games using positive reinforcement and play.  When done effectively, our training system creates a highly motivated, focused, engaged young dog that loves to learn new things.  When this system of communication is built and cemented in the months that follow, we can teach the dogs new things for the rest of its life. Because dogs also have genetic motivations, breed specific tendencies, social and interactive needs, food motivations, and varying capacities to sustain mental focus, we make sure we expand the dogs’ capacities as far as possible while loving their work every hour of every day of their lives.” said Doan.

Doan says that This Able Veteran dog trainers have learned directly from her how to develop and instill a clear understanding of how to do tasks that have dozens of layers required for understanding and reliable performance under high distraction levels or to awaken out of a dead sleep and still accomplish the task(s). She explains that nightmare interruption is a good example of a multi-layer process.

“The dogs must have genetic, temperamental and trained responses to remain completely calm and peaceful when a veteran might be at work, in a classroom, or in a meeting. In the same instant, they also must recognize, react and alert the veteran when the veteran shows even the most subtle signs of rising anxiety which could be a jaw clench, a stiffening of the body, wringing of the hands or respiration changes. The dog is trained to move from calm inactivity to highly focused in a matter of two or three seconds.” she said.

“That is a razor thin line for a dog to do that especially when the dog is being petted or talked to by others or in crowds or stadiums. TAV dogs also must be non-reactive to loud/strange sounds, abrupt movements, uninvited touch, and stressful environments. They must become neutral to all those things.” Behesha stated.

Reflecting on the goal of placing a TAV service dog in a veteran’s life, Doan states “It is a powerful thing to hear our veterans tell us how much more peace, freedom, and independence they experience on an increasing basis from year to year.  As the veteran practices what he/she learned in our Trauma Resilience Program, and the dog practices it’s trained skillsets, the result is a more and more empowered life, deeper attunement between the dog/handler pair, and better quality of life for their families and friends as well.

And it all starts with those special TAV dogs.

 

To learn how you can support This Able Veteran, visit here. Thank you.

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About This Able Veteran

This Able Veteran is a service dog organization benefitting United States military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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THIS ABLE VETERAN is a GuideStar Exchange Platinum Participant

Contact Us

1714 South Wolf Creek Road • Carbondale, IL 62902
Phone: 618/964-1162
Email: [email protected]

Open by appointment only.

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