MLK Day of Service 2013: Helping Tallahassee Veterans Village

I have become interested in the work of Volunteers of America of Florida, Inc. VOA-FL is a faith-based, nonprofit, 501(c)3 human service organization that responds to the needs of vulnerable Floridians in these areas:

• Elderly individuals searching for an affordable and independent lifestyle
• Individuals, families and Veterans experiencing homelessness
• Persons with disabilities; and
• Individuals, families and veterans at risk of homelessness or struggling to make ends meet

VOA-FL has 71 programs and services in 18 Florida cities. I need to do some more research in order to fully understand VOA-FL’s impact and recommendations I can make regarding how interested readers could get involved.

In the meantime, I can share that VOA-FL’s primary Tallahassee project is Veterans Village. Tallahassee Veterans Village is a two year transitional housing program for both men and women from all branches of service who need and want to rebuild their lives through being part of this community. Services available at Tallahassee Veterans Village include: Housing, Health Services, Training, Education, Counseling and Employment.

Tallahassee Veterans Village

Homeless veterans do a lot of waiting. In Tallahassee’s case, there is currently a waiting list for spaces to open up at Veterans Village.

Another kind of waiting Tallahassee Veterans do, whether they have secure housing or not, is for transportation. Most residents of Tallahassee Veterans Village rely on public transportation to get around. Access to public transportation strains budgets that are already stretched thin.

That is why, for my Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service 2013 project, I am setting a goal of generating 21 7-day bus passes for the residents of Veterans Village Tallahassee. These StarMetro passes are $10 each. A latte, a brown bag lunch instead of a lunch out, one less happy hour. It’s not much to ask for people who have served us so selflessly.

I’ll be buying mine tomorrow and posting it as Wednesday’s Wordless Wednesday. If you’d like to join me, let me know! If you know me, I will work out a way to get the money from you. You can also PayPal it to me at opuswsk {at} aol dot com.

What I like about doing this is that the benefits of the project will last beyond MLK Day. Edmund Burke said, “Edmund Burke: Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” This is an opportunity for us to do “a little” that can have a big impact on a Veteran’s life.

Are you in?

Paula Kiger

Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. My pronouns are she/her/hers.