A NEW HAMPSHIRE/VERMONT HYBRID
By Judy McCarthy
It’s a bright autumn day, but John, a veteran of the U.S. conflict in Iraq, is not feeling particularly sunny. The used car he bought just six months earlier has a serious brake problem, and he doesn’t have the funds to fix it. He asked his boss for overtime and got it, but knows that won’t be enough. A call to his counselor at the White River Junction VA Medical Center offers some solace. There’s an organization that helps with problems like John’s, and it’s right in his backyard.
Residents of this area of New Hampshire and Vermont often feel blessed by the many outstanding human services available. Among those is a 30-year-old organization most appropriately titled “Friends of Veterans” (FOV), an all-volunteer effort established to help veterans avoid homelessness. FOV supports vets by providing grants to meet emergency financial needs such as a one-time mortgage payment, a security deposit on an apartment, fuel assistance, or, as in John’s case, a car repair.
In order to do this, two basic things are needed: funds and volunteers. Two Eastman residents currently serve on FOV’s Board of Directors and play critical roles in the organization’s day-to-day operations. Ron Carr is the chief volunteer for FOV’s technology and security management, and Paul Marinelli is FOV’s treasurer.
In 2007, Ron Carr responded to a request from FOV’s central office in White River Junction for assistance with Microsoft Access, a popular software application. Since that time, Ron has built a substantial database to keep track of expenditures and applicants’ qualification details. The state agencies and foundations that provide grants to FOV require large amounts of data to justify allocating funds to the organization. Prior to Ron’s involvement, it took weeks to gather this information.
The database has cut this down to hours. Ron enjoys being able use his computer skill to do important work, and he loves the opportunity to tweak his program to make it more and more useful for both FOV’s caseworkers and their clients. He serves as the combination information technology (IT) manager and the overall security manager for FOV, maintaining five active computers and monitoring IT security.
Initially, FOV, which has never had a paid staff, attracted other veterans as volunteers. In more recent years, men and women who are not veterans have stepped forward to volunteer, which has made a big difference. By expanding the pool of volunteers, FOV added important experiences: some volunteers have fundraising backgrounds, while others are skilled at grant writing. Local businesses and charitable foundations have been successfully tapped for financial support, and a local golf tournament raised considerable capital.
Paul Marinelli has brought his professional experience in finance to the organization. As treasurer, he serves on the three-person Homeless Committee that decides which cases to fund. A veteran himself, Paul is particularly concerned with the plight of homeless vets, which is what inspired him to help. One procedure now in place is that of balancing Paul’s financial records against Ron’s database in order to track expenditures for clients. Like Ron, Paul has offered FOV his area of expertise.
It is, however, the volunteer caseworkers—who all undergo background checks because of the sensitive nature of the information that they handle—who are the backbone of FOV. The caseworker’s job is to gather data related to specific financial requests from veterans. The caseworkers are responsible for making sure that veterans applying for support are employed and in a financially secure condition. Veterans who qualify must also have served at least six months active duty and have received an honorable discharge.
Caseworkers decide upon the number of hours they want to volunteer in the FOV office. They do much of the work on computers after being trained in the user-friendly system that Ron developed. Caseworkers may also offer personal assistance to an applicant in data gathering and, in that case, meet with him or her in the office. Listening to voice messages and telephone conversations with clients to answer questions are other important parts of the job.
However, this is not a one-client/one-caseworker situation. Much of the process is an electronic one, with caseworkers continuing the work of another volunteer from a previous day. Caseworkers work as a team and communicate with one another regularly in order to help each client process his or her application as quickly and efficiently as possible. A combination of notes left on the database and email messages help with this. Although caseworkers often stay with the organization for many years, there is always attrition and the need for new volunteers. The newly revamped website has expanded the caseload considerably. The role of the caseworker can be incredibly rewarding.
A New Hampshire/Vermont hybrid, the FOV symbolizes something pretty basic about area organizations: an ability to recognize a need and, then, to quietly, and without fanfare, meet it so that “John,” and all other vets who might need a helping hand, can get it.
To learn more about opportunities for volunteering, visit www.fovvtnh.org or contact Ron at rcarr38@comcast.net or 863-4298. Information about the application process and qualifications for assistance is also available on the FOV’s website.
Judy McCarthy is a former editor of Eastman Living. She is a retired public school teacher who enjoys writing poetry and prose.
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