Hope-Filled Organizations

From battlefields in Iraq to the Nashville music scene,

 how a Marine veteran is using art to heal

By Meg Dunn, CNN, Published Thu August 11, 2022 Nashville, TNCNN —

Growing up, Richard Casper always knew he wanted to serve others. When he was a junior in high school, the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened, and he realized how he would fulfill that calling.

“I had this urge inside of me,” he said. “I joined the Marine Corps infantry. … I wanted to be the first person going overseas and fighting.”

During basic training, he was selected for a special duty of guarding then-President George W. Bush at Camp David. Once he received clearance and completed that 14-month assignment, he was still determined to deploy.

“When I touched down in Iraq, I was prepared to die,” Casper said. “I was just ready to do my job.”

Within the first four months, his Humvee was hit by IEDs four separate times. During one mission, his good friend and gunner, Luke Yepsen, was shot by a sniper and died beside him.

“It was so hard to comprehend what happened because we go to work the next day like nothing happened,” Casper said. “When you’re in the infantry, they have to strip away all your vulnerabilities. They have to, because (otherwise) you’re not going to survive in war.”

Casper was forever changed after serving in Iraq, and he struggled with the transition home. He started failing the college business courses he had enrolled in and developed crippling anxiety.

“I couldn’t do it,” Casper said. “But I knew I was smart. You had to have a certain IQ to guard the President.”

He went to his local VA hospital and learned he had post-traumatic stress, degenerative disk disease, and tinnitus, among other medical issues. To read more, click on this link:  https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/11/us/nashville-music-art-veterans-therapeutic-cnnheroes/index.html  

To view a 9 minute video about Richard Casper and his work, please click on this link: https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/11/us/nashville-music-art-veterans-therapeutic-cnnheroes/index.html

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Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin

Based in Racine, WI, Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin (VOW) works to make a difference in the lives of at-risk Veteran households in every community across Wisconsin. We were founded by community members who recognized a need and took action. What began as a group of volunteers in 2013 has blossomed rapidly into a growing organization. Our program expanded in 2017 to include a village of 15 tiny homes, a food market, and trauma-informed programming. We are looking to expand our services in Racine and serve Veteran households in Milwaukee.

As the first and most successful project of its kind in Wisconsin, VOW has been recognized nationally as a model for other communities. Our Milwaukee expansion will be a village of 42 tiny homes, a 10,000 sq ft community center, and a complimentary Veterans Food Market. Located at 6767 N. 60th Street, the Milwaukee development will emulate the programming services offered in Racine. Working with collaborative partners will increase capacity across our service network to care for our local heroes and their families. Our holistic approach to recovery is a blueprint for how communities can come together and support our heroes in need.

                               

                           Tiny Homes Veterans Village                                             The Veteran Market

To learn more about the Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin, click on this link: https://vowvillages.com/

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Who we are

A national project working to ensure that children and teens in foster care get

safe, loving, permanent families.

AdoptUSKids educates families about foster care and adoption and gives child welfare professionals information and support to help them improve their services. We also maintain the nation’s only federally funded photolisting service that connects waiting children with families.

Our Mission:

• Raise public awareness about the need for foster and adoptive families for children in the public child welfare system
• Assist US states, territories, and tribes to recruit, engage, develop and support foster and adoptive families

Serving families: We help families with the adoption process—every step of the way.

Helping professionals: We provide an array of resources to caseworkers and agency managers and administrators

To read more about this organization, click on this link: AdoptUSKids

To view and listen to three, separate, one-minute stories about AdoptUSKids families and children, click on these links:  

 https://youtu.be/F4nMIEt1ALg        https://youtu.be/AaW-ybG6oX0         https://youtu.be/iaVvCePdoVc

 

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Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. We empower voters and defend democracy through advocacy, education, and litigation, at the local, state, and national levels. To learn more about the League of Women Voters, click on this link: Home | League of Women Voters (lwv.org)