31 August 2010
On behalf of the Advisory Board members, retreat facilitators, and volunteers who were the heart of The Sanctuary for Veterans & Families, I regret to announce that due to a lack of funding and fiscal sponsor support, The Sanctuary will close its doors effective September 2010. We are deeply grateful to the individuals, foundations, and businesses that provided the grants and gifts that enabled us to offer Camp Howdy for Military Kids, Sanctuary Weekends for Women Veterans, and to advocate for the OR State and federal Military Family Leave bills, as well as the OR State Military Family Advisory Council.
May we all find sanctuary somewhere,
Stacy Bannerman, M.S.
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The Sanctuary for Veterans & Families is a non-profit initiative that provides advocacy, support, and Sanctuary Weekends for women veterans, wives of veterans, and their loved ones.
“A nation that does not take care of its veterans has got
no business whatsoever making new ones.”
— Stacy Bannerman,
After Half a Year on the Hill: What I Know For Sure, April, 2007
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Jamie Lusch/Mail Tribune
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CAMP HOWDY FOR MILITARY KIDS
We are teaming up with Freedom Horses, LLC, in Ashland, Oregon, to offer recreational weekends of fun in a safe, wholesome environment where youth day campers meet other military kids for friendship, adventure, and inspiration. Based on Certified Horsemanship Association instruction, and using natural horsemanship skills, each session includes mounted lessons; talks on horsemanship theory and safety; horse related crafts and activities; and an introduction to ranch life. Your contribution will help us provide Camp Howdy, a series of therapeutic and recreational weekend day camp horseback riding events for military kids and reintegration activities for OIF/OEF veterans and their families.
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Sanctuary WeekendsTM
The Sanctuary Weekend retreats are spearheaded by women veterans or wives of combat veterans, and co-facilitated by female counselors, advocates, and practitioners who are friends and family members of veterans, and have years of personal, professional, and practical experience supporting women with ties to the Armed Services. These gender-specific programs address the unique challenges and realities of women affected by war, who often struggle with a lack of peer and social support, secondary trauma or military sexual trauma, and the caregiver burden endured by wives of combat veterans.
We provide the women who serve at home and in harm’s way a refuge to rest, heal, and connect with other women who have walked in their shoes while learning self-care and stress-management skills, and gaining tools to help restore a sense of emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness.
If you would like to schedule a Sanctuary Weekend in your state, request a speaker, or have questions or comments, please contact our Project Director, Stacy Bannerman, at 253-217-2153 or info@sanctuaryvf.org.
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Legislative Issues & Agenda
• Oregon State Military Family Advisory Council: We delivered a proposal to the Oregon State Legislature’s Joint Committee for Veteran’s Affairs requesting that Oregon establish a Military Family Advisory Council. A variation of the formally recognized and supported veteran’s advisory boards, commissions, task forces, and panels that exist at virtually every level of State government, the Military Family Advisory Council would, among other things, provide a vehicle that leverages the expertise of military families in assisting policymakers to identify and develop policies to better serve the needs of the 21st Century military families, and offer recommendations and advice on current and future issues which could improve or influence delivery of services/support for military families. We anticipate that the first draft of the legislation will be ready for review by September 2010.
• Military Family Leave: We successfully spearheaded state and national legislative campaigns for military family leave, resulting in passage of Oregon H.B. 2744, and introduction of the federal Military Family Leave Act of 2009 by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), a House Armed Services Subcommittee chairman, in July of 2009.
The Military Family Leave Act of 2009 allows those whose family members have received notification of impending active military duty to spend time with and support their family members by giving them two weeks un-paid leave prior to and after deployment. Under provisions added to Family and Medical Leave Act by the FY08 National Defense Authorization Act, parents, children, and spouses of military personnel are allowed 12 weeks of leave if a family member is notified of impending active duty. However, as is the case with all FMLA scenarios, it excludes many people such as those who work part time or are employed by a company with fewer than 50 employees. This bill would create two workweeks of unpaid military family leave for employees of all stripes. (From the office of Senator Ron Wyden, D-OR).
Thank you for helping us keep America’s promise to care for this nation’s veterans and military families by making a tax-deductible contribution today.
FFI: Contact Stacy Bannerman, Founder/Director, at info@sanctuaryvf.org
