Illinois Department of Veterans
Affairs Veteran Program - Serving Those Who Served
Successful program assisted Veterans in
Illinois
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[December 13, 2016]
SPRINGFIELD
- All
throughout the month of November, now established as “Veterans
Month,” hundreds of volunteers participated across the state of
Illinois in the Serving Those Who Served (STWS) Program. Their goal
was to make an impact in the lives of veterans throughout Illinois
through a community service program designed by the Illinois
Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
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“We
wanted to offer more to our Illinois Heroes than one more Veterans
Day program or parade. We knew we could count on our fellow
Illinoisans to volunteer and assist our veterans,” IDVA Director
Erica Jeffries said.
The STWS
program brought in seven other partners to increase the success of
the program. Serve Illinois, Chicago Cares, Boeing, Corporation for
National & Community Service, Illinois Joining Forces, Student
Veterans of America and Campus Compact. Each of these partners
assisted the program with either volunteers, funding or community
service projects. The program allowed organizations
to register a project for volunteers to assist with during the month
of November. The website created through Serve Illinois allowed
Illinoisans to look for a project in their area and sign up to
volunteer for that project. At the end of the month, there were 41
projects drawing in 570 volunteers. Collectively, the projects
provided service, support, and assistance to over 3,730 Illinois
Veterans.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Dec/09/images/ads/current/bonanzasteak_sda_112014.png)
“We had volunteers at our Veteran Homes, assisting with community
libraries and painting and updating various facilities. We also
assisted moving new furniture into 5 permanent homes for several
homeless Veterans,” added Jeffries.
This was the first year for this program and it is planned to become
an annual event. IDVA estimated having 570 volunteers working this
month which equaled about 2,280 hours of much needed and welcomed
community service for our Illinois Heroes. According to the Points
of Light, the
total number of volunteer hours has an economic impact of
$53,716.80.
Traditionally, volunteer time has been estimated using a single
dollar value for all types of volunteering. The Value of Volunteer
Time, which is updated annually, is made available by Independent
Sector. The current Independent Sector rate is $23.56 per hour (2015).
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Other projects included, but not limited to, bingo games at VA
hospitals; Veteran Appreciation luncheon; Honor Flight reception;
volunteering at a day long Veteran job fair; painting walls at
various Veteran Homes; distribution of coats to homeless veterans;
interviewed and recorded veteran stories, which were also submitted
to the Library of Congress; assisted with restoration of Civil War
statue; assembled 80 care packages for Fischer House; volunteered
at a Veteran Stand Down; delivered over 2000 items to the Marion VA
for homeless veterans and veterans in need; collected items for
veterans in need; organized donation drives for veterans in need;
assisted in cleanup of lots and veteran’s park; taught patriotism
to elementary students on Veteran’s Day and visited with veterans in
our Illinois Veterans home.
These
numbers only include the reporting organizations which does not
include a number of other projects in neighborhoods, schools, and
veteran organizations around that state that also gave service.
[Illinois Department of Veteran
Affairs]
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