When I joined the Army, I thought I was 9 feet tall and bulletproof. I was Rambo. All it took was breathing in some toxic dust to change that.
My time in the service was cut far too short by a medical injury. (I was planning to retire in the military.) This caused me to go into a downward spiral of self-hate that resulted in me becoming a full-time alcoholic. During the worst of it, I’d end up drunk and sleeping on my mother’s doorstep. But after getting help and recognizing that there is life after injury, I vowed to spend my time helping other vets going through addiction.
In 2001, I was stationed at a port in Serbia with the Kosovo Force. We trekked across dirt roads with the turret doors of our tanks open, breathing in sand and dust that was laced with chemical warfare from when Yugoslavia faced off against the Soviets. We never wore gas masks.
Days later, my organs were shutting down. I had an enlarged heart. I quit breathing for long enough that it caused a brain injury. I was being read my last rites by the station’s chaplain and a plot was being picked out back home in West Virginia.
Miraculously, though, I survived. When I got back to the U.S., I was 100 pounds lighter. I looked like I had a gunshot wound in the chest or had been bit by a shark with all the staples covering my body.
The doctors gave me just a few years to live. I fought to see my children grow up, even though I recognized I probably would never play ball with my son or walk my daughter down the aisle.
But the comfort of family only went so far. After a year and a half of not being able to walk, being in rehabilitation and feeling like I was losing my mind or that my life was over, I fell into a deep depression.
I started self-medicating, and tequila was the easiest substance to get a hold of. I didn’t become a drunk overnight, but it didn’t take a long time, either, because the alcohol became the only thing that helped me function.
After about a decade of watching the disappointment in my children and parents’ eyes, I decided to get help at the Veterans Administration hospital in Huntington, W.V.
Through recreational therapy, I was truly able to turn my life around. It put me among guys just like myself — we were all injured in some way and a bit to ourselves. After I went whitewater rafting for the first time and experienced that thrill, I felt brand new.
I began to recognize that I didn’t need to be depressed about my situation. Sure, I may be disabled, but I’ve gotten awards for snowboarding.
Today, I spend my time volunteering with the VA helping veterans get through their struggles. I have my own home now. My kids and my mom have seen me crawling through a house; now they see me assisting others.
I lost more than a decade of my life to alcohol. Through recovery, I’ve learned that life’s too precious and losing one day is too much.
I joined the military out of a sense of service. And though I can’t continue to serve my country in that capacity anymore, I’ve dedicated my life to other veterans. I guide them through the process, counsel them or whatever is needed.
I want to be there and help them.
As told to NationSwell staff writer Joseph Darius Jaafari. This essay has been edited for clarity and style. Read more stories of service here.
Tag: volunteerism
From Blight to Beauty in the Motor City
In 1988, John George moved his family into a house five blocks north of the Old Redford neighborhood in Detroit. Shortly there after, a crew of drug dealers took up residence in a derelict property behind his home.
“My instinct as a father was to flee,” says George. Instead, he grabbed some nails, a hammer and plywood from a hardware store and boarded up the house.
Almost 30 years later, George is still fixing up deserted properties. Watch the video above to see how his organization, Detroit Blight Busters, is revitalizing the Motor City — one building at a time.
“If you never quit, you can’t lose ’cause you’re still in the game,” says George. “And Detroit is still in the game.”
Is There a Connection Between Community Service and Happiness?
It’s no secret that giving back feels good, but a new study contends that perhaps it may be vital to living a happier life — but only if you’re being recognized for your efforts.
Gallup found that individuals who receive recognition for their community service report better well-being scores than those whose good deeds go unnoticed. Volunteers receiving praise scored an average Well-Being Index score of 70 out of 100 in contrast of the average score of 58.5 of those who did not.
But the pattern doesn’t stop there. Age and income have long been associated with higher levels of well-being, and Gallup found that even among affluent and older Americans, community service is a constant among happier people.
U.S. citizens who make less than $36,000 but are recognized for community service reported a higher score than wealthier individuals making more than $90,000 but haven’t received recognition for community service, 67.2 and 62.6, respectively.
Elderly individuals also typically score higher on the Well-Being Index. Older Americans, ages 65 and up who identified as participating in community service efforts, reported the highest scores of happiness. However, younger Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 — who’ve been given a shout-out for their volunteer efforts — received the second highest score of well-being, outperforming older age groups.
The survey also discovered a link between community service and reduced levels of stress. Only around 34 percent of respondents who are recognized for giving back said they experience stress in contrast to 42 percent of those who are not. And only 25 percent of active volunteers reported experiencing worry compared to 32 percent of those who are not involved or recognized for their efforts.
But perhaps more interestingly, around two-thirds of respondents contend they have not received recognition for community service, which underscores a greater need to illuminate the social good going on across the country.
Giving back feels great, and it’s time to start promoting that message.
MORE: If You’re Happy And You Know it, You Probably Participate in Arts
After a Family Tragedy, This Woman Sold Everything and Hit the Road to Volunteer
Once the kids are raised, some moms plan to enjoy a bit of well-deserved free time. But Carol Harr didn’t view her empty nest as a chance to relax. Instead, after raising her daughters in Centennial, Colorado and retiring from the state’s labor department, she decided to sell her home and become a full-time roving volunteer.
The 64-year-old Harr sold or donated almost all of her possessions, keeping just a few things in a storage unit. The remainder fit in her car, which she has driven to Florida, Georgia, and back to Colorado on volunteering missions for The Catholic Worker Movement, a social justice charity serving the poor, and World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms (WWOOF), an organization that connects volunteers with organic farmers.
The radical change in lifestyle from settled mom to nomadic volunteer was prompted by a personal tragedy. Five years ago, one of Harr’s daughters gave birth to a baby girl who died after living for less than a day. “It was a real awakening for me,” Harr told Claire Martin of the Denver Post. “I’d been living my life for the future, spending my time cleaning up from last week and getting ready for next week. I took an ecumenical class called ‘Just Faith,’ about social justice, and began learning about living in community.”
Harr lives off her state pension while staying in housing provided by the various charities she volunteers with or with friends. Now that she’s back in Colorado on a WWOOF post, she’s staying with couple in Denver who agreed to host a volunteer.
Harr’s current post lasts through October, and for her next project, she’s invested in a plan to band together with others to create a co-housing community on the site of a former Denver convent — a good base for her plan of living light and volunteering.
Harr’s daughter Kati Harr told the Post, “I loved my childhood home so much, (but) even more important than my nostalgia is actively supporting my mom’s innate and deeply rooted desire to help her community and fellow beings. I really feel the route to happiness is walking within your values, living in a way that upholds the things you hold to be the most dear. My mom is a shining example of this. I am so lucky and blessed to be her daughter.”
MORE: Meet the Man Who’s Putting Dry Socks on the Feet of the Homeless
These Teen Newcomers Help Fellow Non-English Speakers Adapt
Immigrant children often help out their parents in ways most American kids could never imagine — serving as interpreters in interactions with English speakers and helping to make sense of bills and forms.
High school senior Yuling Chen is one such kid. Five years ago, Chen came to the United States with her family from China. Since arriving in America, she has always helped her family with the language that she was quicker to pick up. “When I go home, they all hand me a big stack of letters to read,” she told Chris Burrell of The Patriot Ledger.
But she doesn’t mind. “When I first came to the United States, my English wasn’t so good at all, and I wanted to help (the elderly) with their lives,” she said. Chen is one of a group of 235 Asian immigrant teenagers in Quincy, Massachusetts that are taking this assistance to the next level, volunteering to help elderly immigrants at Quincy Asian Resources.
Along with the other teens, Chen teach seniors how to use computers, help middle school students making the transition to America, and assist at the Lunar New Year party and August Moon Festival, among many other duties.
Peter Tam, a Quincy native, first came to the center in 2007 as an AmeriCorps volunteer; now he directs the youth programs, involving volunteers from both of Quincy’s public high schools. “We’re really looking to create the next generation of Asian-American leaders and recent immigrant leaders in the community,” Tam told Burrell.
To thank the teens for their hard work, Quincy Asian Resources awarded seven of them, including Chen, a college scholarship worth $1,000.
MORE: Neighborhood Centers Provide New Immigrants An Instant Community
This Special Volunteer Has Spent More Than 150,000 Miles Behind the Wheel Helping Vets
Small acts can make a big difference. And that’s particularly true when it comes to helping veterans of the armed forces.
Twenty years ago, veteran Jim Childers began volunteering with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 16 of Jacksonville, North Carolina, driving veterans to their medical appointments in the organization’s van. His help is essential for those vets whose disabilities or age make it impossible for them to transport themselves.
As of April, Childers has driven that van 157,000 miles in the service of 1,300 vets — chauffeuring them to North Carolina Veterans Affairs hospitals in Durham, Fayetteville, and Chapel Hill. That mileage is the highest accumulated by any DAV volunteer driver in the nation.
“It feels great to help veterans in need,” Childers told Thomas Brennan of the Jacksonville Daily News. “It’s a way for physically able veterans to help other veterans get the services and medical treatment they deserve.”
Retired from his civil service job since 1997, Childers jumped at the chance to transport veterans when he learned that the VA would let him use their van. “The most rewarding thing is when we return back to the chapter and a veteran says thank you for making it possible for them to get to their doctor’s appointment,” he told Brennan.
Doug Lawson, a veteran service officer with the DAV told Brennan, “I think it is in his DNA to help veterans in any way possible, day or night. Because of dedicated drivers like him, it is a lot easier to get all of the veterans to their needed VA appointments. Most veterans get burnt out either physically or mentally working that many hours with no pay. Not Jim.”
Last year, Governor Pat McCrory presented Childers with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award, which is given to people who’ve provided extraordinary service to the state of North Carolina.
Thankfully, Childers is finally getting the recognition he so richly deserves.
MORE: Remembering a World War II Vet Who Gave 3,000 Fellow Vets a Final Salute
The Totally Surprising, Heartwarming Power of Teddy Bears
The offerings in hospital gift shops — teddy bears, cards, flowers — might seem like insignificant trinkets that can’t adequately express support when a loved one is ill. But when Nicole Javorsky was hospitalized at the age of 14, suffering from an eating disorder, the teddy bears she received from friends and family buoyed her spirits.
Now 18, Javorsky has recovered from anorexia and is using her newfound energy to launch a charity, Cubs for Coping, which provides teddy bears to kids and teenagers in hospitals, shelters, and eating disorder programs. Her goal? To spread hope and encourage volunteerism among young people.
Javorsky told Taylor Zansberg of Talking GOOD, “I felt scared and alone in the hospital. My friends and family sent me stuffed animals, which made me realize that people do care. Not everyone is so lucky…Hope changes everything. Knowing that there are people out there who care about you is so important.”
The teddy bears from Cubs for Coping aren’t just any generic stuffed animal. Rather, Javorsky and others sew the bears by hand, leaving them unstuffed so volunteers can gather to fill and custom decorate bears at regular events in New York.
You’d think running one nonprofit would be enough for an 18-year-old to handle, but Javorsky hasn’t stopped with bears. She also founded the Mirror Mission club at her high school, at which participants discuss body image and healthy eating. The club made a video for Eating Disorder Awareness Week and raised money through a bake sale for Project HEAL, a national charity working on the issues Javorsky is passionate about.
Javorsky is now in college, planning to start her sophomore year at Barnard next fall. Continuing to be an ambitious volunteer, she’s also an intern at DoSomething.org, a non-profit engaging young people in charitable missions, and through Dancing Dreams, she spends time helping kids with physical and mental disabilities learn to dance. She told Zansberg, “We often feel that the world is too big and complicated to change. Through taking action, I stopped feeling intimidated and instead started to develop a better understanding of the complex world we live in.”
MORE: Meet the Teenager Whose Efforts Keep Hundreds of People Warm
Meet a Couple Whose Service to Veterans Will Make You Smile
Who knows if volunteering is the secret to a long-lasting partnership, but for one Connecticut couple, serving veterans has certainly served their 45-year-long marriage well.
Joanne and Jerry Blum met in 1967, after Jerry returned from serving in Vietnam. He was working at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut, as a psychiatric aid, and Joanne was in nursing school, assigned to the same ward as Jerry during her three-month rotation. When she moved back to Massachusetts, Jerry’s friend convinced him to call her. And as they say, the rest is history.
They got married in 1968 and ever since, they have been working with veterans. Their whole family became involved with the West Hartford Veterans of Foreign Wars. “Joanne marched with the drill team,” Jerry told M.A.C. Lynch of the Hartford Courant. “I was in the color guard. Our daughters were in the fife and drum corps.” Professionally, Joanne worked as a nurse for thirty years at the veterans’ hospital in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
In more recent years, the Blums started volunteering with the Jewish War Veterans. “The Jewish War Veterans is the oldest active veterans service organization in America,” said Jerry. “Their mission is to dispel the idea that Jews don’t serve in the military, and to take care of veterans.” Through Jewish War Veterans, the Blums help homeless veterans and those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. They also assist veterans in hospitals through their organization’s Grant-A-Wish program — providing the vets with such comforts as new shoes and restaurant meals.
“Any time we do anything for the veterans, it’s the best mitzvah, something that you do that’s more than a good deed. You do it with no possible return,” Jerry said, but “for the feeling inside that this is what we exist for.”
MORE: An 87-Year-Old World War II Veteran Made A Promise at 19 to Help Someone Every Day
Meet the Teenager Whose Efforts Keep Hundreds of People Warm
Instead of focusing on things like prom and where to go to college, MaryRose Purdue, a high-school senior in Hopatcong, New Jersey, relentlessly serves others.
Purdue has collected over 200 coats and donated them to Project Self-Sufficiency, a nationwide non-profit that serves the needy in her New Jersey area. Its mission is to help low-income people achieve stability through a variety of programs, including parenting classes, G.E.D. preparation, job-seeking help, and more.“She saw a need and decided to do something about it,” her mother, Barbara Purdue, told Lisa Pachnos, the publicist for Project Self-Sufficiency. “She knew that they would be given to people who really needed them.”
MaryRose set up donation boxes at her high school, and her principal, Noreen Lazariuk, helped her spread the word about the coat drive. “I believe that one of the most valuable skills we can give to our students is the awareness of their place in a larger community and the fulfillment they will experience when giving to those in need,” Lazariuk said.
MaryRose gathers coats for the poor for the winter, but she’s also busy helping others every other season as well. She volunteers for the Special Olympics as a “hugger,” greeting the finishers at track and field events, and she speaks out about juvenile arthritis, a condition from which she suffers. Last year, she was chosen to represent the cause in meetings with senators and representatives in Washington D.C., advocating for increased funds for research and lower medication prices. MaryRose plans to study nursing in college, and she wants to specialize in pediatric rheumatology to help others suffering from juvenile arthritis.
Regardless of where she decides to go to school, we’re sure that MaryRose will continue to make a difference in her community.
MORE: A 16-Year-Old Died In A Car Accident. What Happened Next Changed Hundreds of Teenagers’ Lives.
This Non-Profit Is Teaching Immigrants Much More Than Just Language
The Burmese Immigration Project is a nonprofit organization in Milwaukee that helps new arrivals from Myanmar learn English and settle in to their new lives. As volunteer coordinator Becca Schulz explains in this video, people fleeing ethnic conflict in Burma often end up in places they’d never imagined—like Wisconsin. The 35 volunteers in the Burmese Immigration Project use English immersion to teach immigrants the language, and provide kids with tutors twice a week to help with homework. Another part of their mission is introducing the kids to American culture—so the Burmese Immigration Project takes the kids to Brewers games and the zoo, and throws parties for their families to experience Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Halloween.