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Student groups act to help veterans
The Advocate
MHCC’s Veterans Association (VA) is planning to collaborate with the Image Makers club to provide free hair care for the spouses and children of U.S. troops.
“I believe we’re going to kick it off next term,” Image Makers president Karin Mitchell said. “We’re still in the planning phases.”
According to the president of the VA, Josh Ray, this program is to “build morale for spouses and children” of the U.S. troops serving in Iraq.
“While (we’re) trying to boost soldiers’ moral overseas, it’s also important to provide for the families of deployed troops. Deployment doesn’t just affect soldiers,” Ray said.
The Image Makers are setting up different packages, according to Mitchell. One package includes a cut, style and color for hair. The second option includes a facial, manicure and pedicure.
Kids can have their hair cut and styled; girls have the added option of getting their fingernails polished. To get these services, however, military orders must be provided.
“It’s good. A little community involvement is great,” Mitchell said. “Josh is trying to find funding.”
According to Ray, when it comes to finding funding, the VA “tries to find the correct audience that wants to be involved.”
“There’s a lot of support in the community,” Ray said “We’ve raised money to help fund other projects as well.”
This includes a textbook loan program that lends books out to veterans for the term. According to Ray, students donate these textbooks to veterans who may not have been able to purchase them otherwise.
“A lot of people believe that when veterans come home, they have the G.I. Bill. That’s not the case at all,” Ray said. Ray explained that the G.I. Bill might not always cover all of the tuition or extra costs, such as textbooks or fees that veterans have.
“We’re hoping to help people who may not be able to come to school because of that extra cost,” Ray said.
This is part of the VA’s goal to “create programs and initiatives that help veterans continue their education” according to Ray.
Ray adds that another goal of the VA is to “connect veterans and their families with the services they have earned in the military.”
The VA tells veterans “this is where you need to go, these are the people you need to see, this is the paperwork you need to fill out,” according to Ray.
This goal comes from Ray’s own experiences in dealing with Veterans Affairs (VA.)
“I was in the Army for almost five years. I’ve been going back and forth with the VA system for three years,” Ray said. He hopes to not “have veterans suffer through the VA system the way I did.”
Aside from helping veterans, a program held earlier this year focused on helping soldiers overseas.
“(We) assist the people going overseas as well as the people coming home,” Ray said.
Operation Saints to Soldiers works with the college to build care packages to send overseas to the U.S. troops.
“Last year was pretty good for us. We raised a little over $8,000,” Ray said. This year, Ray added, “it’s going to be really big.”
This is because there will be 3,500 National Guard troops shipping out from Oregon alone. “We’re hoping to support as many of those as possible,” Ray said.
When it comes to the political atmosphere surrounding the war, Ray said it doesn’t affect the Veterans Association. “We try to stay out of politics. Our goal is supporting veterans and their families. And we’re going to do that no matter what people’s views are.”