A8 The SpokeSman • TueSday, november 15, 2022
LOCAL
LEFT:
Participants
in Redmond’s
Veterans Day
Parade walk
along 6th St.
and through
downtown
on Nov. 11
carrying flags.
BELOW:
Members
of the
community
lined up
along 6th St.
and through
downtown
on Nov. 11 to
wave flags and
show support
for veterans
during
Redmond’s
Veterans Day
Parade.
nick rosenberger/
Spokesman photos
Redmond filled
with activities
for Veterans Day
BY NICK ROSENBERGER • Redmond Spokesman
A
number of Veterans Day activities took
place in Redmond on Friday, kicking off
with a parade through downtown start-
ing at 11:11 a.m. in honor of the World War I ar-
mistice that was signed on the 11th hour of the
11th day of the 11th month.
After the parade, free chili was offered at the VFW
Deschutes Post, #4108 while General Duffy’s Waterhole
hosted a resource fair to help support Central Oregon
and Redmond veterans.
The event included live music and a spaghetti dinner
to help raise money for Central Oregon Veterans Out-
reach.
Resources for veterans, or those looking to get in-
volved, are below.
Central Oregon Veterans Outreach
COVO aims to help veterans and their families who are
homeless or at risk of homelessness in Central Oregon.
According to Erik Nelson, COVO veteran services coor-
dinator, the non-profit can help with housing ad employ-
ment and connect veterans with benefits.
To be eligible, participants must have served or have a
head of household or spouse who is a veteran, they must
earn less than 50 percent of the area’s median income and
be currently homeless or in imminent danger of becoming
homeless.
Additionally, Deschutes Title, Optimal Rate Home
Loans and General Duffy’s are partnering with Central Or-
egon Veterans Outreach to collect warm clothes, camping
supplies, bedding and non-perishable food from Nov. 11 to
Dec. 15 for veterans.
Supplies can be dropped off at Deschutes Title, Optimal
Rate Home Loans and General Duffy’s.
COVO can be contacted at 541-383-2793 or at their
website.
Battle Buddies of Central Oregon
Formed in August 2013, Battle Buddies focuses on
preventing veteran suicide with dogs and dog training.
Kristina Olson, the founder of the organization,
started the organization to help honorably discharged
veterans cope with PTSD or depression for free. They
offer several types of training, which can also be used as
therapy for veterans.
Battle Buddies of Central Oregon can be contacted
through their website, email at bbco@battlebuddiesco.
org or at 541-390-7587.
Central Oregon Veterans Ranch
Central Oregon Veterans Ranch — a 19-acre working
ranch located just outside Redmond — offers veterans
an opportunity to help each other with peer-to-peer sup-
port as they work the land.
Formed in 2015, the ranch offers a wide range of pro-
grams including classes, farming and ranching mento-
ring, beekeeping, garden spaces, support groups, AA
meetings and combat veteran peer support.
“(It’s) really just a multi-faceted resource for veterans,”
said Nate Cox, the ranch’s veteran outreach coordinator.
“(It) makes me feel like I have purpose.”
The ranch has been featured in an upcoming docu-
mentary film titled “Cover Me: The Path to Purpose”
which has already won two awards from New York-
based film festivals.
Information can be found on their website or at 541-
706-9062.
Save a Warrior
An Ohio-based organization, Save a Warrior is a suicide
prevention program for veterans and first responders with
a 2,000-person alumni base.
Save a Warrior partners with clinicians and holistic
health providers to address Complex Post-Traumatic Stress
and Military Sexual Trauma through a model of medita-
tion and peer-to-peer programming.
According to Toby Rey, the Pacific Northwest ambas-
sador for alumni affairs and community outreach, the or-
ganization has a 99.6% efficacy rate and over 60 alumni in
Central Oregon.
“We have a pretty thriving community here,” Rey said.
The group meets every Friday morning at Northwestern
Home Loans in Bend and is open to non-veterans as well.
More information can be found at their website.
Central Oregon Suicide Prevention Alliance
An organization covering Crook, Deschutes and Jef-
ferson County, COSPA focuses on programs to encour-
age wellness and prevent suicide and related behaviors.
The organization uses a four-step action plan to pro-
mote suicide prevention, provide care and support, in-
crease community knowledge and promote supportive
environments.
They also offer trainings for parents, youth and stu-
dents, teachers, veterans and more with programs such
as Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training and Men-
tal Health First Aid.
More information can be found at their website. For
mental health emergencies, call 988.
Homes for Heroes
A national organization, Homes for Heroes focuses
on assisting veterans and first responders with real estate
and home-buying. The organization helps firefighters,
EMS, law enforcement, military, healthcare professionals
and teachers.
Amanda Laird, a loan officer at Guild Mortgage who
participates in Homes for Heroes, said the organization
helps give cash back to veterans and can find discounts
on lending, appraisal and house inspections for veterans
and first responders.
“(It’s) an easy way for us to give thanks,” she said.
According to Jennifer Graham, a licensed broker for
Keller Williams Realty Central Oregon, the organization
saves the average Redmond veteran or first responder
about $5,000.
More information can be found on their website or at
866-443-7637.
The Shield
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, The Shield provides free men-
tal health services, counseling and therapy to veterans
and first responders in Central Oregon.
According to Dan Anderson, co-founder of The
Shield, they aim to eliminate all barriers to mental
healthcare. Anderson said it only takes one phone call
and one email to get an appointment and that it can be
a lot easier and less intimidating than going through the
VA.
“It’s great to see people get the help they need,” he said.
The Shield can be contacted at info@shieldcentralore-
gon.com or at 541-390-3133.
Vet Center
An organization that offers counseling, referrals and
community engagement, the Vet Center uses veterans to
help veterans.
According to Greg Ford, veteran outreach specialist,
the services are confidential and can be used no matter
how an individual was discharged from the military.
“Come on in — we’ll figure out where you need to go,”
he said.
More information can be found by calling 877-927-
8387.
█
Reporter: nrosenberger@redmondspokesman.com