Homes on the Homefront, a program of Operation Homefront, is offering another renovated home in our vicinity — about the fourth or fifth one since the the program began. This one is in Effort, PA. Deadline for application is 13 December. For details on the home, the program and how Read more…
At a press conference on November 11 at Bethlehem’s City Council Chamber, President of LVMAC, Gerald Still, Retired Major General (USAF), announced the Healthcare in Our Community (HOC) alliance has remained strong and viable and has grown going into its fifth year. Still said, “The commitment of the CEOs of the participating organizations in this working alliance has been remarkable and necessary. Our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, continue to return to an environment where there are no major military medical facilities close to home. It is absolutely critical that we continue to work with one another and the local VA to meet the short- and long-term needs of our military veterans.” (more…)
On Tuesday, December 1, a Warming Center will open in Allentown to provide overnight emergency shelter to those without homes. The Lehigh Conference of Churches will manage operations at the City of Allentown’s Fountain Pool Building, located at the corner of S. 10th Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The Warming Center’s opening date coincides with the start of Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering in a coordinated regional effort to meet the increased need for warm, safe refuge for homeless individuals seen in previous winters. (more…)
We just posted an article on Lehigh Valley Health Network’s yoga class offering. However, we would be remiss if we did not mention Meghan’s Foundation which has been conducting free yoga classes for active duty military, veterans and their spouses for quite some time in the Lehigh Valley. It was probably the first to introduce the idea of using yoga as a way of coping with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to the Lehigh Valley. (more…)
Just got out and maybe wondering if going back to school is for you — maybe even lacking a little self-confidence about being the right material for a school of higher learning? Not sure how to best use your educational benefits? Confused about the process or the next step? You’ve served in the military, one of the hardest environments in which to survive even if you did not go into combat — and you’ve done it … what most could not. Wonder why? The U.S. military is one of the best trainers and educators in the world, second to none.
So … why not then take advantage of some of the finest educators and subject matter experts in the state to learn about how to train for civilian employment using your military skills, the GI Bill and other benefits. Why not learn how to use every ounce of your benefits to your advantage and not someone else’s; why not learn from others who are and have just gone through the school on what to look out for, tips and traps. Why not learn about what jobs are in demand in the Lehigh Valley if you intend to remain here after schooling; why not get to know the schools and trade schools in the area; and why not just figure out — plain and simple — if school is the right fit for you? (more…)
The U.S. Army’s Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) is responsible to the Department of Defense (DoD) for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), which is charged with finding and funding often leading-edge, medical research for new devices and treatments for the many injuries and illnesses sustained by our military, veterans; and ultimately the American public. This little known but well-regarded effort has been in existence since 1995. It now seeks your help. In light of all the actions this Council has taken to improve the health of our veterans, we think this is a government effort worthy of your consideration.
One of the notable features of CDMRP is that it reviews proposed new ideas using citizens on review panels to help recommend which efforts would make the most important and positive differences in people’s lives. (more…)
Editor’s Note: It has been written about before on this blogsite, but the September 19 date for the Lehigh Valley’s first Agent Orange Seminar is nigh and we think it important that you do not miss out on a chance to educate yourselves because your children may be affected — whether or not you are a Vietnam War veteran or ever served. It is high time to register and reserve a seat.
Expert speakers from as far away as the state of Maryland are coming to the Lipkin Theatre, the site of the seminar. Dr. Peter Kahn of the Department of Biochemistry & Microbiology at Rutgers University; Dr. Tom Berger of the Vietnam Veterans of America’s (VVA) Veterans Health Center; Professor Kelly Allen of the Sustainability Committee of Northampton Community College; Paul Sutton, the VVA’s special advisor to the National Committee on Agent Orange and Mike Eckstein, the VVA State Council Chair for New Jersey’s Agent Orange efforts, will all speak.
This is an unique opportunity to listen and learn about a subject constantly in the papers but not well understood. The Press Release below tells you more: (more…)
Real Estate tax exemptions for veterans have come up more than once at veterans group meeting. Confusion often reigns. Word of mouth frequently leads to misunderstandings. Perhaps the worst part is surviving spouses are often forgotten – to include the surviving spouses of a servicemembers killed in action. This article is an attempt to clarify the situation for our members who live in Pennsylvania and that other country, New Jersey. While it is beyond the scope of this article to determine with certainty any local ordinances regarding exemptions exist (none are currently known), the existing laws in both states are discussed.
First, the belief that real estate tax exemptions for a disabled veteran are federal law is not true. Any real estate tax exemption, waiver or reduction (hereafter, called “exemption”) is the result of a local ordinance or state law. (more…)
The Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council is conducting its “Salute to the Troops” this year on 22 May, starting at 6 p.m., again at the Days Hotel (The Jetport), 3400 Airport Road in Allentown. Please come, but immediately make your reservation. Don’t worry if you a few days beyond the suspense date on the form, though tables are filling quickly and we do need to get the order in to the caterer as soon as possible.
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Probably for the first time in its history, the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center is about to conduct a Town Hall in the Lehigh Valley. You know something has got to be behind this. Read on. (more…)