Page 21 - Aerotech News and Review, November 5, 2021

Antelope Valley Veterans’ Resources – Continued
https://www.lacba.org/give-back/veterans-legal-ser- Service members and/or Veterans Group Life Insur- July of this year, organized an event called Veteran Re-
vices-project ance Program source Networking, which brought together experts in
1-800-419-1473 various fields to provide information about employment,
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, education and other factors.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides All other VA Life Insurance Programs Through the organization’s Art Therapy Program, vet-
healthcare services, including an outpatient clinic in the 1-800-669-8477 erans can utilize their creative abilities to draw, sketch or
Antelope Valley and specialized programs that serve paint the unspoken thoughts and feelings, the emotions
female veterans, veterans in need of mental health ser- Mammography Helpline they keep inside. The program is conducted under the
vices, and former service members who are homeless 1-888-492-7844 therapeutic supervision of Gerry Rice, LMFT.
or in danger of becoming homeless. Group leaders are currently seeking a new location
Women Veterans Hotline for the art sessions.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 855-VA-WOMEN (829-6636) For details call 661-943-5100. Check online at www.
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System avvets4veterans.org for the time, date and location of
Lancaster Outpatient Clinic CHAMPVA Meds by Mail art sessions.
340 E Avenue I Suite 108, Lancaster, CA 93535 1-888-385-0235 (or)
Phone: 661-729-8655 1-866-229-7389 Coffee4Vets
A cup of Joe might please the soul of a downhearted
Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center Special Issues — Gulf War/Agent Orange/Project service member, but there’s some sense of cheer when
16111 Plummer St. Bldg. 200, North Hills, CA 91343 Shad/Mustard Agents and Lewisite/Ionizing Radia- the masses appear for breakfast from now until De-
Phone: 818-891-7711 tion cember.
1-800-749-8387 Generally aging veterans gather for breakfast at 7
West Los Angeles Medical Center a.m. every Tuesday like clockwork in the side room at
11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90073 Status of Headstones and Markers Crazy Otto’s Diner, 1228 West Avenue I in Lancaster,
Phone: 310-478-3711 1-800-697-6947 Calif. They might order eggs and toast or something
as simple as a bowl of oatmeal, but they really look
West Los Angeles Women’s Clinic Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) forward to a conversation with others who can relate
Phone: 310-478-3711, Ext. 40285 Dial 711 to similar past experiences in the military. Regardless
of the branch they served in or the location where they
Comprehensive Homeless Center were deployed, they share a brotherhood or sisterhood
Angela K. Russell The American Legion that many of their friends and relatives will never under-
11301 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90073 www.legion.org stand. Aside from their personal conversations, a guest
Phone: 310-478-3711, ext. 48716 National Headquarters speaker usually attends to talk on a variety of topics. It
Email: Angela.Russell3@va.gov 700 N. Pennsylvania Street, P.O. Box 1055, India- could be someone from local law enforcement, or the
napolis, IN 46206 field representative of an elected official who can con-
National Resources Telephone: 317-630-1200 nect veterans with military benefits.
The idea: it’s the veterans’ hour or two, time dedicated
Veterans Administration Washington Office to them, when too often the rest of the world passes
www.va.gov 1608 K St. N.W., Washington, DC 20006 them by. At these breakfasts, they are in a somewhat
VA Benefits: Telephone: 202-861-2700 sheltered environment. Juan Blanco, also a veteran, is
Burial, Death Pension, Dependency Indemnity Com- president of Coffee4Vets.
pensation, Direct Deposit, Directions to VA Benefits Re- Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) The organization can be contacted via email on the
gional Offices, Disability Compensation, Disability Pen- www.vfw.org following website: https://coffee4vets.org. The organiza-
sion, Education, Home Loan Guaranty, Medical Care, National Headquarters tion also maintains a Facebook page.
406 West 34th St., Kansas City, MO 64111
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Telephone: 816-756-3390 Veteran Peer Access Network
1-800-827-1000 VPAN, as it is commonly called, is a community-
Washington Office driven, peer outreach program, which aims to solve
Beneficiaries in receipt of Pension Benefits 200 Maryland Ave., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002 challenges facing veterans, including homelessness,
1-877-294-6380 Telephone: 202-543-2239 unemployment, substance abuse, incarceration and
suicide – conditions that often afflict service members
Debt Management Center Disabled American Veterans transitioning from military to civilian life. The network
1-800-827-0648 www.dav.org deploys trained veteran and military family peers to lo-
(Collection of Non-Medical Debts) National Headquarters cate veterans in need of support and intervene before a
3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076 crisis erupts, connecting vets to benefits and services.
Children of Women Vietnam Veterans (CWVV) Telephone: 1-877 I AM A VET (877-426-2838) James Mumma oversees operations at the Antelope
877-345-8179 859-441-7300 Valley office which opened its doors in early summer
2021.
Foreign Medical Program (FMP) Washington Office Office location: 237 East Avenue M, Lancaster, CA
1-888-820-1756 807 Maine Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20024 93535
Telephone: 202-554-3501 Phone: 661-268-6739
Civilian Health and Medical Program of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) Vietnam Veterans of America Homes4Families
CHAMPVA In-House Treatment Initiative www.vva.org Organization officials develop what they call “Veteran
1-800-733-8387 National Headquarters Enriched Neighborhoods” by constructing new housing
8719 Colesville Rd., Suite 100, Silver Spring, MD tracts, with as many as 50-plus single-family, one-story
Education (GI Bill) 20910 houses for purchase by veterans and their families, with
1-888-442-4551 Telephone: 301-585-4000 special financing arrangements and required sweat eq-
Toll Free: 1-800-882-1316 uity, meaning the veterans must volunteer to participate
Health Care Benefits in the building of homes for other veteran families. The
1-877-222-8387 Organizations of the People, By the People, for process involves the use of many volunteers who con-
the Vets tribute their time in the construction phase.
Smoking Cessation Counselors Home ownership gives the veterans a sense of pride
1-855-QUIT-VET (1-855-784-8838) Vets4Veterans Antelope Valley for their accomplishment and paying a mortgage means
The grassroots, nonprofit, organization, founded by they are building equity from their own property as op-
Combat Call Center the late Tom Hilzendeger together with other Vietnam posed to renting, which increases a landlord’s equity.
1-877-WAR-VETS (1-877-927-8387) combat veterans was intended to help veterans suf- Donna Deutchman is president and chief executive
fering the physical and psychological wounds of war. officer of the Woodland Hills, Calif., organization that is
Life Insurance Jack Wolbert is the current president. Nayda creating a community in Palmdale.
Figueroa, the Community Relations Director, in mid- Phone: 818-884-8808