Central Oregon Veteran’s Outreach (COVO) -The Heart of the Central Oregon Veterans Community

If I  had to choose a heart for the Veteran’s Community in Central Oregon, it would have to be Central Oregon Veteran’s Outreach. They wear many hats and have many connections in the community.

Many of their efforts are directed toward the homeless veterans. They include:

• Outreach to homeless camps of our area
• Distributing food, clothing, camping supplies, fuel, etc.
• Refill propane tanks
• Providing communications and transportation assistance
• Run the COVO Medical Van which provides free medical services to all homeless people
• Running a Transitional House (Home of the Brave) for homeless vets who are ready to make changes. They also have a Duplex for Female veterans and two other projects which have recently started, a home down in La Pine and a quadplex in Bend.

Each homeless veteran is unique, there is not a one size fits all story for the reasons why they are homeless. COVO acknowledges this and meets the veterans on their own terms. A relationship is built on trust and ways are found to get the veteran off the streets. This takes time, energy and money.

That is quite a lot (they won the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans 2011 Partnership Award) and we could all pat them on the back if that was all they did. But, that’s not all COVO does. They also:

• Take reservations for the DAV Shuttle to the Portland VA and back and the shuttle for the local VA clinic
• Assist in Filing disability claims for vets
• Lobby in Salem on veterans issues
• Sit on committees, the Veteran’s Court, for example
• Act as a clearinghouse to assist vets in receiving other services

That last one is a big umbrella. If you have a question or need help, COVO will be able to help you or they know who can. Or, if they don’t know they will find out who can and help you get there too!

I wish I had a dollar for every time in the last year COVO was in the newspaper talking up some veteran’s issue. If there ever is a good friend of  a Central Oregon Veteran- any veteran not matter what income level, it’s Central Oregon Veterans Outreach.

COVO has dreams, they want to reach out more to the younger veterans , they want to help more veterans in more ways. They just keep getting better and better. But they could use your help and right now the best way you can help is by adding them to your list for your donation online for the Sagebrush Community Challenge or you can put Central Oregon Veterans Outreach to your donation list and mail in your donation.

90 Minutes, Around 50 Check points- The Sagebrush Community Challenge-Saturday July 9th

In less than a month on July 9th, 2011 the first Sagebrush Community Challenge will take place. Just to get you ready for it I’m going to fill you in on how this works!

Think of it as  Bend’s version of the Amazing Race, where teams and individuals have 90 minutes to go in and around downtown Bend and get points by noting details about the different check points (there’s roughly 50) . What checkpoints you go to are up to you (if you are participating as an individual) or your team.  If you enter as a team you have to stay as a team, meaning you can’t break up and then regroup and pool all the details you’ve gathered.  Strollers and wheel chairs are welcome of course! But, no pets please! It’s 15 dollars per individual before July 1st and 30 dollars after that. Kids 4 and under are free.  The entry form is available to print out. Because you read this, please put Central Oregon Veterans Outreach as the way you heard about the event, we will get credit and maybe win a prize!

The boundaries for the Challenge are:

• North– Greenwood/Newport
• East– the Parkway
• South– Reedmarket
• West– Mt. Washington Dr

June 9th, the day of the Challenge:

• 7:30 am Registration Opens
• 9:00 am Registration Closes
• 9:30 am You get your map
• 10:00 The race starts

9:30 is when you get your map so you can plan your route! Each checkpoint, depending on distance and difficulty to reach, is assigned a certain number of points. Do you go for the bigger points that are further out? Or, do you cherry pick and go for the close in ones that are worth less points, but get to more checkpoints!You only have the 90 minutes. If you are late, you get some points deducted. If your team wants to dress up, go for it! I challenge you to do the Challenge! Do it for love, honor or country! Do it for all three! Or do it just because! Just go, participate and have fun!

The money raised is all for Charity. It goes into a fund to match donations made to Sagebrush on behalf of the 106 charities participating. The more people that enter, the more money goes toward the match, everybody wins! The charities will be there the day of the event, between City Hall and Saturday Market. They will have free games and activities as well as information to share with you. I am involved with Central Oregon Veterans Outreach and if the other charities are anything like us, they have been working really hard to help make this a big success! You can also make a donation on behalf of Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, they just won a national award! When you go to the challenge, stop by and say,”Hi” to them for me! They have a very small staff and do a lot of good work!

Central Oregon’s Sagebrush Community Challenge Has Arrived!

SAGEBRUSH PROMOTIONAL VIDEO from SRO Productions on Vimeo.

Want a way to make your donation to an area nonprofit go as far as possible? Have I got news for you!  The  Sagebrush Classic has  restructured! Now with a new name, the Sagebrush Community Challenge will allow your donation to charities of your choice to be matched! You will be writing a check to the Sagebrush Community Challenge  and designating from a list of 106 nonprofits which charities you want your money to go to. At the end of the donation period (Monday, August 15th), your nonprofits will get all that you donated plus the additional Sagebrush match funds.

Deschutes Brewery has been putting on the Sagebrush Classic for over 22 years. In the past all the money has gone to the Deschutes Children’s Foundation, a most worthy cause. Don’t worry, The Foundation is still getting a dedicated donation. The changes they have made this year are an upgrade which allows all these other nonprofits to participate and learn. As their website says,  “This year, the event is changing the way our community looks at fund-raising: it’s more inclusive, more collaborative, and more accessible.” This event is based on Old Bill’s Fun Run in Jackson Hole Montana.

There are events the whole community can have fun at!

Saturday July 9, 2011 The Sage Brush Community Challenge Scramble

Wednesday July 13th The Sage Brush Community Challenge Street Fare where all the nonprofits will have booths and free games for the community.

The two veterans group that are participating this year are Central OregonVeterans Outreach and  the Bend Heroes Foundation. I must put in a plug for them! I do not know very much about The Bend Heroes Foundation. But I do know a fair amount about COVO. They are a hard-working bunch of people who help all veterans but especially low-income and homeless ones. Please keep them in mind when you fill out who you want your donation designated for. So, double your pleasure, double your fun, donate to the Sagebrush Community Challenge!

VA Revises Guidelines For PTSD Identification

The following is a summary of an article which ran in the New York Times July 7th, 2010.

According to the New York Times, this Monday, July 12, 2010 new rules will go into effect for the identification of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). They will make it easier for veterans from any war to qualify for disability benefits. The article went on to say, this could qualify hundreds of thousands of veterans.

No longer will veterans need to have documentation tracing the cause of their PTSD to specific events. The Times wrote, “if they can simply show that they served in a war zone and in a job consistent with the events that they say caused their conditions”. The new rules would also cover veterans who lived in conditions where there was an ongoing fear of traumatic events- but never experienced actual ones.

The new rules have been met with some dissention, the article said. Some have voiced concerns that there will be a dramatic increase in fraudulent claims. Others are concerned about the added costs.  Mental health experts have voiced concerns that younger veterans with cases that can be treated and recovered from will instead become economically dependant on the disability money.

Lastly, the article said the final determination for qualifying will be made by a psychiatrist or psychologist working for the VA. Some have disagreed with this because they think it will be a way of controlling the number who qualify the Times wrote.

If you would like to read the Complete new VA guidelines for PTSD you can read them here. I will warn you it’s long and wordy.

To get assistance with putting in a claim in Central Oregon, you can make an appoinment with Nancy the VSO person at COVO by calling 541-383-2793 or emailing covo.org@aol.com. They are located at, 354 NE Greenwood Ste. 113 in Bend- next to the Arco gas station on the corner of Third and Greenwood.

If you would like to read the complete New York Times article my summary was from, you will find it here.

On July 10th the Presidential Weekly address was focused on this change in rules and other issues facing veterans. You can hear it or read it here. The audio lasts 4 minutes 25 seconds.

On July 11th NPR Sunday Morning Edition’s Liane Hansen interviewed Dr James Dwyer, a psychiatrist with the VA of Greater Las Angeles about this change in rules. You can hear it or read it here. The audio lasts 3 minutes and 38 seconds.