Success Statements

“The struggles and challenges that a homeless and unemployed veteran [have] are numerous and varied. The stigmas that some people associated with them and often verbalize toward them are harsh. The mental health issues that arise from these often take years to overcome. I have had personal losses of my veteran brothers and sisters to suicide.

An elderly retired veteran put me in touch with the VETS CRISIS HOTLINE. Calling them was the first step in getting the help I needed. I was able to be put in touch with the Marion VA and things quickly started turning around. I discovered that I was entitled to some benefits such as pharmacy, women’s health, optometry, etc. . . . I was then assigned a primary health provider and a mental health provider at the local VA clinic here in Paducah.

I was introduced to Operation: Job Ready Veterans and given the opportunity to attend a weeklong seminar on resume building facilitated and led by Mandy Cotton. The VA provided me with gas vouchers to make the hour drive to and from. That resume helped me find a temporary, part-time job; however, [it was] not in my career field of pharmacy.

After Mandy transferred, my resume was referred to Beverly Fitch, an Operation: Job Ready Veterans representative in Chicago, Illinois. She worked diligently and tenaciously on my resume. She kept in touch with me via text, email, and phone to ensure the information was correct and accurate. She then forwarded a copy to James Rogers, the replacement for Mandy Cotton, in Marion, Illinois, and also a copy to my veteran representative advocate, Christopher Bright, in the Kentucky Career Center in Paducah, Kentucky, who replaced Michael Blakny. Every one of these hard chargers have been instrumental in helping me find employment. Their efforts, at this point in time, have provided me with four PRN pharmacy jobs. Two were temporary fill-in jobs for health-care workers who were recovering from COVID-19, and two are permanent PRN jobs, one at a mental health rehab facility and the other at a retail chain.

I realize that I have a great team of people who have my back. My overall well-being and mental health have improved immensely. My team is now helping me to find housing. I have had a struggle with HUD/VASH that I am certain my team will help me work through to obtain the goal of having a safe residence for myself and my two fur babies. I am grateful and thankful to each and every one of them.”