Hampshire College Veterans Administration Volunteer Corps Sign-up

The purpose of this program is to match student talents, expertise, and interests with the needs and aims of the Veterans Administration in order to participate and assist in their efforts to provide full-spectrum care and support to our country’s veterans and their families. To accomplish this match, the staff of the Northampton VA Medical Center will from time to time post immediate and longer term calls for assistance, and these will be listed on this page after which, in the space provided, interested and willing students are encouraged to type in their names, phone #s and email addresses in order that they might be contacted by Prof. Bob Meagher to discuss further such collaboration. In addition to needs expressed by the VA, students are encouraged to suggest services and/or enhancements that they are both qualified and willing to share. Any even initial listing of possibilities in this category could easily go on for pages, everything from art or photography exhibits, to bookmaking workshops, choral performances, chess or reading clubs, SAT preparation, staged readings, or yoga/meditation classes. Whatever is generously suggested will be put to the VA staff for their consideration. Overwhelmed as they are with tasks and responsibilities the VA staff are at the same time eager to enrich the lives of veterans and enhance their care in any additional ways that can be coordinated with their schedules.

CURRENT NEEDS AND INTEREST EXPRESSED BY THE VA STAFF INDICATE YOUR INTEREST BY TYPING IN YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO. BE SURE TO “SAVE” THE PAGE BELOW WHEN YOU SIGN OUT. Musicians willing to play in clinics and wards would be deeply appreciated. Live music would deeply assist and enrich the care of veterans in various VA contexts. Individual musicians, duets or trios, and on occasion larger ensembles are encouraged to indicate interest below. Please type in your name, your instrument (including vocal), preferred style of music, phone# and email.


 * 1) Jonathan Order, jdo09@hampshire.edu
 * 2) Walker Blagg Staples, wbs10@hampshire.edu
 * 3) Alicen Roberts, aroberts@smith.edu (also guitar lessons)
 * 4) Marushka Grogan, violin/fiddle music, mrg09@hampshire.edu
 * 5) Duncan Trudeau, classical guitar, dtt08@hampshire.edu

An elder veteran requests instruction/coaching to learn basic computer skills. I assume this includes email, internet, etc., beginning with how to boot up and shut down a computer, use a mouse, and navigate the screen. There are also other veterans in need of a laptop 101 tutorial. Many veterans, due to PTSD and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) find themselves profoundly challenged by seemingly simple motor and cognitive skills.


 * 1) Louisa Rockwell, lsr09@hampshire.edu
 * 2) Thao Le, tdl10@hampshire.edu

It would mean a great deal to a female resident veteran suffering from trauma to receive guitar lessons. Recently, she has been given a guitar and it is very important to her and to her recovery to learn to play it. The VA has no one to work with her on this. She is only able to work with women; so I would ask that only women sign up below.


 * 1) Alicen Roberts, aroberts@smith.edu

X-box and Wii games are proving very helpful therapeutic tools with some injured veterans, and the VA staff need help from students willing to teach and play these games with veterans. You would work with and under the close supervision of VA staff.


 * 1) Jonathan Order, jdo09@hampshire.edu

Some time ago the Northampton VA brought in the famed doctor-clown Patch Adams, M.D. (played by Robin Williams in the film named after him) to work with and train some of the staff working in wards especially subject to severe depression. You can learn more about this work by going to the website for Patch Adams’ Gesundheit Institute [ www.patchadams.org ]. In their effort to continue this work and spirit at the Northampton VA, the staff request the assistance and collaboration of some students willing to work with them once or twice a month to do a little clowning, circus therapy and creative arts.


 * 1) Alicen Roberts, aroberts@smith.edu
 * 2) Mikayla McAdams, mbm07@hampshire.edu, visual arts therapies (painting, drawing, sculpting, etc.)
 * 3) Audrey McDougal, auem08@hampshire.edu, visual arts therapies

STUDENT-SUGGESTED SERVICES AND ENHANCEMENTS. [BRIEFLY INDICATE THE SKILL OR SERVICE THAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER TO THE VA TOGETHER WITH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO. BE SURE TO “SAVE” THE PAGE BELOW WHEN YOU SIGN OUT.]


 * 1) Alexander York, chess lessons
 * 2) Thao Le, tdl10@hampshire.edu, Thai foot and hand massage
 * 3) Jonathan Order, jdo09@hampshire.edu, gardening

If you have a brief question regarding this program, you can email Bob Meagher, the program coordinator, [ rmeagher@hampshire.edu ] and he will get back to you. To discuss the program, your interest in it and any ideas you have, then its best to sign up for an appointment on his Hampedia sign-up page [ https://hampedia.org/wiki/Robert_Meagher#Office_Hours_Sign-up ].