http://couv.com Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. Fri, 07 Nov 2014 16:49:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5 Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. http://couv.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://couv.com http://couv.com/community/first-graders http://couv.com/community/first-graders#comments Fri, 23 May 2014 22:24:51 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=31305 http://couv.com/community/first-graders/feed 0 http://couv.com/community/the-veterans-court http://couv.com/community/the-veterans-court#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:50:14 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=26795 http://couv.com/community/the-veterans-court/feed 0 http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/maestro-hector-garcias-inspiring-story http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/maestro-hector-garcias-inspiring-story#comments Thu, 24 May 2012 18:24:32 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=21721 http://couv.com/lifestyles/people/maestro-hector-garcias-inspiring-story/feed 0 cuba,Garcia,Guitarist,Hector,Maestro,performance,Vancouver,veterans Cuban classical guitarist has deep appreciation for liberty after 2 years in a Cuba prison. Cuban classical guitarist has deep appreciation for liberty after 2 years in a Cuba prison. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 5:23 http://couv.com/community/goldies-bbq-4-vets http://couv.com/community/goldies-bbq-4-vets#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:42:57 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=20991 http://couv.com/community/goldies-bbq-4-vets/feed 0 http://couv.com/programs/vets-garden-original http://couv.com/programs/vets-garden-original#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:59:09 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=8878 http://couv.com/programs/vets-garden-original/feed 0 ben hines,carol doane,dee rogers,donna kory,erika johnson,evan newman,gardeners,heritage farm,homeless veterans,jordan thompson,miles burnett,organic farming There’s the road you travel, there’s the “road not taken,” as so eloquently written about by poet Robert Frost, and in Clark County there is also the road that takes you straight into the dirt. It’s the new Roots to Road program. - The pilot program, There’s the road you travel, there’s the “road not taken,” as so eloquently written about by poet Robert Frost, and in Clark County there is also the road that takes you straight into the dirt. It’s the new Roots to Road program. The pilot program, developed by Partners in Careers, in collaboration with Clark County, used small-scale farming to teach veterans marketable job skills. The result was an acre of organic produce and three Clark County vets who — while gardening — reclaimed their own road to a different life. Partners in Careers' executive director Pam Brokaw created the concept with Clark County Heritage Farm on 78th Street in Hazel Dell. It is a public site the county sought to use for demonstration projects, and it became a perfect fit to help homeless vets acquire skills that would transition them back into the work force. “We just wanted them (veterans) to be able to come out with a variety of different skills, so that we could help place them into employment,” says Brokaw. “It was a comprehensive approach that we wanted to take, and it was something new.” Program organizers quickly realized that they couldn’t do it without somebody on site to work with the veterans. Erika Johnson took charge and coordinated the first six months of the pilot program. “I’m just really impressed with what three non-farmers have been able to do,” says Johnson. The gardeners she supervised were local vets who had faced homelessness, had significant barriers to finding employment, and who had stumbled over other life obstacles including alcohol and substance abuse. Two of the vets were thirty-something, one over 50 — the age where bending, weeding and harvesting creates its own set up obstacles. Their work week started on Monday in a classroom where they learned methods of growing organically. The remainder of the week unfolded as applied science - weed, plant, check for pests, repeat. Their grassy plot was tamed, tilled and tended, and as it grew they traveled a path toward a healthier lifestyle. Dee Rogers sports short cropped hair, gaged ears and intertwining tattoos, and speaks of a “rough patch of years” that included the death of her mother, homelessness, wandering the country, and struggling with a drinking problem. The Roots to Road experience helped her “find more of a purpose” and skills she could use in a “job atmosphere.” Today she has healthy concerns about food and choices. “Kids should know where their food is coming from, and I really never thought about that when I was younger. You should want to eat good food, and you should want to take care of yourself.” Disabled veteran Ben Hines smiles broadly when he speaks of how it altered his course, including cutting back on traditional fast food. “It’s been a real lifestyle change to come and eat fresh,” says Hines. Whether he farms professionally or not, Hines has learned a life skill that he didn’t have before. He’s also flooding the community with his gardening enthusiasm. Four of his friends, who last year, at most, merely mowed the lawn, this year got out and grew a garden, too. It’s also changed his family. “If I bring produce home from the grocery store – it’s not so cool or something. But I bring it home, and it still has dirt on it, wash it off, that kind of stuff, and my little kids are excited to have fresh produce and that’s kind of exciting.” It also altered Hines' career path. "I was seeing some counselors through the VA. It was random, I was looking for a job, going to school and I thought this project would be fun. I was originally getting a job in medical records - how boring.” This opportunity offered Hines something he thrived on. “It’s an amazing thing to come out here and garden." Veteran Donna Cory has always preferred jobs that took her outdoors. For many years, she fought fires and was a wilderness ranger. The last five years, she took a stab at working indoors, but it wasn’t a good fit. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 5:37 http://couv.com/programs/veterans-garden-trailer http://couv.com/programs/veterans-garden-trailer#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:00:14 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=8321 http://couv.com/programs/veterans-garden-trailer/feed 0 http://couv.com/community/july-fourth-vets-patriotism http://couv.com/community/july-fourth-vets-patriotism#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:21:09 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1567 http://couv.com/community/july-fourth-vets-patriotism/feed 0 fourth of july,holiday,jerry keen,larry smith,mike ragsdale,paul suarez,veterans,video Listen to an audio podcast of this video here: - Every Fourth of July our nation commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It is a day known for firework shows and family picnics. In honor of Independence Day, Listen to an audio podcast of this video here: Every Fourth of July our nation commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It is a day known for firework shows and family picnics. In honor of Independence Day, we asked a few Clark County veterans to reflect on what patriotism means to them. Vancouver City Council member and U.S. Army veteran Larry Smith said patriotism means remembering the price that others paid for freedom and doing everything possible to protect it. “So it’s important when it comes to patriotism that you remember the individuals who have served and paid a price because freedom is not free it is paid for by the lives of men and women who have died in combat defending this country,” Smith said. Jerry Keen, Navy veteran and chairman of the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center said patriotism can be as easy as “answering the call.” That doesn’t just have to be serving in the armed forces, the veterans added. “Young kids as they grow up they may never serve but they can serve in a lot of different capacities such as community service...That’s part of being a patriot as well,” Smith said. “But part of being a patriot is not forgetting those who do wear a uniform and do serve.” Air Force veteran Mike Ragsdale added that the freedoms we have as U.S. citizens shouldn’t be taken lightly as they are a unique privilege that isn’t common in other countries. “We enjoy so many benefits being citizens of this country. In the military I saw many other countries where they would dream to have a life like we have,” Ragsdale said. CREDITS Video shot and edited by Miles Burnett Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 1:46 http://couv.com/community/taps-memorial-day http://couv.com/community/taps-memorial-day#comments Mon, 30 May 2011 21:00:21 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1065 http://couv.com/community/taps-memorial-day/feed 0 marine,memorial day,music,navy,npr,steven schaljo,veterans,video Listen to an audio podcast of this performance here: - Retired Navy veteran Steven Schaljo was a jazz studio music major right out of high school. Schaljo started playing "Taps" when he noticed military honor guards returning from funerals with a ... Listen to an audio podcast of this performance here: Retired Navy veteran Steven Schaljo was a jazz studio music major right out of high school. Schaljo started playing "Taps" when he noticed military honor guards returning from funerals with a boombox. At a time when many World War II veterans were passing away, Schaljo offered his services to perform at funerals to honor veterans. He met with COUV.COM last week to record a performance of "Taps" in honor of Memorial Day. Hear the story of another musician who plays the trumpet in the US Marine Band from NPR. Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 1:47 http://couv.com/community/va-helps-local-veterans http://couv.com/community/va-helps-local-veterans#comments Mon, 30 May 2011 15:00:06 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1059 http://couv.com/community/va-helps-local-veterans/feed 0 audio,carol doane,jobs in clark county,jobs vancouver wa,steven schaljo,veterans Steven Schaljo sat down with us and shared his experience working at the Veterans Administration. He offers a first-hand view of the support services veterans can access here in Vancouver. - Schaljo is a work/study, Steven Schaljo sat down with us and shared his experience working at the Veterans Administration. He offers a first-hand view of the support services veterans can access here in Vancouver. Schaljo is a work/study, part-time employee with the VA thro... Audio and video stories from Southwest Washington. no 8:48 http://couv.com/community/memorial-day-montage http://couv.com/community/memorial-day-montage#comments Sun, 29 May 2011 15:30:24 +0000 COUV.COM staff http://couv.com/?p=1052 http://couv.com/community/memorial-day-montage/feed 0