VAntage Point
Veteran finds housing stability through White River Junction VA and partners
Helping Veterans through the pandemic is one of White River Junction VA‘s primary missions. The Vermont medical center, and partners, recently helped several Veterans access their earned benefits, including helping one find housing stability.
That one is Veteran Donald Surprenant, who served 24 years in the National Guard. In 2018, several years after leaving the Guard, Surprenant became homeless. Because he had never served in combat, he was unsure what resources were available to him through VA. To his surprise, he discovered that he was eligible for the many VA resources and programs available for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Life, and lifesaving, go on
Marking return of campus activity, spring blood drive returns, collecting 165 pints
As in-room quarantine ended and campus crackled with energy last week, dozens of Norwich University students, faculty and staff members marched into the Vermont National Guard Armory hoping to help save lives.
On Feb. 25, the Center for Civic Engagement held its spring blood drive, partnering with the American Red Cross of Northern New England. Plumley Armory is serving as a five-days-a-week COVID-19 testing center this semester, having administered more than 11,000 COVID-19 tests since January. So, the blood drive moved across campus.
As in the fall, Civic Scholars Kevin Sloan, a junior, Hadlee Wolfram, a sophomore and Aidan Grady, a freshman organized and ran it.