By Laure Zazzara
Features Editor
St. Bonaventure and the Veterans One-stop Center of Western New York, Inc. (VOC of WNY) will co-sponsor a full-day conference in collaboration with the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program. The conference is entitled “Military Communities: Continuing the Mission” on Friday, Oct. 16 at Hilbert College.
Barbara Trolley, Ph.D., an education professor and chair of the Disability Committee, said she has spent over three years working on veterans’ projects with Rick Trietley, vice president of student affairs.
“I was extremely concerned about the lethality statistics regarding veterans, especially considering we have an estimated population of 986,313 in New York alone,” Trolley said. “We’re trying to continue the mission of the VOC.”
The VOC is an independent, nonprofit collaboration that offers services to U.S. veterans, service members and their families.
Trolley said there will be two sets of seven workshops, one set in the morning and the other in the afternoon, focused on educational, psychosocial, legal, medical and spiritual issues in the military. Titles of the workshops include “Veteran Suicide: Risks and Resources,” “Domestic Violence in the Military” and “Healing the Invisible Wounds of War.”
Some of the presenters are Bonaventure alums, including Father Lou Iasello, a retired American Navy officer, Trolley added.
To do this, Trolley said the conference will approach veterans’ issues in two ways.
“We want to educate and sensitize professionals across as to these issues, needs and assets of the military in our community, as well as to assist military members and their families in becoming more aware of the existing resources,” Trolley said. “I wanted to give back to the community and help facilitate the transition of our military when they return home.”
She said the existing resources, among others, include the VOC of WNY, the Mental Health Association of Erie County, Inc., Joining Community Forces (JCF) and Dog Tags Niagara, an organization which matches veterans with shelter dogs. These groups and others will have information tables at the event. Roger Woodworth, the director of the VOC of WNY, will give a presentation. A discussion with a panel of military members and their families will end the conference.
Trolley said she used a small internal grant to finance the event, along with financial support from the PFC Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support Program of the VOC.
The keynote speaker, Charles W. Hoge, Colonel, US Army (Ret.), worked with a Bonaventure alumnus and is an expert on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), said Trolley. He wrote the book “Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior,” which depicts the struggles for a soldier coming home from war.
Col. Hoge directed the research on the mental effects of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for seven years. He also was an psychiatrist for the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, went to Iraq to better care for combat stress and now works with service members, veterans and their families, said Trolley. He has also spoken to Congress about these issues.
“I’ll be talking about the transition home from combat, and how we can all assist through things like dispelling myths and stereotypes and bridging gaps in understanding of what it means to be a professional warrior,” Col. Hoge said.
He added the event’s atmosphere is enjoyable, as well as helpful to raising awareness.
“I’ve been working for years to improve understanding and awareness of transition challenges, and reduce stigma and barriers to mental health care when that is needed,” Col. Hoge said. “I very much enjoy community and University events that increase awareness of veteran issues, and I’m looking forward to being part of this event.”
Trolley said the event is $20 for non-veteran students and military members, $30 for military family members and $50 for professionals and the general public. She said she encourages faculty, staff and students to attend. She added scholarships are available to student veterans, who can contact her at btrolley@sbu.edu for information, and for veterans and their families, who can contact Mary McParlane at mmcparlanewearedwyer@vocwny.org.
“We are, just by the very collaboration of SBU with the VOC and the Mental Health Association of Erie County, Inc., bringing the community together,” said Trolley. “We are trying to have professional and practical discussions in a holistic manner addressing what the needs of our military and their families are and how they enrich our community.”
zazzarlm13@bonaventure.edu
