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| Tuesday, 09 March 2010 00:32 |
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This is from Archis Acres, an organic farm program in Southern Californiathat trains Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in organic farming. It's ownedand operated by Colin Archipley, who served three tours with the Marines inIraq, then came back and with his wife Karen established a model alternativeto wars for oil.I met them at a Farmer-Veterans Coalition dinner. They have helped vets who were at the end of their rope and some who were even considering re-joining the military and going back to Iraq, because even though they hated the war, they felt like they couldn't make it on the outside.... This program gave them an alternative. Now this program needs our
help. Please call to support this program, and please pass this email on, thanks.
yours in peace,
Mike Wong
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Colin Archipley
We’ve created a program Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT) with the VA for returning vets for re-integration into the private sector. The program has been a success and all VA Clinicians and Therapists involved with the program are in 100% support and some are even helping us search the VA for more funding sources, because most of this project has come out of our pocket. In the process of searching the VA for additional funding solutions, a bean-counter in there central office, not in the hospital and not someone concerned with vets healthcare, has order any and all funding from the VA to this program to stop immediately. This threatens to put our vets, many of have already been homeless, back on the streets and unemployed. Please contact the following offices and express your support for the VSAT program and your disgust with the VA bureaucracy. Congressman Filner (Chairman of the Veteran Affairs Committee) 619.422.5963 Congressman Bilbray (Sits on the Veteran Affairs Committee) 858.350.1150 Congressman Issa (Congressman of our district) 760.599.5000
What you may want to say:
“Good morning/ afternoon, I’ve become aware that due to VA bureaucracy, funding for the innovative veterans re-entry program “Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training” (VSAT) has been ended, even though that VA clinicians and therapist have been looking for additional funding to expand the program to the vets currently on a waiting list to begin training with VSAT. During a time of un-convention warfare, we need to encourage the growth of un-convention programs to ensure our vets receive the best healthcare possible and and are afforded the greatest opportunities for employment. The decision to end funding as opposed to expand funding to the VSAT program is very disappointing and a huge set back for veterans looking for employment.”
Thanks for every ones support and attached is a brochure of the VSAT program, you can also hear from some of the vets in our program online at * http://archisacres.com/media.html *
Colin Archipley CEO/ President colin AT archisacres.com www.archisacres.com
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