April 8, 2017
To all members, participants,
veterans, families, volunteers and donors;
Today marks the
4-year anniversary of the day we received the keys to this building. What a roller coaster 4 years it has
been. Our non-profit organization,
Operation Revamp had been in existence since early 2010 but had no home for the
Veterans Art Center. On April 8, 2013
that all changed.
A day earlier family and a few
close friends had gathered at my house for a celebration of life honoring my
late husband, Jim. I had symptoms of
appendicitis. On the morning of April 8, I met the owner and realtor at the
building, signed all the contracts and the offer to purchase and headed out the
door with the key.
Two wonderful blue
star moms from Oklahoma, Joretta and Carol, here for Jim’s celebration of life,
met me on the sidewalk armed with buckets, cleaners and paint. They were clear on their intent to get this
place cleaned up and ready because it was ‘for the veterans’. With the help of Dallas and his wife Michelle,
the five of us cleaned, sorted, painted, renovated, installed toilets,
flooring, ceiling tiles, and found an electrician to get all the
non-functioning lights working. The long
hours of dedication by these few committed volunteers paid off and on May 1, we
opened the doors of the Veterans Art Center.
When we first opened,
there was not much ready besides offices, restrooms and the main studio. In June we opened the gallery and hosted our
first Veterans Art Exhibit, and in July we started our first art classes; pen
and ink drawing and wood carving. In
July we also began work on a music room and continued cleaning, sorting,
repairs, renovations and painting in the rest of the building.
My initial vision of
a fully equipped art center for Veterans and families to heal through art had
become a reality and each day we progressed with more space, equipment,
supplies and materials to complete that vision.
We started on a
What has been our impact in the
past 4 years? 295 active participants
clocked 4166 hours of use in our first year.
In the 2015-16 fiscal year, those numbers had grown to 1026 participants
and 18108 hours of use. Entering our 4th
quarter of the 2016-17 year, we have already recorded over 16,000 hours. A total of 2154 veterans or family members
have accessed our programs since we opened in 2013. Currently we serve approximately 72%
veterans, 77% of whom are repeat participants.
Services have expanded well
beyond art, although healing art and mental wellness remain our primary
mission. We also offer alternative healing
arts including yoga, acupuncture, reiki and essential oils; emergency
assistance and services; transportation; resources and referrals; computers,
phone fax and internet; non-cash awards to veterans for art supplies and
equipment; small business start-up; an RC Car Club, and of equal importance,
camaraderie and fellowship. We
participate in community events and parades and host free concerts,
exhibitions, workshops and activities to the public.
How do we accomplish
all of this? We are all-volunteer and
have a fantastic core team of volunteers who put in regular hours. Over 75% of our 11,000 plus volunteer hours
in the last fiscal year was by veterans and family members. The core volunteers including me, manage all
of the administration, networking, outreach, finances, grant research, social
media, record-keeping, volunteer management, studio oversight and art
instruction. Other volunteer activities
include general cleaning and upkeep, maintenance, events, fundraising,
promotion, teaching, cooking, data-entry, construction and general labor. Our volunteers are a very important part of
our organization and volunteering has helped many of our veterans and families
along their path to healing.
Finally, we do this with the
support of our many donors and sponsors who help us out financially and with
in-kind donations of art supplies and equipment. We struggle daily to make ends meet but we
make it through with the generosity of those who help us and we would not exist
without our donors, be they individuals, organizations or businesses.
Personally, I have seen the
successes of many, the challenges overcome, the healing and gratitude. Our motto “Helping Vets Heal” is our mission
on a daily basis and the impact and results are evident on a daily basis. I cannot express in words the emotion and
gratitude for the many volunteers, participants and donors who make this
possible and help so many. My vision has become a reality and has exceeded
expectations. I love you all.
Sincerely,
Wendy J Hoffman
