…and cats…and ponies…
The first clue that the Five Star Veterans Center is not a typical therapeutic counseling center is that CEO Col. Len Loving, USMC (Ret.), is shadowed everywhere he goes on the 3 ½ acre campus by a super-sized red German shepherd.
Athena, the colonel’s silent best friend, was saved from a puppy mill years ago. And then there are the miniature ponies on the front lawn.
Those are the resident attention hogs: friendly pony Cupid and grumpy Romeo, who likes to nip. Jackie is a community cat born on the property who claims everyone and freely roams inside and out via open windows and doors. Multiple dogs are owned by resident veterans, including two who are away at training but will soon return. Two siblings, golden retriever puppies Remy and Willow, love to ride in their veteran’s backpack and accompany him kayaking.
A few residents have cat companions who happily reside in their veteran’s private residential room. True to their independent feline nature, none of the pet cats could be persuaded to pose for a photo in The Resident.
Both Five Star ponies were rescued from the slaughterhouse and are living a dream life interacting with veterans, staff and visitors. Client veterans may request to help feed, exercise and care for the ponies and maintain their on-site stable, which was constructed by Home Depot. Five Star Veterans Center has been Home Depot’s National Charity of the Year twice. A veteran built the ponies’ corral.
“The ponies seem to love hanging out meditating, and their calm energy is amazing,” Lead Case and Operations Manager Amanda Mills said. “When veterans feel ready to help care for the animals, they gain confidence and benefit from responsibility and accountability. The veterans who choose to care for the ponies also like to pet, groom and talk to them or quietly spend time together.”
Mills began cleaning at the center six years ago before working her way up to her current position. A former addict who beat her addiction 11 years ago, Mills has experienced homelessness, which she believes gives her unique insight.
The integration of pets into Five Star campus life acknowledges the role they can play in the treatment journey of combat veterans struggling with PTSD and other invisible wounds like mental health issues, traumatic brain or physical injuries, depression or anxiety. A recently published report In the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) highlighted the results of a 10-year study by University of Arizona researchers. The study found the most definitive evidence to date that service dogs are more than just pets; they can alleviate some symptoms of PTSD for veterans. It is the first and most extensive clinical trial to assess this intervention technique.
Overcoming PTSD
Opened in December 2012 at the Arlington site of a vacant 1960s nursing home, the nonprofit Five Star Veterans Center was founded to serve as a safe place for veterans ages 22 to 55 to find help and the therapeutic tools needed to heal from mental health issues and physical trauma post-military service. Col. Loving serves as CEO, while his wife serves as chief administrative officer.
Its core mission is promoting veterans’ well-being and successful return to school, jobs and everyday social life within their communities. Individualized treatment plans provide mental health services, physical care, critical support and vital opportunities. There are weekly individual and group counseling sessions, education and job readiness training and support, community outreach programs, group outings and activities and equine and art therapy.
In addition to Col. Loving, most staff team leaders are military veterans, whose battlefield experience gives them an inherent understanding of veteran clients. They know that military service can lead to mental health issues, substance abuse, financial issues or homelessness. There is no one or simple solution to healing veterans suffering from complex mental health issues.
Five Star Mental Health Director Sara Simpson, a licensed mental health therapist, said that the animals boost morale and positively influence everyone. She and other staff often spend lunchtime or breaks outside with the ponies.
“The animals build connection by showing interest or affection,” Simpson said. “Petting or spending time with them re-directs focus away from personal struggles, which can bring relief and relaxation.”
Simpson said that veterans deal with their unique form of trauma while experiencing life’s ups and downs.
“I have such respect for veterans,” she said. “Like everyone, they want to be listened to and for someone to care. It is an honor to help them along their healing journey.”
Gaining skills
Another community outreach program with which Five Star partners is the Paws & Stripes Academy launched by the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) with assistance from the City of Jacksonville Military & Veterans Affairs Department and support from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Farah & Farah law firm. The free, six-week job skills program provides a path to obtaining a career as a veterinary medicine technician or in animal welfare, dog training, behavior and care. Participants who successfully complete the program receive job placement assistance.
JHS CEO Denise Deisler said veterans may volunteer at the shelter or receive formal classroom instruction and hands-on training from animal care professionals. The program is a passion project for Deisler, a U.S. Air Force (USAF) disabled veteran who is married to a retired USAF veteran and has a son currently serving active duty in the Air Force.
“Paws & Stripes offers two routes for veterans, or past and present military spouses, to transition to new careers while gaining the mutual benefit of caring for shelter animals in need of comfort and compassion,” Deisler said. “Sometimes veterans’ skills, training and discipline are not recognized when they return and attempt to enter the workforce, but we highly value them.”
Deisler noted that one of the program’s first graduates, veteran Kevin Kane, became such an enthusiastic champion of Paws & Stripes that he was hired to manage the program and later promoted to the humane society’s facilities manager.
Passport to Independence
Philanthropist Delores Barr Weaver has been an important friend to Five Star Veterans Center since 2013, when she heard three military veterans tell their painful stories. Her compassionate response was to fund the Passport to Independence program through a two-year grant of $200,000 the first year and $150,000 the second, including matching donations.
An intensive six- to 12- month program, Passport to Independence guides veterans in creating an individual plan to achieve their goals. It is not a lock-down program. Five Star Veterans Center provides stable on-site housing and 24-hour mental health services coordinated by case managers and mental health counselors.
Readers who wish to support the Five Star Veterans Center may donate to its current fundraising campaign to pay for an estimated $770,000 needed for plumbing repairs. The center is also launching a capital campaign to raise funds for the potential purchase of a large lot across the street from its current facility. Plans for that property include constructing a two-story building of affordable, basic rental apartments that will allow program graduates to live close to the center, providing them with easy access to continued counseling and services.
Monetary donations for other purposes or material donations are also appreciated, as are individuals or groups interested in volunteering.
By Julie Kerns Garmendia
Resident Community News
Resources
Veterans’ Crisis Hotline:
Dial 988 – Press 1.
Five Star Veterans Center
www.5svc.org
(904) 723-5950
