HELP FOR VETERANS | Outreach efforts

Leslie Haines, a retired major who served 33 years in the Army and runs the Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Lutheran Military Veterans & Families Ministries Inc., conducted a seven-hour workshop, “Binding the Wounds of War,” on Saturday at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Austintown to better prepare others to help veterans make a healthful return to civilian life. Some of the faith-based program’s offerings:

Free counseling for veterans, their families and military contractors to help them reconnect with one another, reintegrate back into their communities and readjust to life away from the battlefield.

Educational and training programs, information and services for churches and groups working with or interested in caring for and providing outreach efforts to veterans, their families and contractors.

Additional programs and seminars that address topics such as understanding military culture as well as dealing with suicides, deployment and re-deployment challenges, moral and spiritual injuries, post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, military sexual assault and end-of-life issues.

A therapy-dog program to reduce veterans’ symptoms of depression, help them heal from their wounds and address emotional and spiritual needs.

The nonprofit LMVFM can be reached at 260-755-2239 or at www.lmvfm.org

Source: LMVFM