NEWS & STORIES
Larry Kelly Named National VAVS Coordinator for Project Healing Waters
Lawrence “Larry” Kelly has been named the National Veterans Affairs Voluntary Services (VAVS) Coordinator for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.
As National Representative for PHWFF, Kelly will work with The National Advisory Committee of the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) to advise the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, through the Under Secretary for Health, and other members of VHA Central Office staff on how to coordinate and promote volunteer activities within VA health care facilities and on matters relating to volunteers.
Kelly previously served as Deputy National Representative to the NAC. He will continue his role as Treasurer to the VAVS Partners, Inc. to to help foster and promote volunteerism within the US Department of VA health care delivery system.
PHWFF has been a member of The National Advisory Committee of the Department of VAVS since 2017 alongside over 40 other major veteran, civic and service organizations. The NAC VAVS advises the Under Secretary for Health on matters pertaining to the participation of volunteers in VA medical facilities, assists in recruitment and orientation of volunteers, and keeps the officers and members of participating organizations informed of volunteer needs and accomplishments.
Through working directly with PHWFF Representatives and VAVS Deputies, Kelly aims to help execute their demanding duties of reaching out and bringing PHWFF activities to veterans in resident and non-resident settings within the Veterans Affairs facilities.
“Service is our only goal and our ability to provide service to our veterans is dramatically increased within the context of the VA organization,” said Kelly, “What we have accomplished to date is helping PHWFF better serve the veteran community as a whole. I look forward to continuing our involvement with the VA and growing our commitment both in terms of the quality of our service as well as the number of programs that are actively engaged.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) is the largest volunteer program in the Federal government, with more than 350 national and community organizations involved in support of their mission. Every year, over 75,000 volunteers give more than 11 million hours in service to America’s Veterans. It is impossible to calculate the amount of caring and sharing that these VAVS volunteers provide to Veteran patients. VAVS volunteers are a priceless asset to the Nation’s Veterans and to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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Did you know that over 196 Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing programs are associated with VA healthcare facilities? This great partnership has enabled us to bring our unique form of therapy to an ever-expanding number of disabled veterans who may benefit from it in communities across America. At these locations, our volunteers are VA volunteers: they provide fly fishing, fly tying, and rod building programs and a caring community for the Veteran patients. Through our partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs our cause has grown from a single program in 2006 to over 200 programs serving over 9,5000 veterans annually.