NEWS & STORIES
Staying In Touch With Each Other at PHWFF Coatesville … and Beyond
Matt Seymour of the PHWFF Coatesville, Pennsylvania Program shares an update below
Relationships
Relationships. Project Healing Waters depends on them.
Of course our overall objective is drawing wounded/disabled vets into an experience of the healing benefits associated with fly fishing.
Most importantly in the context of COVID-19, āare we doing our best to become accessible to our program participants?ā In order to do that we depend on the Ā the friendships that evolve between vets and volunteers. These relationships are built on trust and mutual admiration.
Next, we spend a significant amount of energy keeping our relationships between our volunteers active and productive. Ā We must also invest in the value of our relationships with the good folks at the VA who care for the vets and who facilitate our presence.
Finally, we attempt, as best we can, to cultivate relationships with a much broader group of supporters, like all of you.
A Trying Time
Because of the measures the VA is taking to keep our vets safe from COVID-19, our physical presence on campus is now non-existent.
As we huddle with our families in an effort to defeat the spread of COVID 19 its easier to imagine the hardships our vets , many of whom tend to isolate, are enduring on quarantine.Ā Ā For now we canāt be at the Medical Center but weāre trying hard to find ways to keep these relationships active and intact.
An Idea for Virtual Contact Is Under Plan
Shauna Holden,Ā Brenna DekorteĀ andĀ Ted NawalinskiĀ are exploring ways of making virtual encounters availableĀ to our CVAMC vets. Watch for more on this!
A Way You Can Help!
Hereās What Weād Like:
- A paragraph, written by you, that becomes a message of support/encouragementĀ to the vets at Coatesville. Please include pictures like a fish you caught recently, a fly you tied, a great walk in the woods – use your imagination. And a picture of yourself.Ā
- Send pictures of a sufficient size that they are reasonably usable. (500 kb and larger).
- If youāve been a patient at CVAMC and want to, give the year you were here with PHW.
- Send to me via my email āmseymour1128@earthlink.netā.Ā Tiitle : CVAMC Vet Support Message!
Message From Our Program Leader:
To PHWFF participants and everyone at the CVAMC,
We are fishing in new and strange waters. The virus and resulting regulations have presented day-to-day challenges that areĀ difficult but necessary. For those of us at Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, it’s important that you know we miss tying fliesĀ with you on Wednesday evenings. We are all in this together, we’ll overcome it together and, in the meantime, we want you toĀ know that you have our unconditional support.
Ken VanGilder
News From National Project Healing Waters
Hereās important information about how Project Healing Waters is providing services and support for virtualĀ relationshipĀ initiatives! This will be useful for all the programs finding ways to keep their programs active during the COVID-19 epidemic.
https://projecthealingwaters.org/ā¦/we-are-together-in-our-ā¦/
Update from Coatesville Veterans AdministrationĀ Medical Center
https://www.coatesville.va.gov/features/Adjustments_to_Services_and_Operations.asp
Stay tuned for messages of support for the vets from our friends. Take the ten minutes to write down an encouragement.
Bless you all,
Matt Seymour
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing , Inc
Coatesville VAMC (In-Patient)