Wounded Times

Give an Hour: More than We Envisioned

Give an Hour: More than We Envisioned
[1/6/2009]

Source: Barbara V. Romberg


The beginning of every year offers an opportunity for reflection and anticipation. As we head into 2009 and continue our efforts to provide critical mental health care to the men, women, and families who serve our country, it is important to stop for a moment to review our mission and contemplate our future.

Give an Hour began nearly four years ago as a response to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our initial concept was simple: ask the licensed mental health professionals in our country to offer an hour per week of service to those men, women, and families affected by the current conflicts. Our mental health community has responded with tremendous generosity. We now have nearly 3,200 providers in the Give an Hour network—with more joining daily—and we have the support of the major mental health associations in the United States, including the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.

In addition, with the support of West Virginia’s Governor Joe Manchin and in partnership with West Virginia’s Counsel of Churches and its National Guard, we launched a statewide initiative in the Mountain State in October. We expect to launch similar initiatives this year in several other states including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Arkansas. Our providers have given nearly 7,500 hours in direct and indirect service since we began offering care in July of 2007. Thousands of additional hours have been donated by numerous volunteers who work behind the scenes to ensure that our organization runs smoothly and effectively.

Give an Hour has received grants from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, and the Standard Foundation. Humana Military donated a beautiful new Web site to Give an Hour in the spring of 2008, and we have received generous monetary gifts from Veterans Advantage, Value Options, Capital One, and many individual donors.

Moreover, we have developed excellent relationships with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, numerous Veterans Service Organizations, and many National Guard and Reserve Units across the country. Give an Hour is welcomed by these organizations as a critical partner in the effort to provide continuity of care to returning warriors and their families. In November I was asked by the Presidential Transition Team for Veterans Affairs to submit a position paper on my views regarding the needs of the military community.

Clearly, we are well on the way to achieving our mission. But something amazing and unexpected has happened as a result of our efforts. In the course of providing direct mental health services to the military community, we have become an agent of social change. Give an Hour is helping to shift our nation’s view of mental health and psychological care—while offering a new model for volunteerism.
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