On October 1st, Help Heal Veterans partner Arizona State University, School of Community Resources & Development hosted their first Community Solutions Festival. The event culminated an important announcement about the College, the turnout of university students and community members was incredible! Faculty and staff demonstrated creative solutions and projects.

Help Heal Veterans therapeutic craft kits were handed out to participants via ASU volunteers. There was a display and activity table about ASU's partnership with the Foundation for Senior Living and Help Heal Veterans. At the table, the mission of HHV and the impact they have on the improvement of the daily lives of veterans was spread proudly. A recent veteran survey Help Heal Veterans conducted on the impact of craft therapy on various physical and mental challenges are vets are facing was highlighted, sharing great statistics from over 2500 vets around the nation about the correlation between therapeutic healing and our craft kits.

Kelly Ramella MA, CTRS, Associate Instructional Professional Coordinator of the Therapeutic Recreation Program that oversaw our outreach at the festival reported that spectators were able to put together our wristband craft kits, it was a huge hit! "Not only did table-goers pick up the kits, but they sat and crafted them to completion all day" there was a flood of people all day long putting together the wristbands. The Arizona Veterans Affairs table was right next to ours, and it was a great compliment.

Help Heal Veterans Community Based Arts & Crafts Centers (CBCs) expand services to all veteran and military medical patients across the nation partnering with great programs like ASU Recreational Therapy. HHV rebuilds lives, one veteran at a time, through therapeutic arts and crafts and relationships with others.

Why the CBC program? To provide access to the HHV arts and crafts program, whether you are active duty military receiving rehabilitation or veteran patients who are released to home-based or other outpatient rehabilitation programs. The HHV goal is to allow all military and veteran patients access to its healing arts and crafts kits, to work on at CBC locations or even at home.

If you're a veteran and don't live near a CBC, you can still get HHV support if you meet any one of the following guidelines: You are a veteran and received any form of healthcare (from any public or private healthcare provider) within the last six months, you are a reservist or on active military duty and received health care (from any healthcare provider) within the previous six months, you are a veteran or served - past or present - in the U.S. military and reside in any skilled care facility or nursing home.