American Heroes Network

US veterans to return war medals in protest

Iraq war veteran Steven Acheson will engage in the rarest of protests this weekend: He will hand back his military service medals at the NATO summit in Chicago, an act one veteran calls “disgraceful.” Acheson, who served for five years in the Army, including more than a year in Iraq that...
New Program Teaches Vets to Treat Vets

New Program Teaches Vets to Treat Vets Recruiters have launched a campaign to enlist returning soldiers for a new call of duty: psychologist. Student veterans at the Hub-based Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology received a $125,000 state grant this year to pitch a career in mental health as a way...

Do’s and Don’ts when Donating your money

Americans are expected to donate more than $300 billion to non-profit organizations this year, says Bob Ottenhoff, president of GuideStar, a Washington, D.C.-based clearinghouse for the USA's more than 1.7 million non-profits. With all that money at stake, some fraudulent groups will try to take advantage of unsuspecting donors' generosity. The Federal Trade Commission received 1,843 complaints of charity fraud in 2011. But the number of incidents is probably far greater because most contributors don't realize they've been defrauded, says Lois Greisman, associate director of the FTC's division of marketing practices. Donors increasingly are seeking more accountability from the charities they help, Ottenhoff says. Many donors continue to steer dollars to religious, educational and health care institutions, but more are donating to groups that focus on a pet cause; as a result, they're "raising their expectations of what they expect an organization to do and how they expect it to perform," he says. Ottenhoff and other watchdogs urge people to do a little homework before making a donation to ensure that their money goes to the cause or community for which it was intended. How to research a charity before donating your money Your Money......Sandra Block, USA Today •Do your research. The Internet has made it easier than ever to get information about non-profit organizations' finances. Unfortunately, there's no consensus on the most effective way to gauge whether an organization is effectively using donors' funds. One of the best known charity watchdogs, Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org), plans to revamp its rating system, which currently relies on financial ratios, such as the percentage of the overall budget spent on programs vs. administrative costs. Critics say such ratings penalize charities that want to invest money to make their programs more effective. Donors who focus solely on a charity's … Read more...

Caregiver Support

American Heroes Network presents Caregiver Support with guest Mrs. Anita Mingo LICSW Caregiver Support Coordinator. Tuesday May14th, 2013 at 11:00AM EST ........... Mrs. Anita Mingo is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker currently coordinating the Caregiver Support Program at the Washington DC Veterans Administration Medical Center (DC VAMC). This is a new program started in May of 2011 under the Obama administration. In this position she gets to combine her clinical skills along with her administration skills to assist family caregivers in getting the support services they need to effectively care for themselves and the veterans they love. She is able to do this by working in a multidisciplinary team environment. As of February 2013, she is collaborating with 125 caregiver/veteran dads on an ongoing basis. Mrs. Mingo understands the significance of family caregivers in healthcare-as she comes from a long line of caregivers and personally understands the challenges caregivers face on a daily basis. In the role of Caregiver Support Coordinator, Mrs. Mingo also seeks community resources to offer the caregivers. She has teamed up Veteran Service Organizations and other community organizations to provide a variety of services such as: monthly caregiver spa treatments, host family barbeques; provide refurbished computers; pay for caregiver and family respite retreats; supplement caregiver’s rent when they are facing eviction, provide grocery store gift cards for families, and provide Christmas gift bags to the caregiver’s children. Mrs. Mingo also has spoken and presented to community groups to share the mission of the Caregiver Support Program and continues to seek partnerships. She is committed to offering "world class" services to all caregivers she teams with. Prior to this position, Mrs. Mingo worked in inpatient medicine as social work as well as the Compensated Work Therapy program as a student intern-both at the DC VAMC.

US veterans to return war medals in protest

New Program Teaches Vets to Treat Vets

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Do’s and Don’ts when Donating your money

Caregiver Support