The Ramp, Volume 58, Issue 4

THE

RAMP ISSUE NO. 4 | JUN-AUG 2023 | VOLUME 58

SEE PAGE 34 FOR CRAB’S FACILITY TOUR

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Contents ISSUE NO. 4 | JUN-AUG 2023 | VOLUME 58

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT PRESIDENTS REPORT ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS

9

GRANT

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FEATURES 17 MS Walk: Annapolis

Colonial PVA The Colonial PVA teamed up with the National MS Society for their MS Walk: Annapolis.

24 2023 Capital Hill Visits

Colonial PVA Colonial PVA Representatives met with 22 legislators to discuss PVA legislative priorities.

26 Robert Thomas Elected National President

National PVA Colonial PVA’s previous National Liaison Robert Thomas was elected National President at May 2023’s PVA National convention.

29 Tuskegee Airman at PVA National Convention

Colonial PVA Tuskegee Airman makes Appearance at the PVA National convention in Omaha, Nebraska.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE… 2 3 6 8 9 10

The Great Outdoor Adventure Colonial Creator’s Members Page Upcoming Events Presidents Report CRAB’s Event

11 15 25 32 34 38

Deputy Director Update Member Spotlight Prosthetics for Women Oriole’s Game CRAB’s Facility Tour Semper Fi Fund

MS WALK: ANNAPOLIS

NEW PVA PRESIDENT

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TUSKEGEE AIRMAN

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Newsletter Editors:

STAY INFORMED Email is the fastest way for the Colonial Chapter to communicate with our members.

RECEIVE: News – Event Calendars – Special Offers - More

UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION 302.861.6671 bhutton@colonialpva.org

Ann Adair National Director & Vice President Brian Hutton Deputy Director Jerrod Harris Colonial Member

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Members Page COLONIAL PVA OFFICERS PRESIDENT

MATTHEW PEELING mpeeling@colonialpva.org

VICE PRESIDENT ANN ADAIR anncadair@aol.com

SECRETARY

JERROD HARRIS jharris@colonialpva.org

TREASURER

JOHN PEPE dailydriver66@gmail.com

BOARD MEMBERS PATRICK BURNS Patb1511@gmail.com

CRYSTAL YOUNG-TERRELL cyterrell@comcast.net CHRISTOPHER BRYANT chrisdvbryant@gmail.com BETTY GEER bettyg127@gmail.com CARSON WIDDOES ccwiddoes@gmail.com

CHAPTER LIASION JOSUE CORDOVA NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT jcordova@pva.org

CHAPTER OFFICE

700 BARKSDALE ROAD, UNIT 2 NEWARK, DE 19711 (302)861-6671

OFFICE STAFF

JO ANN BEDSWORTH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR jbedsworth@colonialpva.org BRIAN HUTTON DEPUTY DIRECTOR bhutton@colonialpva.org

NATIONAL SERVICE OFFICES: WILMINGTON: 1-202-709-5551 BALTIMORE: 1-800-795-3606 PHILADELPHIA: 1-800-795-3628 D.C.: 1-800-424-8200

Phone Numbers Chapter Office

1-302-861-6671

Benefits Helpline

1-866-734-0857

Caregiver Support 1-855-260-3274

CDCE REPRESENTATIVES:

Healthcare Helpline 1-800-232-1782

WILMINGTON: CRYSTAL YOUNG-TERRELL

Job Assistance

1-202-416-7795

BALTIMORE: BOB REUTER/ ANN ADAIR

Legal Services

1-800-424-8200

PHILADELPHIA:

VA HOSPITALS: WILMINGTON: 1-302-994-2511 BALTIMORE: 1-410-605-7000 PHILADELPHIA: 1-215-823-5800 EAST ORANGE: 1-973-676-1000 RICHMOND: 1-804-675-5581

MEMBERSHIP: As of January 2023 SC LIFE: 161 NSC LIFE: 79 TOTAL VOTING MEMBERS: 240 AFFILIATE: 60 TOTAL MEMBERSHIP: 300

MEMBER REIMBURSEMENT FUND All chapter members will be entitled to

$100 per fiscal year to

use toward actives such as dining out with your spouse, going to the movies, attending events, hotel stays, vacation expenses, hobby supplies, etc. Receipts for such activities will need to be dated and mailed to the Colonial Chapter office, by the end of the fiscal year (9/30/23). Receipts dated before the date 10/01/22 will not be accepted. Members may use the entirety of their $100 at once or on a separate occasion throughout the fiscal year. The chapter will keep a running balance of the remaining amount available to each member. Funds will not carry over into the next fiscal year. Unused funds will not be paid to the member and will be considered forfeit.

Members are asked to submit with their receipts a one to two paragraph description, and photo if applicable, of how they used their funds, for inclusion in the chapter newsletter “The Ramp“. The amount allotted to each member may increase in future fiscal years based on available Chapter funding.

MEMBER BIRTHDAYS JUN Carl Huggins - 6/1 Kenneth Swinehart - 6/2 David Duncan - 6/2 Kenneth Coppage - 6/3 Milton Minus - 6/6 Darin Cassell - 6/6 Joan Simms-Ashbrook - 6/8 Harry Crafton - 6/10 David Ruffing - 6/14 Jason Nielson - 6/19 Cheryl Goodman - 6/22 David Rively - 6/24 Brian Hutton – 6/27 Kathleen Mason - 6/28

JUL

AUG

Kenneth Archer - 7/1 Joseph Maisano - 7/1 Daniel Lindsey - 7/1 William Stump - 7/1 Jerrod Harris - 7/3 Joseph Senick - 7/4 Brian Augustyniak - 7/5 Dwayne Curbeam - 7/6 Jennifer Small - 7/6 Wayne Carraghan - 7/8 Louis Bien - 7/9 Stephen Rodgers - 7/10 Jerome Johnson - 7/11 Stanley Laskowski - 7/14 Kathleen Fitzpatrick - 7/15 Kenneth Atallian - 7/16 Catherine Tolbert - 7/17 Henry Straub - 7/20 Detlef Hartmann - 7/20 Herbert Roberts - 7/20 Robert Corsa - 7/24 Roger Evans - 7/26 James Henry - 7/26 James Harrington - 7/29 Charles Widdoes - 7/31 Thomas Collins - 7/31 Cori Countess - 7/31

Daniel Czuczman - 8/4 Thomas Rainier - 8/4 William Rich - 8/4 Bernice Bocachica - 8/5 David Zell - 8/6 Larry Feller - 8/8 Charles Rawlings - 8/9 Charles Auble - 8/11 Joseph Pugh - 8/11 Jake Belardo - 8/12 Dale Miller - 8/13 Kenneth Jack - 8/14 Ronald Sharer - 8/14 Jeffrey Brown - 8/17 Roy Laudermilch - 8/22 Robert Hubbard - 8/22 Andi Collins - 8/25 Dale Mecouch - 8/26 Bernetta Lyons - 8/26 Raymond Hauser - 8/31

MEMBER DEATHS Wilhemina Davis - 10/15/2022 Glenwood Conner – 11/10/2022 Anthony Caffo – 11/19/2022 Jeffrey Aikens – 12/19/2022 Maureen Welsh – 12/24/2022 William Matthews – 2/10/2023 Rick Seraiva – 3/14/2023 Sylvester Evengelista – 3/18/2023

MONTHLY WINNERS JUN: Cheryl Goodman JUL: Larry Feller AUG: Jerrod Harris Each month a member will be chosen at random to receive a prize package of assorted items. The winners will be announced in the bi- monthly newsletter. If you are an announced winner, please call the chapter office at 302-861-6671 to confirm your mailing address. Prizes will not be sent unless the office is contacted and assured of a correct mailing address.

The office must be contacted before the next bimonthly newsletter is sent.

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Upcoming Events August 2, 2023 7:00 PM

Gearhead Club

August 3, 2023 7 :00 PM

Women’s Empowerment Committee

August 8, 2023 2:00 PM

MS Support Meeting

August 9, 2023 7:00 PM

Outdoor Adventure Club

Via Zoom The Colonial Chapter’s Gearhead Club is being chaired

by Colonial Member Eddie Belton. They meet monthly to discuss anything with a motor and are planning on attending some car races and car shows in the future.

Zoom ID: 819 6313 6887 Passcode: 346585 Colonial Office & Via Zoom The Chair of the Colonial Chapter Women’s Empowerment Committee is Betty Geer, and the CoChair is Kathleen Fitzpatrick. The group meets regularly via zoom on the first Thursday of every month at 7:00 PM. Zoom ID: 870 5432 8567 Passcode: 070691 Colonial Office & Via Zoom The Colonial Chapter MS Group has been nicknamed the MS Mafia by MS Chair Jerrod Harris. They meet on the second Tuesday of every month at 2:00 PM via zoom.

Zoom ID: 821 2054 3502 Passcode: 054212 Colonial Office & Via Zoom The Colonial Chapter Outdoor Adventure club is being chaired by Colonial member Carl Huggins. They meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 7:00 PM to plan different activities.

Zoom ID: 883 2036 9130 Passcode: 359489

President’s Message Hello Colonial Family, I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far.

As we come to a close to the 2023 fiscal year and the 2024 fiscal year is ready to begin, it seems like a great time to reflect on what we are and the plans we have for an exciting bright future.

I’d like to start by telling you how much I appreciate each member of the Colonial Chapter Family and that I recognize we wouldn’t be where we are without the time and efforts made by each and everyone of you.

Thank you.

Last year was a year of growth, change and transition.

At the beginning of the year, the Colonial Chapter started with four new board members and one new Executive Board Member. With this addition to the team we are making huge strides in expanding our programs, implementing best practices and recruiting new members. Every new member of the Board brought with them a breadth and depth of knowledge and expertise which was just what we needed.

With the Colonial Chapter Board in place with the help of our awesome staff, we are really making strides in achieving our strategic goals of transforming our programs and increasing our membership and revenue. We have also earned a great reputation in community.

Sincerely,

Matthew Peeling President Colonial Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America 9|Page

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MS WALK: ANNAPOLIS

On Sunday, April 16, 2023, in Annapolis Maryland, the Colonial PVA participated in their very first MS walk that the MS Committee participated in. The Colonial Chapter MS Committee Chair Jerrod Harris along with Sr. Vice President Robert Thomas, Vice Presidents Tammy Jones, Josue Cordova and Vice President and Co-Chair Hack Albertson, Colonial Chapter President Matthew Peeling, Colonial Chapter Board of Directors Betty Geer and Christopher Bryant. We also had many members of the Colonial Chapter in attendance along with a team (Colonial PVA) of 40. We raised $ 1,710. We came together for a powerful purpose: to show support through our community and with PVA’s help shows that together, we are stronger.

It was a beautiful day for a walk at the Navy Marine Corp Stadium, with many tables and music. The Colonial Chapter gave away shirts, water bottles, snacks, water, soda, bags and most importantly information about PVA and MS. Jerrod Harris also did an interview with a college student (Journalism major) in which he talked about MS and the rate being higher in Veterans than the civilian population. There were over a thousand people coming by our table, we ran out of a lot in the first hour. Mission BBQ provided 30 lunches, and the Colonial Chapter Staff Executive Director JoAnn Bedsworth and Deputy Director Brian Hutton helped me organize the event.

The MS diagnosis rate amongst veterans has nearly doubled in the past two decades, with 70,000 veterans living with MS in the United States today.

The Colonial PVA is trying to lead the way for all the newly diagnosed veterans with MS to all the benefits they are entitled to receive including PVA membership. “We don’t want veterans to qualify for membership in the PVA but if they do then they have already paid in full for their membership with their honorable time served in the United States military and their spinal cord injury or disease”, Jerrod Harris, Colonial PVA MS Liaison.

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2022-2023 ANNUAL CALENDAR PVA BASS TOURNAMENT SERIES

AIR RIFLE & PISTOL PROGRAM

Mid-America Bass Tournament National Postal Matches September 16-18, 2022, Eufaula, OK November 2022 – March 2023 Vaughan Bass Tournament

Wisconsin Air Gun

October 7-9, 2022 Rend Lake, IL

March 11-12, 2023 Milwaukee, WI

Florida Gulf Coast Bass Tournament March 24-26, 2023 Kissimmee, FL

Additional in-person events coming soon!

Kentucky-Indiana Bass Tournament PVA BOWLING April 21-23, 2023 TOURNAMENT SERIES Kuttawa, KY Great Plains Bowling Southeastern Bass Tournament Tournament June 2-4, 2023 July 28-31, 2022 Council Bluffs, IA Evans, GA Mid-Atlantic Bowling Capital Clash Bass Tournament Tournament June 9-11, 2023 September 9-11, 2022 Richmond, Waldorf, MD VA PVA BILLIARDS TOURNAMENT SERIES Mid-South Billiards Tournament October 28-29, 2022, Memphis, TN Mid-Atlantic Billiards Tournament March 17-19, 2023 Richmond, VA Mid-America Billiards Tournament June 16-18, 2023 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Nevada Bowling Tournament December 2-5, 2022 Las Vegas, NV Florida Gulf Coast Bowling Tournament February 23-25, 2023, Tampa, FL Mid-America Bowling Tournament March 31 – April 3, 2023 Oklahoma City, OK

Buckeye Billiards Tournament June PVA NATIONAL 24-26, 2023 SHOOTING SPORTS Columbus, OH CIRCUIT North Central Trapshoot September 9-11, 2022 Sioux Falls, SD Oregon Trapshoot September 23-25, 2022, Oregon Wisconsin Trapshoot, May 19-21, 2023, Green Bay, WI

Cal-Diego Trapshoot March 17-19, 2023 Redlands, CA

Pocahontas Off-Road Camp September 29 – October 2, 2022 Chesterfield, VA

Nevada Trapshoot March 31-April 2, 2023 Las Vegas, NV

PVA/Milwaukee VA Adaptive Cycling Clinic October 19, 2022, Milwaukee, WI

Vaughan Trapshoot May 26-28, 2023 Elburn, IL

Tampa VA Handcycling Clinic January 21, 2023 Tampa, FL

Iowa Shooting Trapshoot * June 16-18, 2023 Cedar Rapids, IA *Year-End Tournament BOCCIA Lone Star and Texas Boccia Tournament October 13-14, 2022, San Antonio, Texas New England Boccia Tournament November 5-6, 2022 West Roxbury, MA West Virginia Boccia Tournament December 3-4, 2022 Charleston, WV Bayou Boccia Tournament February 3-5, 2023 Gulfport, MS Gateway Boccia Tournament March 17-19, 2023 St. Louis, MO HANDCYCLING Echelon Racing League Virtual Paracycling Series (Online) November 2022 -February 2023

PVA High Performance Camp January 30 – February 3, 2023 Brooksville, FL ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS PVA – NWBA Lakeshore Basketball Camp August 4-7, 2022 Birmingham, AL Bay Area & Western Disc Golf August 19-20, 2022 San Jose, CA New England Disc Golf Clinic September 10, 2022 Ft. Devens, MA PVA Rugby Clinic September 16-18, 2022, Phoenix, AZ New England Basketball Camp September 23-26, 2022 New Haven, CT PVA Wheelchair Rugby Invitational February New Haven, CT NATIONAL VETERANS WHEELCHAIR GAMES

PVA High Performance Off-Road HC Camp August 13-18, 2022 Crested Butte, Colorado Off-Road Handcycling Championships August 19-21, 2022 Crested Butte, Colorado

July 4-9, 2023 Portland, Oregon

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