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What is a Veterans Resource Center?

A friendly place where veterans, military and their families can go to get help with the challenges they may be experiencing.

About Us

The Queen Anne’s County Veteran and Military Support Alliance (VAMSA) was launched in 2022 to address the unique needs of military, veterans, and their families. VAMSA is working over the next year to develop and open a resource center that offers the following: 
  1. Assisting with access to and use of government and private sector agencies
  2. Education and Training
  3. Access to Medical and Behavioral Health Care
  4. Peer Support
  5. Financial Counseling
  6. Holistic Therapies and Healing Services (e.g., massage, aromatherapy, music and art therapy, etc.)
  7. Entrepreneurship, and
  8. Resource Networks for Family Members and Caregivers.
VAMSA, in a strategic partnership with the nationally-recognized Veteran Health and Wellness Foundation, will establish a national “center of excellence” to which rural community members/leaders across the nation will travel to take part in carefully designed workshops and presentations to educate and equip attendees with tools to take better care of their community of veterans, military and family members.

This national center of excellence will emphasize and respond to rural communities in particular as such communities are often devoid of resources that are more often available in urban centers. The number of Americans that want to operationalize “thank you for your service” increases every day and the Center for the Military and Veteran family will respond to this call to action and facilitate solutions across the country. 

Our military and veteran families have sacrificed so much and deserve to live in communities that value them, invest in them, and understand the unique cultural, environmental, and battleground experiences they share in service to their country.

What sets this center apart is the unique commitment to helping all military members, veterans that have served for any amount of time, military and veteran family members, and caregivers regardless of whether they are related to a wounded warrior or not. All services are free of charge and will be offered in person; virtually, where possible; and in-home when needed (and feasible). On-site services will be prioritized based on a needs assessment underway. This survey asks our community of veterans, military, and their family members to self-report the intensity of their needs across a full spectrum of services such as legal, medical, financial, housing, etc.

News

VAMSA awarded $20K grant from the Qlarant Foundation
VAMSA is proud to announce our recent $20K grant award from the Qlarant Foundation to ensure we accommodate our exponentially increasing population of clients that need timely resources and services. We have helped over a 1,000 veterans and have had 16 suicide saves. There’s no other place to put ...
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Welcome to Kent Island VETERANS BOOK GROUP!
We are excited to announce the launch of the Kent Island VETERANS BOOK GROUP! Veterans and service members of all service branches, ages, eras and backgrounds are welcome. This group will meet MONTHLY on the FOURTH WEDNESDAY at 6:30 pm at the new Center for the Military and Veteran Family (301 Pier ...
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WBOC News: Supporting And Honoring Veterans in Queen Anne's County
April 22, 2023. News coverage from WBOC on the Vietnam War Memorial Dedication for Walt Petrie's fallen brothers of "C Company". Click the link below to read the article. https://www.wboc.com/news/supporting-and-honoring-veterans-in-queen-annes-county/article_f42d4f22-e150-11ed-92a3-1bd8f2dc123a.htm...
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CAPITAL CAMPAIGN SILENT PHASE PUSHES VAMSA TOWARD $300K GOAL
Fri, April 21, 2023 VAMSA Executive Director Eric Johnson reported that the Alliance raised close to$100,000 of the total of $300,000 we need for FY24. The late-breaking fundingcommitments were reported as follows: $50,000 - Queen Anne's County Commissioners (Capital allocation)$5,000 - Walt Petrie ...
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Welcome! (Issue 1 of the VAMSA Newsletter)
From VAMSA Vice Chair, Eric Johnson We are excited to release the first newsletter for the Queen Anne’s County Veteran and Military Support Alliance (VAMSA). We plan to release this monthly to share news from “the front lines” (patient and client center updates) and “Garrison happenings” (...
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Grasonville VFW Donates 10k to VAMSA!
At our December 6, 2022, monthly meeting, the Alliance received a $10,000 on-the-spot gift from Commander Craig Conrad of the Grasonville VFW.  These funds will be used to help open the project office on Kent Island!...
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Alliance Takes Part In Promoting “Giving Tuesday” On November 29, 2022
The Alliance promoted its project objectives on social media on Nov 29, 2022, resulting in $1,800 in donations to the group’s Mid-Shore Community Foundation fund.  Donations were from Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Gannon ($500), Mr. Robert A. Dymond ($500), and Mr. and Mrs. James D. Neal ($800).   Alliance...
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Meeting to Discuss a Partnership
Alliance members meet with Dr. Evelyn Lewis, retired U.S,. Navy Physician and President of the Veterans Health and Wellness Foundation. The purpose of the visit was to discuss ways in which partnership can mutually benefit the two organizations....
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Wes Guckert Donates $5k
Alliance member Wes Guckert matches Walt Petrie's $5K donation, to fund fully the 1st phase of the project....
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Walt Petrie $5k Donation
Alliance member, Walt Petrie commits a donation of $5K to launch the project's community engagement strategies....
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Events

11/11 @ 11 Veterans Day Event and Luncheon - Veterans Point at Wells Cove
Please join us as we dedicate a very special Queen Anne's County Park, "Veterans Point at Wells Cove."  This location has been made possible due to a large gift from the Earl and Barbara Griffin Foundation, based in Grasonville, and the tremendous work of our County Departments of Parks an...
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Memorial Day Flag Ceremony at Veteran's Point
Close to 75 attendees huddled together in the windy  and rainy weather in the hope the special ceremony would go on.  Working with the county’s Emergency Management meteorologist,  Shaelyn Parsley, and PIO, Beth Malasky, organizers isolated the perfect window in which to launch the ...
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VAMSA Open House & Celebration!
Event by Center for the Military and Veteran Family  Location: VAMSA Headquarters (Center for the Military & Veteran Family) at Bay Bridge Marina; 301 Pier One Road; Stevensville, MD 21666 Time: 1pm - 4pm Join us as we celebrate a year since completing our business plan and the impacts we’ve...
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Vietnam War Memorial Dedication
Kent Islanders, please visit the Vietnam War Memorial recently dedicated on the grounds of Libbey's Coastal Kitchen + Cocktails Libbey’s Coastal Kitchen at Bay Bridge Marina owner and Vietnam War veteran Walt Petrie unveiled a Vietnam War monument on April 22, 2023, to honor three fallen service m...
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VIETNAM MEMORIAL DEDICATION AND CAPITAL CAMPAIGN KICKOFF A HUGE SUCCESS
Sat, April 22, 2023 VAMSA Board members Walt Petrie and Wes Guckert hosted a hugely successfuldedication in honor of their Vietnam unit’s fallen and surviving members at an eventattended by 150+ attendees at Libbey’s restaurant. They were joined by speakersAnthony Brown, Maryland Attorney Genera...
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Vietnam Memorial Monument Unveiling and Dedication to Take Place on April 22 on Kent Island During Private Event
Libbey's Coastal Kitchen at Bay Bridge Marina owner and Vietnam War veteran Walt Petrie will unveil a Vietnam War monument to honor three fallen service members from his military unit at a dedication taking place Saturday, April 22, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. on marina grounds.  The monument is a repl...
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Veterans Health & Wellness Fair May 6th!
Come to the Veterans Health & Wellness Fair! Download the attached Flyer Here! When: May 6, 2023 10:00-1:00Where: Barnette Center Conference Room255 Comet Dr. Centreville, MD 21617 For more information or to become a partner contact:Robyn Affron, Compass Volunteer Managerraffron@compassregionalh...
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Eric Johnson Speaks at Centreville American Legion's Veterans Day Event
VAMSA Vice Chair, Eric Johnson, will speak at the Centreville American Legion's Veterans Day event at 11 am at the historic Queen Anne's County Courthouse in Centreville....
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Resources

Hire Heroes USA

Looking for a job or job training? Hire Heroes USA is the site for you. The site offers a wide variety of training resources, job postings, and everything else vets need to find a new career after leaving the service of their country.

No veteran should go without work after ETS, and Hire Heroes USA wants to make sure that happens. Check them out if you find yourself lost on the path to a rewarding career.

USAA

I’m guessing there are very few veterans who haven’t heard of USAA. If you’re one of them you’re really missing out: USAA is an insurance, home loan, banking, investing, and life planning powerhouse. Their services are only open to veterans and their immediate families, and the rates are exceptionally good.

If you haven’t at least looked into USAA’s offerings you need to do so: It could change your entire financial situation for the better!

Veterans Crisis Line

Operated by the VA, the Veterans Crisis Line is there to help those who need it the most. Those needing emergency help with PTSD, depression, suicidal thoughts, and other life crises can call 1-800-273-8255 (option 1), text 838255, or chat online through the site.

The Veterans Crisis Line also contains a number of resources for self-treatment and information on how to recognize the signs of a crisis in loved ones. It’s an excellent resource for those suffering and those who care for them.

Va.gov

The VA: Love it or hate it it’s probably a part of your life now, and presumably for the rest of it as well. If you’ve been frustrated by the outdated, unfriendly, and downright labyrinthian layout of the VA’s website you aren’t alone.

The VA has been trying hard to reinvent itself, and its new va.gov website is the face of that reinvention. You may have heard of the now defunct vets.gov, which was the VA’s first attempt at introducing a new, veteran-friendly website to its online arsenal. It has since merged vets.gov with va.gov, so you won’t have to worry about a bunch of redirects tossing you between websites.

The new va.gov is built not with administrators, vendors, and organizational partners in mind, but with the veterans it serves front and center. You can find all sorts of resources right on the VA homepage–medical information, education benefits, disability, and military records are all right where you need them.

Military.com

This one-stop shop for all things military related delivers news, has information on benefits, maintains its own veterans job board, and features tons of other resources to make life as a veteran just a little bit easier.

If you’re looking for a web portal to be your connection to military life Military.com is it. There isn’t a whole lot it doesn’t have, though other sites listed here do have a narrower focus that makes them more useful in certain circumstances.

Officers

Wendy Foster, Treasurer

Email: bekota@aol.com

Cell: 410-490-1749

TBA

Email: TBA

Cell:

Eric Johnson, JR, Vice Chair

Email: ericbjohnson1976@gmail.com

Cell: 410-739-0970

Joseph Candella, Chair

Email: joecandella@aol.com

Cell: 516-713-3404

Contact Us

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