Home of the Brave Photos

Michigan – Battle Creek VA

On November 3, 2022, Home of the Brave volunteers hosted an ice cream social for Veteran in the cafeteria of Battle Creek VA in Michigan.

California – Los Angeles VA

On November 1st, volunteers in Los Angeles packed 600 cinch bags to hand out to veterans at their upcoming Home of the Brave event.

Illinois – Chicago VA

On October 29, #HomeoftheBrave volunteers from Republic Services held a Packing Party where they were able to pack 250 cinch bags with hygiene kits and snacks for the Jesse Brown VAMC in Chicago!

Minnesota – Minneapolis VA

“Although we were unable to go into the Minneapolis VA to visit with the Veterans and to give them their caps and cards, we did meet to put together our cinch bags.” – Patricia Byro, Bristol Myers Squibb

California – Palo Alto VA

“We had employees from Bristol Myers Squibb and Xerox both attending the volunteer day. We filled cinch bags with t-shirts caps, hygiene kits, stress balls and water bowls for pets. We were able to talk to outpatient Veterans as they were coming in. It was an amazing experience.” – Azita, Bristol Myers Squibb

Washington – Seattle VA

“The 2022 #HomeoftheBrave celebration as part of Veterans Day festivities at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, Wash. was a great collaboration between Bristol Myers Squibb’s Melissa Strickland, Soldiers’ Angels Margaret Hunt, Diane Belanger, and Sharon Chafin, and VA Puget Sound local CDCE Chief Kimberly Wilkie! To create a special day for the Veterans, the team gathered T-shirts, baseball caps, “Home of the Brave” recognition cards, and printed cinch bags, and distributed these gifts throughout the hospital. The entire team was so grateful to get the chance to show our gratitude to the Veterans – it was so uplifting to see their joy!” – Melissa Strickland

Nebraska – Omaha VA

“Kelly Pawol, Tammy Logan, and Melanie Moore of Bristol Myers Squibb spent the day going floor to floor delivering goodies and thanking Veterans at the Omaha VA Hospital. Many commented we brightened their day with the t-shirts, popcorn, and cookies. It was a memorable day and to be able to give back a little bit to those who gave so much for us and our country was incredibly meaningful. Already looking forward to next year’s Home of the Brave events.” – Melanie Moore

North Dakota – Fargo VA

“We were able to be on site at the Fargo, ND VA to visit with the Veterans and thank them for their service. While visiting with the vets we presented them with a hat, sinch sack and thank you card. They were very appreciative of our visit to honor them. The picture is of the volunteers who participated at the 2022 Home of the Brave Event at the Fargo, ND VA.” – Stacy Holbrook, BMS Employee

Ohio – Chillicothe VA

“On 10/31/2022 volunteers filled the grey bags with hats, hygiene kits, and Chapstick. On 11/4/2022 the Soldiers’ Angels volunteers got together and started working on paracord bracelets and tied fleece blankets. On 11/10/2022 I was able to pass out all of the items to the inpatients at the Chillicothe VA. I also delivered pizza and ice cream sundaes to the units for dinner!” – Bobbi Hoffman

Utah – Salt Lake City VA

Soldiers’ Angels #homeofthebrave volunteers from Bristol Myers Squibb were busy last week in Utah! Not only did they help package and deliver items to hospital rooms at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, but they also provided coffee, juice, and donuts for veterans as they visited the hospital during Veterans Day week.

Texas – Temple VA

Soldiers’ Angels #HomeoftheBrave volunteers at had a great time supporting Veterans last week in Temple, Texas! “We enjoyed our HOTB event! We passed out our cinch bags in an assembly line style along with lunch from Jason’s Deli! The Veterans were very grateful that we were there! Soldiers’ Angels were the first volunteers since covid that were allowed in the patient’s rooms for HOTB! The Veterans were so thankful for the blankets we made for them and for the interaction with Soldiers’ Angels! What a blessing it is to give back to our Veterans!” – Tasha Scantling

Virginia – Richmond VA

“Volunteers from BMS and Xerox filled 300 cinch bags with cookies, snacks, t-shirts, and a thank you note and then passed these bags out to veterans during the Veterans Day celebration at the Richmond VA. Much gratitude and happiness were shared by all who participated!” – Elizabeth Minter, BMS employee

West Virginia – Clarksburg VA

“We were not allowed to go into our VA Medical center yet, so we stuffed 30 cinch bags with hygiene kits. Some of my original volunteers could not make it so I improvised. Our Ops supervisor Cassie stepped up to help Brook and I. We also added a few Republic Services items to the bags.” – Patrick Bourgeois, Republic Services

North Carolina – Durham VA

“We honored our veterans with a lunch at the Raleigh Vets Center where we were able to also provide the free giveaways which included cinch bags filled hygiene kits and thank you cards. We enjoyed meeting several veterans and their spouses. We also went to the Brier Creek Veterans Dialysis clinic to thank the veterans with a hat from Soldiers’ Angels. Everyone was very appreciative of the event and our team was happy to give our veterans the gratitude and recognition they deserve.” – Carol Kelly, BMS Employee 

Maryland – Loch Raven VA

“The Peraton Cyber Mission, NACS, ESEA 18-person team volunteered 80+ combined hours working with the Home of the Brave and Soldiers Angels to arrange a Veterans Day event at the Loch Raven VA on November 4, 2022. 

These photos were taken at the Peraton facility during the blanket making party. Many of the people in the photos are veterans themselves. We made 46 blankets in 3 days. Pizza was provided. This turned out to be a great team building event in addition to the actual volunteering of service. 

This is an 80-bed facility. The team worked together over a 3-day period to make 46 no-sew blankets. 34 pre-made blankets were provided by the NAVY Federal team in DC. Combined we were able to provide each resident of the facility with a handmade twin-size, no-sew blanket. Along with the blankets, each resident received a hygiene kit and ball cap. The highlight of the event was the entertainer. We hired Ed Schafer, a retired Army Veteran who shared stories of his tour with the USO. He performed with great entertainers such as Lee Greenwood. His finale was Lee Greenwood’s “I’m Proud to be an American”. The residents loved it! We delivered the gifts to their rooms while they enjoyed the entertainment so when it was all over, the gifts were waiting for them in their rooms. Pictures of the event will be provided in a separate submission.” – Jo-Anne Baxter, Peraton Employee 

Georgia – Dublin VA

“This year we had two events with one being at the Dublin VA Hospital in Dublin, GA and the other being at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Macon, GA. At both events, we served donuts and coffee to the veterans, as well as provided Home of the Brave shirts and caps. To make the veterans feel even more appreciated, we gave them a red, white and blue ribbon and pin. All of the veterans were extremely appreciative of the recognition.” -Debra Davis, Peraton Employee

New York – Buffalo VA

“In Buffalo, NY our volunteers:

Stuffed 50 Goodie Bags for the Homeless Veterans Program-each with a pillowcase, blanket, hat, gloves, scarf, socks, Home of the Brave T-shirt, toiletries, and a bag of Halloween candy. Made 8 red/white/blue no-sew blankets and put together paracord bracelets for the Homeless Program. Raised $3,300 for the “Sweats for Vets” Donation to the VA Hospital and Homeless Program. Attended the Veterans Day Honor Ceremony at the VA Hospital and handed out Thank You cards and tokens of appreciation to the veterans afterwards. Hosted a Buffalo Bills football party on Sunday at the VA hospital with food, and prizes. A great time was had by all-smiles all around.

The volunteers loved showing our appreciation to the Veterans and the Veterans loved the tokens of appreciation and interaction with the volunteers.” -Mary Ellen Tomaszewski, Peraton Employee

North Carolina – Fayetteville VA

“During the week of October 28 through November 8, 2022, The Soldiers’ Angels were instrumental in providing hats, T-shirts, writing material and hygiene items to over 73 Veterans within the Fayetteville, NC area. Volunteers from the organization also took part in assembling bags and had the privilege of passing out items donated on behalf of Soldier’s Angels and personally took part in thanking our Veterans during the Veterans Day ceremony. The Soldier’s Angels team of volunteers also donated blankets and bracelets in support of our Recreational Therapy Program (GIMME-10). This program is designed to recognize those Veterans with challenging physical limitations for their efforts to improve their mobility. The contributions made on behalf of Solders’ Angels and the wonderful team of volunteers demonstrated an optimum level of care and concerns for our Veterans within the Fayetteville NC VA Coastal Health Care System. Thank you for honoring those who served!” – Deveatrice Peterson, Fayetteville VA

New York – Batavia VA

“Home of the Brave volunteers assisted veterans in wheelchairs at the long-term care facility in Batavia, NY to the Veterans Day ceremony. Afterward, we handed out Thank You cards and a cap, gloves, scarf, and candy as tokens of appreciation to each veteran.” -Mary Ellen Tomaszewski, Peraton Employee

Tennessee – Mountain Home VA

“We had a difficult time getting all together at one time. One granddaughter ended up leaving early for the Air Force Boot Camp, and one, ended up having to have Oral surgery. We got together as best we could, working around everyone’s schedules. we completed 100 Para cord bracelets, 20 No Sew blankets and packed 300 Cinch bags. Mountain Home is still in quarantine. We could have no personal contact with any of the patients. We delivered to the CLC, the DOM, ICU, C1, C2, D1, E2 wards. I also gave some blankets and T Shirts to MICA. They’re VA nurses that deliver care, to Veterans, patients in the VA system, but are homebound. All in all, we had a very successful HOB. Thank you, Roger Hull.” – Roger Hull, Soldiers’ Angels Employee

Oregon – Portland VA

“Many volunteers helped with the no-sew blankets, helped fold, and packed cinch bags. Boxes were finally delivered by 2 volunteers to the loading dock at the Portland VA.“ – Pauline Kim

Washington DC – Washington DC VA

“We had the honor and the privilege to visit the Access Housing Inc DC Southeast Veterans Services Center (www.accesshousingincdc.com). During our visit we had an ice cream social and gave each veteran a bag with hygiene kits, gloves, T-shirts, caps, thank you cards and wrist bands. We had so much fun serving them and talking to them about their time in their respective branch of service. Each veteran was so thankful and they thanked us for everything. We even joked around about the different branches of service. The Executive Director Greg Crawford gave us a tour of the facility and also showed us drawings of a plan to build a new facility in the future. We were also invited to come back and join them for their Thanksgiving dinner where they have former NFL players serving the veterans. It truly was a great feeling and event.” – Dana Richardson, Peraton Employee

Georgia – Augusta VA

“Seven Peraton Employees, all veterans themselves, joined with the Soldier’s Angels Representative to provide 200 hot fried chicken lunches, ballcaps, and handwritten thank you cards to the in-patients at the Charlie Norwood VAMC in Augusta, Georgia. They teamed up with the VAMC Volunteer Services and staff from each of the five wards in which the meals were served. While the volunteers couldn’t go into the patient’s rooms, we were able to go to each ward and interact with patients in common areas and with the staff. Everyone was so grateful for the joy we brought to their day both patients and staff.” – Brian Goodman

Oregon – White City VA

“This event couldn’t’ve gone any better. A lot of happiness and laughter. Veterans were very grateful for the items they received. There were fun and games at the museum, there was also a food truck for everyone. We look forward to doing this again next year.” – Steve Baker, Republic Services Inc. Employee

Missouri – Kansas City VA

“We were able to greet and hand out gifts of gratitude to veterans and their families in the lobby of the KC VA Medical Center. We met and spoke with numerous Veterans who were appreciated and excited to talk! We had a total of 9volunteers who distributed gifts like hats, hygiene kits, thank you cards, and healthy snacks!” – Damon Tauer, BMS Employee

Texas – Houston VA

“We served and helped over 400 veterans while we were at the VA in Houston, Texas. We shared stories and laughed about our times in the service and how grateful we were for them. We had over 25 Volunteers ready and eager to support every Veteran we could with a smile and a small token of our appreciation. We served over 300 donuts and Kolaches while we were there. We ended up helping the Ronald McDonald house and handed out over 300 breakfast sandwiches as well.” – Javi Perez, Republic Services Employee

Virginia – Hampton VA

“The volunteers held signs up to represent each branch of the service during our event when they played Armed Forces Medley Lyrics.”

“This is a picture of all our volunteers from Peraton and Bristol Meyers. We had a great turn out and the event was held on the historic lawn of the VA hospital.” – Deborah Jefferson, Peraton Employee 

Pennsylvania – Coatesville VA

“Coatesville, PA VA Hospital has approximately 170 veterans. I am the only volunteer for the Home of the Brave at this site, who came out that day. There were a few other family volunteers from another group there as well to help out. We thanked the veterans for their service and handed out Home of the Brave T-Shirts. There was a Bingo, and prizes given away.” – Ed Duguid, Peraton Employee

North Carolina – Asheville VA

“We enjoyed spending time together making paracord bracelets to share at the VA on 11/10/2022. As we enjoyed our pizza, time singing and laughing: the best part was to have one of our own home from Bootcamp helping us make the bracelets to share.” -Jennifer Price

Florida – Orlando VA

“We were able to hand out over 300 bags to Veterans both in patient and at the clinic and common areas. We did this at the VA in Lake Nona.” – Paula Mann, Bristol Myers Squibb 

Tennessee – Nashville VA

“Photos taken at the volunteer event to put together no-sew blankets and stuff cinch bags on 11/5 as well as delivery ofitems on 11/9 to the Nashville VAMC on which we have been supporting for 5 yearsnow. This year we again supportedthe Nashville, VAMC where we provided 30 hats, 90 shirts, 100 cinch bags w/hygiene packages, 18 no-sew blankets, 1banner, dozens of thank you cards, and uncountable number of smiles!” – David Lambert, Hewlett Packard Enterprises Employee

Florida – West Palm Beach VA

“Site coordinator Jim Wood and volunteer Thomas Francisco along with VA volunteer coordinator Lauren Sanchez delivered blankets and sandwiches to the Fisher House at the West Palm Beach VA.” – James Wood, Bristol-Myers Squibb Employee 

Tennessee – Murfreesboro VA

“Photos taken from volunteer event to assemble no-sew blankets and stuff cinch bags at two different locations on11/5 and 11/7 plus delivery of items to the Murfreesboro VAMC on 11/10. This year we again supported the Murfreesboro VAMC where we provided 120 hats, 120 shirts, 100 cinch bags w/hygiene packages, 18 no-sew blankets, 1 banner, dozens of thank you cards, and Uncountable number of smiles!” -David Lambert, Hewlett Packard Enterprises Employee

South Carolina – Columbia VA

“Great outside event! We served coffee and donuts to all the Veterans and they were so gracious! They came through and got hats and t-shirts and other goodies! It was a great day serving!” – Heather Woo, Bristol Myers Squibb Employee

Florida – Bay Pines VA

“With the collaboration of 2 of the Soldiers Angels reps in our area, Denise Brown and Christine Tunaidis we were able to deliver everything to Bay Pines for the Veterans Day event that was held on11/14/22. (The event was moved due to Hurricane Nichole.) Denise and Christine were amazing to spend the day with and we are planning to work together for future endeavors! With wonderful support from the Tampa IQVIA office, we stuffed cinch bags, wrote thank you cards, and worked together making the no sew blankets! Everyone enjoyed spending time together and knowing that everything was going to our Veterans to help provide some comfort and hopefully smiles! As this is the first HOB event for IQVIA we are really looking forward to making this a IQVIA wide yearly event and seeing how all of our employees here in the US can get involved!” – Cara Riley

California – Loma Linda VA

“Kathy, Carmen and I had an amazing time handing out the gifts to the veterans. We were able to thank the veterans for their services and sacrifices. It was truly a heartwarming experience. The veterans were truly appreciative of the gifts. A lot of the veterans said it was their birth day because it was the birthday of the United States Marine Corp (November10) Oorah!” – Morris Tien, Bristol Myers Squibb Employee

Kentucky – Louisville VA

“Home of the Brave Events – Louisville, Kentucky” – Laurie Kyger, Bristol Myers Squibb Employee

Florida – Tampa VA

“For James A Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, FL: 

This hospital is so special and this year volunteers were not allowed on site to celebrate Home of the Brave due to COVID restrictions. But that didn’t stop BMS volunteers from joining together to put together 500 cinch bags, hand written thank you cards, hygiene kits and no sew blankets. We delivered these items to the volunteer services department at James A Haley hospital. The hospital was so grateful and distributed the items to the patients during Veterans Day. 

We are so honored to have been able to assembled these items for our wonderful Veterans!” – Ashlie Neal, Bristol Myers Squibb Employee 

Oklahoma – Oklahoma City VA

“We started the day serving donuts and coffee to the veterans. This was followed by a Jr Choir High Choir performance of a patriotic program. It was so special to see the veterans make their way to the main event area to participate. Veterans stood at attention, saluted & sang along, it was so heartwarming. They performed the program 4 times so that more veterans could participate. Next, we served boxed lunches to veterans over the lunch hour & continued into the afternoon handing out SA cinch bags filled with snacks & thank you cards. Finally we wrapped up the day by making fresh popcorn and serving the veteran.” – Karen Smith

Texas – Dallas VA

“Our event took place at Veterans Resource Center (VRC) in Dallas, Texas on Monday 14 Nov 2022. The Veteran Resource Center (VRC) provides a first point of contact for veterans needing to connect with veteran service organizations, find employment, educational or VA resources. In addition, the VRC provides breakfast and lunch, showers, and laundry services for Veterans. The success of our event would not have been possible without the help of all the volunteers, from the volunteers that made paracord bracelets, no sew blankets, and handmade cards to distribute to the veterans prior to event, to the assistance of Home of Brave volunteers who organized the location, to the volunteers that were present on the day of the event. While all volunteers could not make the actual event, THEY were instrumental in providing warm and comfort to veterans as shown in the attached photo. We are very fortunate to the wonderful volunteers! On the 14th we had 7 volunteers on-site to hand out cinch bags stuffed with goodies such as winter hats, warm socks, travel cups, and lip balm. The Veterans were also provided with special donuts spelling Happy Veterans Day, ready to eat snacks, and heartfelt cards expressing thanks and gratitude for their service to our country. As we packed up and began to exit the event the Veterans started applauding thanks to us. Knowing that this modest event meant so much to these brave men and women brought tears to my eyes.” – Krista Kraja, BMS Employee

Florida – Miami VA

“The Miami VA hosted a ceremony for their veterans on Thursday, November 10, 2022 beginning at10am. Myself and 5 volunteers, 3 from BMS and 2 from the VA, packed cinch bags containing hygiene kits, t-shirts, caps and thank you card in the auditorium. We then proceeded to pass out the cinch bags to veterans throughout the hospital thanking them for their service. We were guided by Mernie Williams and Jocelyn Jessany, Chief and Specialist of Voluntary Services, who helped us navigate the hospital and pass out bags. We also met with Kalautie Jang Dhari, Director of the Miami VA, and she thanked us for our volunteering efforts. We also participated in the Marine Corp. Birthday celebration with the veterans, In the end we distributed over 360 cinch bags, hygiene kits, shirts, caps and thank you cards in celebration of Veterans Day. It was an excellent event for all involved and the veterans were extremely grateful.” – John Dimond, BMS Employee

Texas – Kerrville VA

“Great support from Kerrville VA and Vet Center. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we were not able to enter VA; however, Rodney met us at the VA and we welcomed veterans as they arrived for appointments. We also reserved hygiene kits to be distributed by Rodney, Michael at their staff of volunteers to inpatients. We also visited the Kerrville Vet Center, and were welcomed by Shirley, who coordinates donations/events. She, along with her daughter have carried on the torch, since her husband Al, passed suddenly in 2021. We distributed hygiene kits and candy to visiting veterans.” – Patricia Jopling

Virginia – Tuskegee VA

“Home of the Brave Events–Tuskegee, Virginia”– Robb Sanders, Bristol Myers Squibb Employee

Arizona – Phoenix VA

“Unfortunately we were unable to visit the local VA due to COVID restrictions. What was amazing was the separate, but combined efforts of BMS and Republic Services here in Phoenix. The blanket making was the biggest success and was also the item that the local VA both appreciated and needed the most. This was a challenging event overall for both the VA and coordinating between BMS and Republic Services. The far distances between the 2 companies, the VA, and the limited availability of people being able to do things in person was challenging. No other companies reached out to me at any point beyond one person who could not call my cell phone because they did not think to call me despite being provided my number multiple times. The Phoenix VA only has a crew of 2 people in their volunteer services department and is drowning in requests for help from all VA sites across the state. This site is in a lot of need, but they are weary of asking for help because they have limited space, lots of red tape for items and volunteers. I do not have a specific volunteer sheet since it was people coming and going for multiple days between two sites as well as the in-person blanket event where only me and 3 others showed up. Forcing a single in-person event was not the way to handle this and ultimately wasted finances as I had feared. I do not have a way to gather the roughly 130+ volunteer names with exact hours for 2 companies. Requesting me to add each person one at a time is a luxury I do not have for time.” – James Salas, BMS Employee

Ohio – Dayton VA

“Navy veteran Bill Tipton (left), and Army veteran Joe Bolger (right), take time during Veterans Day at the Dayton Ohio VA Medical Center to have their picture taken in front of the bust of Abraham Lincoln. For the past five consecutive years, Bill and Joe have delivered the Soldier’s Angels T-shirts and ball caps to the veterans at the Dayton Medical Center during Home of the Brave. While this year’s event was not live due to CV-19 concerns, Bill and Joe delivered the T-shirts and ball caps and took the time to reflect on the meaning of this day, and to pay our respects to all the veterans of this great country.” – Joe Bolger, BMS Employee

Texas – Waco VA

“The Waco VA held their event on November 10th and welcomed Republic team members from our Itasca, Corsicana, and Arlington locations. We provided kits, hats and some blankets to the Veterans on a couple of floors that we were cleared to visit. Following the floor visit we participated in a parade in the courtyard where the veterans were driven in golf carts and pushed in wheelchairs. It was a wonderful day and event and we were blessed to be part of it!” – Robyn Mota, Republic Services Employee

Tennessee – Memphis VA

“We distributed 240 shirts to patients as well as cinch bags filled with crossword puzzle books, playing cards, Veterans Day pins, socks, ink pens, Thank You cards, snack crackers and hygiene kits! One group was joined by the Medical Center Director Joseph Vaughn. The other group was joined by Assistant Director Hein Nguyen. The patients were thankful, humbled, honored by the tribute they received!” – Priscilla Tucker, Soldiers’ Angels Employee

Massachusetts – Brockton VA

“Recreational Therapist staff from the Brockton VAMC distributed shirts and cinch bags to in-patients at the hospital.” – Elliot Simons, Soldiers’ Angels Employee

Texas – San Antonio VA

“Home of the Brave Events–San Antonio, Texas”– Roxanne Gillett, Peraton Employee

New York – Castle Point VA

“Home of the Brave Events–Castle Point, New York”–Alicia McCarthy, BMS Employee

New Jersey – Lyons VA

“Our team delivered 42 pizzas, along with soda, individual snack bags and cheesecake to the VA Hospital in Lyons, NJ. While we were not able to meet with the veterans due to covid restrictions, we were able to assist the staff in splitting up the meals into 7 wards for distribution around the hospital. We also had a dozen beautiful hand-made blankets that were given to the staff at the hospital for distribution to the veterans. Those blankets were assembled over the last three months by about 150 volunteers from Bristol Myers Squibb–some making squares and some assembling squares into blankets. We estimate that it took ~70 hours to make each of the 12 blankets. That comes to about 840 hours of love going into the project!” – Dennis Ryan, BMS

Virginia – Ann Arbor VA

“We got together on 10/29/2022 to stuff the 100 cinch sacks for the Veteran’s. We went to the VA on 11/11/2022 to give them all of the donations for them to pass out to the Veteran’s on Veteran’s Day. We also brought the puzzles, water and donuts and banner for them to put in the Recreation Room for all the Veteran’s to enjoy. They were overexcited about the banner too and will use it for the week of Veteran’s appreciation.” – Agnes Seefried

New York – Batvia VA

“Home of the Brave volunteers assisted veterans in wheelchairs at the long term care facility in Batavia, NY to the Veterans Day ceremony. Afterwards we handed out Thank You cards and a cap, gloves, scarf, and candy as tokens of appreciation to each veteran.” -Mary Ellen Tomaszewski, Peraton Employee

West Virginia – Beckley VA

“Dates of Photos and Events–8November-15 November 2022. We celebrated Home of the Brave all week at the Beckley VAMC. We visited the CLC one day, and the inpatient floor all week long, so we were able to gift new admits with a tee shirt, cinch sack, socks, word search book and hygiene kits. I also visited the two different groups of Adult Day Care residents and gifted them with the cinch sacks and goodies as well as doughnuts. Besides gifted them with the bags, I was able to sit and visit with the Day Care residents for awhile. It was two very good mornings. On the 10th, we started the morning by celebrating the Marine Corps birthday, and had cake for any outpatient veteran in the hospital/clinic area. We then served Nachos, pop and water to any veteran as they left the hospital/clinic. Today (15 November), we ended celebrating Home of the Brave by celebrating the Female Veterans who had or is having a baby in 2022. We gifted 8 moms with Mary Kay items, clothing, diapers, a “big” item that they needed. It was a cold rainy outside baby shower but lots of warm wishes and feelings were abound.” – Jacquelyn Goike-Wright

I had a veteran tell me on Tuesday his birthday was Thursday and all he wanted was a Diet Coke. We delivered that and much more. He started crying on his 87th birthday. Told me he wasn’t crying cause he was sad, he was crying cause “we remembered him, and he is blessed” -Harvey-Army Veteran Entry

Mississippi – Biloxi VA

“Interacted and gave out cinch sacks stuffed w SA goods at Biloxi VA. Also had ice cream social for campus Veterans. Multi-outpatient and inpatient valuable recognition and participation! 2022 was a successful HOTB at Biloxi MS VA Health System!“

Ohio – Cincinnati VA

“Home of the Brave Events–Cincinnati, Ohio”– Michelle Ruscher, BMS Employee

New York – Canandaigua VA

“Canandaigua was still restricted in allowing in-person events. The volunteers made a total of 4 blankets and also put together drawstring bags which included t-shirt, thank you card, stars & stripes socks and hygiene kit. We had to remove the razors from the kits, and those were provided separately. Bags were tied with stars & stripes ribbon and labeled for facility and shirt size for ease of distribution. Robin Johnson and Hank Regal were very appreciative and used the banner for their facility to demonstrate our partnership for Veterans Day. There is hope for in-person next year, but in the meantime, Canandaigua is honored to be remembered and grateful for what is done for their veterans.” – Lisa Burke, Peraton

Iowa – De Moines VA

“Home of the Brave Events–De Moines, Iowa”– Matt Lazear, BMS Employee

Michigan – Detroit VA

“We were at the Detroit VA to assist with their celebration. We were able to bundle and distribute items during their Ceremony.” – Marc Ishii

Michigan – Iron Mountain VA

“Mary, Denise and I got together to make paracord bracelets and my sister made them separately. I packed up the chapsticks, pins, stress balls and paracord bracelets we made (60) and mailed them to the VA (10 hour drive away). They used them to pass out to the Veteran’s on Veteran’s day along with the hats, t-shirts and TY cards Soldier’s Angel sent to them earlier.” – Agnes Seefried

Illinois – Hines VA

“We worked with Renee Rouse, Chief, and Silvestre Cahue from the Hines, IL VA’s Center for Development & Civic Engagement to plan a Coffee and Donut Table set up in their Outpatient Clinic Lobby. We were able to offer coffee and donuts to Vets the morning of Thursday November 10, 2022. The morning brought pure joy to the volunteers. The level of appreciation shown by the Veteran community was overwhelming to the volunteers. Many Vets were able to come up and tell their stories but we also brought coffee and donuts to Vets sitting throughout the lobby who were a little less mobile. The lobby was full of smiles and solid handshakes. All the volunteers agreed it was an absolute honor to be able to serve in such a small and simple way to those men and women who have given us all so much. An older gentleman was escorted to the clinic by his lovely wife. She pushed his wheelchair and he kept their tiny white poodle comfortable in his lap. We all watched as the poodle looked for her portion of the sweets as the lovely couple satin the lobby enjoying their coffee, donuts & brownies. No word yet on if the poodle may have stolen a bite.” – Mike Roach, BMS Employee

Indiana – Marion VA

“Our larger BMS team made 25 blankets over the month of October. A volunteer from USAA made labels and thank-you stickers for our gift bags. On the day of the event four BMS volunteers brought completed blankets, cookies, hygiene kits, T-shirts and caps to the Marion VA. We stuffed 175 bags with goodies and tied all with a thank you note. We were able to provide thank you gifts to ALL veterans hospitalized at the Fort Wayne, South Bend and Marion VA since Luther, the Marion volunteer coordinator, was able to transport our packaged goodies to the other two sites.” – Kristen Warner, BMS

Alabama – Montgomery VA

“We enjoyed our HOTB event! We passed out our cinch bags in an assembly line style along with lunch from Jason’s Deli! The Veterans were very grateful that we were there! Soldiers’ Angels were the first volunteers since covid that were allowed in the patient’s rooms for HOTB! The Veterans were so thankful for the blankets we made for them and for the interaction with Soldiers’ Angels! What a blessing it is to give back to our Veterans! – Tasha Scantling

Arizona – Tucson VA

“Met with Volunteer Services for Photo, and delivered T-Shirts. VA still closed to events but slowly opening.” – Scott Doty, BMS Employee

Kansas – Topeka VA

“This is a picture of Damon Tauer (BMS volunteer), Ashley Ingalls (myself) and Denise Cunningham from Volunteer Services at the Topeka VA. This picture was taken at the end of the day. Denise was able to give us a tour of several areas of the VA and share so many amazing things they are doing. She was wonderful and her passion is contagious!” – Ashley Ingalls, BMS Employee

Washington – Spokane VA

“Thanks so much and what a great event this was. We all had our shirts but was super cold outside so as you can see the jackets came in handy.” – Sean Burt, BMS Employee

Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh VA

“I am submitting photos from our Home of the Brave Volunteer event that was held on November 2nd. Team members from Bristol Squibb Myers Oncology got together to pack over 350 cinch bags with hygiene kits, snacks and Thank You cards from local students. Bags were packed for both the Pittsburgh VA as well as the Erie VA. Members of Peraton also signed up to help but were unable to join us the day of the volunteer event. Our team really enjoyed packing the bags for our Veterans and are looking forward to hopefully being able to Volunteer ‘live’ in our VA facilities in 2023!” – Sharon Lichota, BMS Employee

Alabama – Tuscaloosa VA

“In May 2022, I attended a Bristol Myers Squibb National Sales Meeting and attended a volunteer fair. It was at this fair that I was asked if I lived in Tuscaloosa, AL. I am a native of Tuscaloosa and I’ve lived here for much of my life. My husband is a retired Brigadier General in the AL National Guard and he retired 18 mo. ago. We both have been experiencing “loss” from military retirement and this question asked to me at this meeting was a God Wink. I wasn’t quite familiar with the Soldiers Angels organization but I educated myself quickly and was up to the task of organizing a Veteran’s Day event at the Tuscaloosa VA. I sat in on conference calls for Soldiers Angels and I had a great contact person at the Tuscaloosa VA, Charmel Taylor. Charmel gave me fantastic pointers and we both decided that the BMS sponsored event would be a Nov 7th festival and would serve at the “kick off” event for Veteran’s Day activities for the week at the Tuscaloosa VA. As the supplies were being delivered to my home, I realized the level of quality of items provided for me though Soldiers Angels for this event. The hygiene kits, t-shirts, hats, and cinch bags were items that the Veteran residents were appreciative and grateful for receiving these items. We filled the cinch bags with snacks, playing cards, and bandanas and they were a huge hit! Seven volunteers from our Cardiovascular Sales District traveled from all parts of Alabama to attend this event. We served the residents cupcakes and refreshments and had tables for the hygiene kits, cinch bags and tshirts/hats. We also played games with the residents. We had so much fun conducting a cake walk at our festivals–the smiles and laughter was priceless! We played corn hole, threw footballs and putted on the putting green. We were fortunate to engage with the attendees and that was the greatest gift to the volunteers. We were called a breath of fresh air! The event lasted two hours and it was over in a blink-we plan to hold the event for longer hours next year-but since this was our first event, we were unsure. The event unquestionably was a major success and we cannot wait to participate next year!!!!! This is a gift to the volunteers as much it was for the residents and attendees.” – Kimberly Mitchell, BMS Employee

Massachusetts – West Roxbury VA

“On Monday, 11/7, volunteers from Bristol Myers Squibb, Soldiers’ Angels, and West Roxbury VA Ambassadors packed168 cinch bags for distribution to in-patients of the West Roxbury VA Medical Center. Each bag contained a Home of the Brave t-shirt or hat, hygiene kit, activity book, pen, deodorant, stress ball, bandana, and a drink coozy. Our “assembly line” made for quick work of putting together the bags and keeping them separated by size. Thank you to all of our volunteers for your efforts.”-Elliot Simons

“On Thursday, 11/10, volunteers from Bristol Myers Squibb, Soldiers’ Angels, and West Roxbury VA Ambassadors went up to the wards at the West Roxbury VA Medical Center and gave Home of the Brave cinch bags to in-patients in honor of Veterans Day. Every patient, 128 of them all together, received a bag containing a shirt or a hat, hygiene kit, activity book, and a variety of other items. The patients were grateful for the gifts and the volunteers were humbled by the experience.”-Elliot Simons

Kansas – Wichita VA

“We were so pleased to be back inside of the VA this year serving donuts and coffee to veterans! We were so busy visiting that we forgot to take pictures!! We took one picture with both volunteers and another serving donuts. We were asked by the VA to not to take any picture with veterans. We had so many great conversations but one that really stood out. I visited at length with a Vietnam veteran who teared up telling me about his service. He said that he doesn’t get many opportunities to talk to people anymore due to Covid and his age. Our visit brought up so many memories and his tears were from joy of remembering things as we were visiting. This brought tears to my eyes as well. Love the HOTB event and already looking forward to next year!” – Julie Degner, BMS

Georgia – Atlanta VA

“Submitted photos from the day of bag packing that happened on 10/30/2022. We stuffed 450 bags for both inpatient and outpatient veterans for the Atlanta VA. The HOTB event took place on 11/11, and we distributed 250 bags to inpatient veterans. Even though the weather was bleak, we also passed out roughly 75 bags to outpatient veterans. Remaining cinch bags were distributed to veteran’s the following day.” – Christina Hegwood, Peraton Employee