VA

Yale University’s “The Politic” Magazine features story on TAVF

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Fishing for Solutions: Take a Vet Fishing Offers New Options for Veterans

“Just getting back out on the water and doing some fishing with great friends made it one of the best days of my life. Camaraderie is awesome, and these are all brothers and sisters of mine who would’ve had my back during war.”   – U.S. Navy Diver, Ret. & blind veteran Karl Yachulke of Bethel, CT

By EMILY JI   March 9, 2018
Emily Ji, writing for “The Politic” explores non-profit community partnership outreach for blind veterans with Take A Vet Fishing (TAVF); founded in CT in 2007 at the First Congregational Church of Branford. “TAVF is a perfect example of a partnership that helps vets; not in the traditional way of healthcare or assistance with home loans, but just providing that moral support and helping them integrate into the community,” according to Commissioner of the CT Department of Veteran Affairs, Thomas J. Saadi.
The Politic is Yale’s undergraduate journal of politics and culture. Read more about its history here.
Link Summary:
Publication: http://thepolitic.org
Publication description: http://thepolitic.org/our-history/

Branford Rotary Club 4th Annual Classic Car Show

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Here’s a chance to have fun AND support veterans causes!
(Including Take A Vet Fishing!)

Branford Rotary Club
4th Annual Classic Car Show
August 20 Sunday, 11am – 3pm
@ Van Wilgen’s Garden Center, 51 Valley Rd North Branford

(Download the Event Flyer)

Please share this event & date with your classic car-loving friends in the area! We’ll be there all day, and welcome you to see the show and visit us at the booth. It’s a great outing for the family…and for driving-age teens to learn what “Old School” really means!

***FREE SPECTATOR ADMISSION***

The Branford Rotary Club has been supporting Take A Vet Fishing for many years now by fundraising with this event and also sponsoring one of our fishing events at Killam’s Point with their cooking and volunteers.

Thank you Branford Rotary!

Directions: Van Wilgen’s Garden Center is located at 51 Valley Rd North Branford, off Rte139. Take School Ground Rd from shoreline area due to bridge construction.

Day of Giving at Jersey Mike’s

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Nobody does it quite like Jersey Mike’s in Branford, CT. Owner Marc Ferns (L – in red) donates 100% of sales on the last Wednesday of March, the “Day of Giving”. The best part is that everybody gets to pitch in by simply purchasing a lunch or dinner. In March 2016, the Branford store won 5th place nationally (out of over 1,000 stores) in single-store funds raised! BRAVO! & Thank You!!

See you at Jersey Mikes on Wednesday, March 29, 2017

We Love Roy’s Rock!

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Truth be told, there is no place many of us would rather be than on Roy’s Rock at Killam’s Point on the Long Island Sound. It’s not just a place, a spot on a rock where the fishing is good, but rather it’s a state of mind. It’s a place where time can stand still…where we’re surrounded by nature, with the wind in our faces, the water at our feet, and the sun melting away the worries and concerns of our day.

We’re never alone out there on that rock, even if we’re in that zone we call our “happy place.” Beyond the souls to our left or right are all the vets and volunteers who have made this place so special. They show up to go fishing together, enjoy a home-cooked meal, and help share the love…that’s what it’s all about at Take A Vet Fishing.

One day a man named Roy Jenkins showed up with a group from the VA’s Eastern Blind Rehabilitation Center. Roy had fished all his life and had plans to do a lot more with his brother when they both retired in southern Virginia. But shortly after that day came, Roy lost his good vision, and his dream of spending a lot of time on the water suddenly evaporated. He was forced to sell his boat and had to give up his driver’s license.

As he told us later, he was in a bad way that day he came out fishing with us, but what happened next changed us all, especially Roy. We got to talking, and Roy got to fishing again. The sun came out for him and his joy returned. He was among friends doing what he loved, and there was no place that he would have rather been! Roy came back several times over the years and our friendship deepened as we stayed in touch. If you ask him today, he’ll tell you how some of his life’s best memories are of being out on that rock with people who care, and who helped him rekindle that spark.