January 9, 2024
On December 16, 47 military Veterans (and or spouses) attended the Veterans Wellness Pathway program graduation ceremony at the Doylestown branch. The Veterans Wellness Pathway is a 12-week program designed specifically for military veterans and spouses/partners to learn exercises, skills and techniques to build healthy mind and body habits. The program provides weekly in-person exercise sessions as well as weekly remote (Zoom) meetings for discussion and learning about mindfulness, meditation and nutrition. The Veterans Pathway program is 100% donor-funded, as are all of the Y’s Pathway programs. As a Cause member, your monthly donation has directly impacted our participants. Following the graduation ceremony, Megan McCuen, coordinator of the Veterans Wellness Pathway program, received this note from one of the graduates:
“This is Ken and I wanted to tell you that the graduation we had on Saturday 12/16/23 was unbelievable. I was surprised at what it really meant to me. I thought we would show up, say a few words of thank you, have a sandwich and go on our merry way. But it wasn't, it was a group of individuals that came together to express their thanks, discuss some of their problems and road bumps and became a group to support each other.
“My wife Mary so enjoyed the stories that each [graduate] gave when we stood up. For me it made me feel like I belonged to a real group of genuine friends that gave of their heart, their body, and their souls. I was awed to listen and understand what the many of us went through and how they were working to overcome these bumps. This was an emotional togetherness of once individuals to a group. Once again, I want to thank you, Lisa, Jim, and the others behind the screen that make this program work. Thank you and May all have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday, and a Blessed New Year. God Bless us all and God Bless the United States of America.”
“Today was one of the most emotional graduations of the Veterans Wellness Program I’ve been privileged to attend,” noted Megan. “Today these graduates shared their stories, experiences and gratitude.”
Thank you to our Cause members for continuing to make these opportunities available to people like Ken.