From Friends of the Vet Art Project: Do You Love a Veteran?

Hello All
This a reminder that our group meeting for loved ones of veterans will start up this coming Monday, Nov 1st. Please forward this reminder to any of your loved ones that might be interested if you are a veteran.
We are really excited to get this group going here in Chicago and we hope it will be just the beginning.  The first meeting will be a chance for us to get to know each other a bit and think about what we all want out of the group and how we can best accomplish these goals. Hans and I have some activities in mind but we hope this to be a place where we can all participate, lead, and share equally.
Please RSVP to me if you are planning on coming so that I can make the right amount of snacks :)
Here is the information about the group that I sent out earlier:

Do you love a veteran?

1st Monday of the month
First Meeting Nov. 1st  7-9pm
Garrett Wellness Center
3020 N. Kimball
Chicago IL

Welcoming home veterans is a community endeavor, a process that may start with banners and welcome home parties but continues for years. All too often the support of the community falls away and the people that love and care for these men and women are left to support them in isolation and without their own network. Veterans, although often isolated from mainstream society, share experiences with their fellow veterans and may find solace in these bonds. However, their loved ones have no such community bound by common experience. The issues that veterans struggle with after their service can dominate their lives and the lives of their loved ones, and the injuries of war can strain our relationships in unforeseen, unpredictable, but often similar ways.
We are  a group of spouses, partners, friends, and parents of veterans meeting once a month to build  our own community of support.  We hope to develop a safe space to address our experiences, personal struggles, and to share our coping methods. It is all to easy to lose sight of our own needs and well being as we try to support our veterans, perhaps this group can allow us the moments to focus on how these wars have affected our lives and give us strength to continue the journey. The group will be facilitated by partners of veterans Johanna (Hans) Buwalda, LCPC, and Nicky Baltrushes.

Contact us with any questions and to confirm your participation in the group:
Hans info@storiesandart.com
Nicky  nbaltrushes@gmail.com

Thanks so much and we look forward to this group very much. Again, please feel free to forward this information to any other loved ones that might be interested in participating

-Nicky Baltrushes