Barrington (Jan. 23, 2013) — At a moment when much attention is focused on stories of religious intolerance, a local group of citizens has figured out how to work together across all religious lines for the good of the community and raise more than $20,000 to support the Providence VA Medical Center’s Veterans Transitional Supportive Program (VTSP). The interfaith group is grateful to Alan Shawn Feinstein who matched the donations this year by $10,000 and has made a similar match for the last six years.
On Sunday, October 14, 2012, more 75 families and individuals from all different religions came together at Colt State Park in Bristol for the one mile Faith Walk for Charity. The funds have been given to VTSP, which has played the critical role of ensuring formerly homeless Veterans move into a new home that is fully furnished and includes a specially treated bed-bug resistant mattress cover.
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The walk was a great opportunity to raise awareness of our program, and the dedicated team of counselors, case managers, and support personnel who serve our Veterans each and every day,” said Tom Antonaccio, Public Affairs Officer at the Providence VA Medical Center. “More important, it’s a testimony to the remarkable resiliency, commitment, and hard work of our Veterans. We’re very appreciative of the efforts of the Faith Walk for Charity and all those who participate on behalf of our Nation’s Veterans.”
Clergy from the faiths Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Baptist, Episcopal and Assemblies of God participated in planning the event with Temple Habonim of Barrington taking a leadership role in the promotion and marketing of the Walk this year. Since its inception in 2006 Faith Walk for Charity has raised more than $140,000.
Each year, the interfaith group selects an organization to benefit from the Walk. Recent beneficiaries have included Crossroads RI, the RI Community Food Bank, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Amos House, the Rhode Island Free Clinic and Camp Surefire.
For information on the Faith Walk for Charity, visit www.faithwalkforcharity.org or email faithwalkforcharity@gmail.com.
The Veterans Transitional Supportive Program (VTSP) works to return homeless Veterans to mainstream community housing and to help Veterans achieve an optimal level of functioning mentally, physically, vocationally and socially, without the use of alcohol or illegal substances. The VTSP Program has been in existence in Rhode Island since 1994 and has achieved remarkable success. For fiscal year 2011, outcome data indicated that 85% of Veterans discharged from the program had obtained their own housing. That percentage far exceeds the national average for similar programs. All of the Veterans admitted to the program were once homeless, and many have substance abuse or mental health problems, in addition to a wide range of psychosocial problems such as financial, social, vocational, and legal concerns. To learn more, visit www.va.gov/homeless.
