RUCK-UP INC

PROGRAM NARRATIVE AND SERVICES BREAKDOWN: SINCE IT'S VERY HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN IDEA AROUND A PICNIC TABLE AT SURRY DAM PARK, RUCK UP'S EFFORTS AND GOALS HAVE FOCUSED ON TRYING TO HELP VETERANS IN NEW ENGLAND BY "FILLING THE GAP" ON SERVICES AND ASSISTANCE THAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS MISS OR ARE UNABLE TO HELP WITH. WE DO THAT KEEPING TO OUR 3 "PILLARS" OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICE- ADVOCACY, OUTREACH [INCLUDES EFFORTS IN SUICIDE PREVENTION], AND COUNSELING. ALL THIS IS DONE BY VOLUNTEERS, AND WITH DONATIONS OR GRANTS ONLY. WE RECEIVE ABSOLUTELY NO STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDS. IN 2020 WE SERVED 363 VETS AND FAMILIES IN NEW ENGLAND, RISING TO 402 IN 2021, SPIKING TO 730 IN 2023, AND THIS 457 THIS YEAR IN 2024.ADVOCACY SERVICES- RUCK UP PROVIDES FREE ADVOCACY AND ASSISTANCE SERVICES FOR VA AND SOCIAL SECURITY CLAIMS IN OUR CATCHMENT AREA. IN 2021, THAT MEANT MORE THAN $1,480,355 IN BENEFITS AND SERVICES "WON" ON BEHALF OF OUR CLIENT VETERANS WE SERVE, OVER $1,640,000 IN 2023. THAT INCLUDES NOT ONLY DISABILITY BENEFITS, BUT ALSO VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION BENEFITS WITH THE VA. MUCH OF OUR TIME AND EFFORTS GO INTO RECORDS RETRIEVAL, INTERACTION WITH TREATING MEDICAL AGENCIES, FILING, AND PRESSING CLAIMS. THIS TAKES UP MUCH OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. FY24: $1,889,806 IN BENEFITS AND SERVICES "WON", OVER $13.4 MILLION IN 8 YEARS.OUTREACH SERVICES - WHILE OUR OUTREACH SERVICES INCLUDE OTHER EFFORTS, A GOOD PORTION OF THEM IS OUR FOOD AND CLOTHING SHELF FOR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN NEED. WE HELP FILL A GAP OFTEN NOT MET BY OTHER LOCAL AGENCIES, AND WE WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE KEENE COMMUNITY KITCHEN IN OUR EFFORTS. UNTIL THE 2020 PANDEMIC, OUR EFFORTS ALSO INCLUDED FEEDING LOCAL AREA VETS EVERY FRIDAY WITH A "NO-COST COOKOUT", AND EVERY YEAR WE FEED AREA VETS AT THANKSGIVING WHO HAVE NO ONE TO SHARE IT WITH. OUR FOOD SHELF HAS CONTINUED TO BE OPERATIONAL, AND IN 2023, RUCK UP GAVE OUT MORE THAN 2.97 TONS OF FOOD AND CLOTHING TO VETERANS IN NEED, WITH A COST OF $65,000 IN FOOD & CLOTHING. THAT ROSE SIGNIFICANTLY THIS YEAR, 2024, TO 3.18 TONS OF FOOD & CLOTHING.HOMELESS PREVENTION - IN OUR LOCAL KEENE COMMUNITY, WE INTERACT WITH OTHER COMMUNITY AGENCIES IN HELPING VETERANS WITH EMERGENCY HOUSING AND FOOD, BUT ALSO IN THE LAST FEW YEARS WE HAVE HELPED VETERANS OBTAIN HOUSING OR SAVE THE HOMES THEY ARE IN WITH "HOMELESS PREVENTION" FUNDS WORKED IN COOPERATION WITH AGENCIES SUCH AS EASTER SEALS, FRIENDS OF VETERANS, VETS INC, VA HUD/VASH, HARBOR HOMES, AND OUR LOCAL VVA, VFW, AND AMERICAN LEGION RIDERS. THIS HAS BEEN OUR BIGGEST AREA OF GROWTH IN THE LAST 7 YEARS. THESE GRANTS, PAYABLE ONLY TO UTILITIES AND MORTGAGE FIRMS/LANDLORDS, ARE AT MAXIMUM OF $600 PER VETERAN, PER YEAR, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY RAISED BY CASE BY THE BOARD. WE CANNOT DO MORE. BUT THE COORDINATION BETWEEN US AND OTHER AGENCIES HAS KEPT FAMILIES HOUSED IN SOME SEVERE CIRCUMSTANCES. IN 2018, $5,200 WAS COMMITTED TO AIDING VETERANS WITH RENT, UTILITIES, AND BASIC SERVICES ASSISTANCE IN WORK WITH OTHER AGENCIES. THOSE NUMBERS ROSE TO:-$13,205 IN 2019 -IN 2020, 71 VETS WERE AIDED AT A COST OF $37,500 -IN 2021, $59,530 - 2022, $83,000 AIDING VETS -IN FY23 $84,400 AND THIS LAST YEAR 2024 , $93,657 IN DIRECT AID, ASSISTANCE, AND FOOD WAS PROVIDED TO VETERANS IN NEW ENGLAND. ALONG WITH THE OTHER COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS WE MAKE, RUCK UP EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST 15 YEARS NOW, HAS HOSTED AND PROVIDED TO AREA VETERANS AND FAMILIES ALL THE SUPPORTS AND SUPPLIES TO DO THE YEARLY "CANDLE VIGIL IN THE PARK". EACH MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, IN AN EFFORT LIKE THE "MOVING WALL" VETERANS GATHER TO PAY HONOR TO THE MEN AND WOMEN LOST IN SERVICE TO OUR NATION FROM OUR AREA. EVERY YEAR, MORE THAN 4,200 CANDLES THAT RUCK UP PROVIDES, ALONG WITH ALL THE SUPPORTIVE STAFF AND EQUIPMENT, HELP LIGHT UP THE CENTER OF KEENE, NH IN HONOR OF OUR VETERANS AND THE FALLEN. COUNSELING SERVICES- RUCK UP HELPS PROVIDE VET2VET PEER COUNSELING AND AA SERVICES FOR VETERANS FROM NOT ONLY NH, BUT ALSO VT, AND WESTERN MA. IN 2020, RUCK UP PROVIDED MORE THAN 2,500 HOURS OF FREE COUNSELING SERVICES TO THE VETERANS WE SERVE, THAT NUMBER OF HOURS INCREASING TO 2,742 CLINICAL HOURS IN 2021, AND OVER 2,950 HOURS IN 2024. THIS INCLUDED CASE MANAGEMENT AND INTERACTION WITH THE VA MEDICAL SYSTEMS MEDICATION MANAGER AT OUR LOCAL VA CBOC, AS WELL AS DIRECT COOPERATION WITH THE VA MEDICAL CENTERS IN THE REGION FOR HOSPITALIZATION AND PSYCHIATRY FOLLOW UP SERVICES. THAT PART ALONE HAS BECOME VERY SIGNIFICANT WITH THE VA HOSPITALS REGIONALLY "SHUTTING THEIR DOORS" FOR MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALIZATION DURING MUCH OF THE PANDEMIC AND THE POST-COVID MONTHS, AND NOW STILL MOSTLY FOCUSING ON "ZOOM OR OFF SITE VIDEO COUNSELING, WHICH HAS UNFORTUNATELY A STILL PROBLEMATIC SUCCESS RATE WITH MOST VETERANS- WHO REFUSE TO SEE ANY COUNSELOR, IF NOT IN PERSON. OUR PTSD AND MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM WORKS IN CLOSE CONJUNCTION WITH AA AND SUBSTANCE DISORDER RESOURCES, WITH 2 OF OUR STAFF ON SITE NOW ALSO BEING STATE LICENSED ALCOHOL & DRUG COUNSELORS. RUCK UP'S STAFF ALSO OFTEN COORDINATES OUTSIDE MULTIPLE SEPARATE HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH OUTSIDE MENTAL HEALTH AGENCIES TO HELP VETERANS IN CRISIS, INCLUDING NOT JUST VA PROGRAMS, BUT ALSO GRANITE RECOVERY. _____$605,000_IN SERVICES___ 13,476 TOTAL VOLUNTEERS HOURS FROM ALL OUR STAFF VETERAN'S SUICIDE PREVENTION- - IN ADDITION TO OUR PRIMARY EFFORTS IN ADVOCACY, OUTREACH, AND COUNSELING, RUCK UP HAS BUILT A CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION [AFSP]. RUCK UP HELPS PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION, AND ASSISTANCE TO THE VETERANS WHO MAKE UP THE TEAM AND MAKE THE WALK, PRIMARILY TO HELP THE TEAM GIVE THEIR BEST EFFORTS. NONE OF RUCK UP'S FUNDS GO TO AFSP DIRECTLY, BUT IN SUPPORT OF THE VETERAN'S MAKING THE GRUELING 18 MILE WALK AGAINST SUICIDE. THE TEAM OF VETERAN'S THEMSELVES, [MANY OF WHOM MAKE THE EFFORT DESPITE DISABILITIES], RAISE DIRECT SPONSOR MONIES TO HELP AFSP IN THEIR MISSION. IN 2020-21, RUCK UP WAS TASKED TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES OF COVID, WHILE SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS AGAINST SUICIDE, WHICH HAS HAD ITS NUMBERS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY NATIONWIDE SINCE THE FIRST "LOCKDOWNS" OF THE PUBLIC. FOR 8 OF THE 15 YEARS WE'VE PARTNERED WITH AFSP, WE HAVE BEEN THE LARGEST TEAM ON THE EAST COAST. THE WALK, AND OUR OWN COMMUNITY WALK ON VETERAN'S DAY EACH YEAR IN KEENE, ARE IN EFFORT TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE SPECTER OF VETERAN'S SUICIDE AND RAISE FUNDS TO HELP AFSP'S EFFORTS TO DO SO. 1 IN EVERY 5 SUICIDES NATIONALLY IS A VETERAN, AND OVER 53% OF VETERAN SUICIDES ARE FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE COMPONENTS, AND MANY OF THE NUMBER LOST SINCE 2001 HAVE COME FROM NH & VT NATIONAL GUARD UNITS. ONE OF OUR RECENTLY ENGAGED VETERANS LOST A 5TH MEMBER OF HIS RESERVE UNIT TO SUICIDE JUST A YEAR AGO, SINCE THEIR LAST DEPLOYMENT TO THE MIDDLE EAST. RUCK UP HELPS PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION, AND ASSISTANCE TO THE VETERANS WHO MAKE UP THE TEAM AND MAKE THE WALK, PRIMARILY TO HELP THE TEAM GIVE THEIR BEST EFFORTS. THIS YEAR, 2024'S OUT OF THE DARKNESS WALK WAS IN BOSTON, WITH RUCK UP HELPING 41 VETERANS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WALK AND RAISED ANOTHER $50,198 IN SUICIDE PREVENTION MONIES. OUR WORK WITH AFSP IN JUST 14 YEARS RAISED MORE THAN $1 MILLION DOLLARS, JUST TO HELP AFSP FIGHT VETERAN SUICIDE. THIS YEAR WE WILL AGAIN BE WALKING AGAINST SUICIDE FROM HERE AT HOME TOO, HERE IN KEENE, NH ON VETERAN'S DAY, AND AT THE NATIONAL WALK IN NEW YORK CITY. THE SITUATION HAS BECOME SO CRITICAL, THAT THE VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION HAS ADMITTED THAT SUICIDES AMONGST VETERANS ARE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH.