Although retired from the Air Force, Alfonso Garza Jr. and Leo Webster remain actively involved in a vital mission: supporting, educating and collaborating with fellow veterans. Both have a passion for connecting these people with programs and services ranging from education to healthcare to housing.
In fact, Garza – the programs administrator for the Veterans Mental Health and Suicide Prevention program with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs – says one of the main issues that service men and women face is that they are simply unaware that “there is help, that people care and that there are resources available.”
That focus on offering help fuels Garza’s work, which includes outreach efforts into communities, colleges, veterans’ groups and military reserve units. He also enjoys networking and learning about groups that are carrying out his shared mission.
“I’m all over the state,” says Garza, who served in the Air Force for 22+ years. “I’m always casting the net to see who has the same passion.”
Webster, who has collaborated with Garza, started a program called Vet Chat in 2018, where veterans and service members gather monthly at Cornerstone Church in Midwest City to connect, share resources and build friendships.
“We just want to meet the need – for whatever that need is,” says Webster, who served in the Air Force for 24 years.
The group has grown from about eight people, who initially congregated at
Webster’s home, into nearly 60 today.
Webster’s goal is 100. Vet Chat discusses topics that impact fellow veterans or active-duty service members. Webster mentions another benefit is that the gatherings help build camaraderie among veterans and let them know the support that is available.
“Now I feel like it’s time for us to serve them in whatever way we can,” says Webster. “Because they have given so much and asked for nothing, we need to be there for them now.”
There’s more work that can be done, Webster and Garza agree. Getting involved in organizations that help veterans, sharing resources with veterans or simply
taking the time to check in on the veterans in your life can lead to lasting impacts.
“Everybody can make a difference,” says Garza. “We can’t forget that.”
Another way to give back this month is by helping the less fortunate through the holidays. In fact, you can deliver smiles, cheer and a nutritional meal via a variety of nonprofits, including Meals on Wheels – which offers food, wellness checks and caring contact to senior residents in and around Tulsa and OKC.
Volunteers are needed year-round,
and there are opportunities that can accommodate a variety of schedules, says Nicholas Bryant, marketing and communication coordinator with Meals on Wheels Metro Tulsa.
“We always need substitute meal delivery drivers that can fill in for us as their schedule allows each week,” he says. “There is no minimum time commitment required to be a volunteer, and several of our programs provide very flexible options for every type of schedule.”
Bryant also mentions one of the biggest needs facing the Tulsa-based organization right now is a scarcity of meal delivery drivers in the northeast and northwest Tulsa areas – these drivers will “help with our transition back to hot meal delivery for clients, multiple days per week.”
Anyone is welcome to help out at Meals on Wheels – volunteers range from high school students to grandparents.
“You can volunteer at any age for most of our programs, as long as you are with someone over the age of 18 while volunteering,” Bryant says. “We also have many adult volunteers that like to bring friends and family with them while volunteering, including their children or grandchildren. It’s a great opportunity for family bonding.”
Volunteering with the organization also helps further the mission of providing meals and meaningful moments with seniors in the community.
“In addition to the benefit our meals provide, we live up to our saying of ‘more than just a meal’ by providing caring contact to our homebound clients to help fight the triple threat of aging: loss of independence, social isolation/loneliness and lack of nutrition/hunger,” says Bryant.
He adds: “For many of our clients, our volunteers may be the only people they see or talk to all week.” Those interactions have a lasting effect on the clients, of course, but also the volunteers.
“Many of our volunteers have expressed that they get just as much out of being a volunteer with us, as our clients do from receiving services,” Bryant says.
Helping Out Veterans Near You
• Perform home repairs or household chores for a veteran in your neighborhood.
• Donate your time to help a veteran-based organization.
• Share your skills. Are you tech savvy or a whiz at tax preparation? Consider donating your talents to veterans in your area.
• Provide transportation. Volunteer your time to help veterans get to medical appointments. One example is the Volunteer Transportation Network from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that offers transportation for veterans seeking services from a VA facility.
• Send a note of thanks. If you know a veteran in your neighborhood, consider leaving them a note to thank them for their service. You can also submit letters to Operation Gratitude, which delivers letters, cards and care packages to veterans and military personnel.
