We are proud to have VetCorps in Washington State, an AmeriCorps program housed within the WA State Department of Veteran Affairs. This program has existed for more than ten years, and we believe it was the first veteran and military family-focused AmeriCorps program in the nation.
Below are stories about two VetCorps Success Stories, Chanette Purser-Smith, and Gabriella Smith.
This highlight from Vet Corps features a dedicated Vet Corps member, Chanette Purser- Smith, who is serving in her fourth consecutive term. Chanette began and completed an initiative to expand an existing food pantry at North Seattle College. When she began the project, the pantry consisted of a small refrigerator and a box of canned goods, within the college’s Veterans Lounge. With funding that was awarded through a King County Vets Engaged Grant, which Chanette applied for, as well as partnering with Team Depot (through Home Depot), the expansion of the food pantry grew to a complete remodel of the lounge. The update includes a new kitchenette, new flooring, window treatments, and furniture. The lounge also includes a new work station for the Vet Corps Members to meet with student-veterans in a private setting. Chanette’s supervisor said that throughout the process, Chanette sought promising best practices on creating a space that works to holistically support the veterans who access the space. The construction project began with preliminary planning in the fall of 2019. COVID-19 halted the progress until May of 2020. Work slowly continued through the pandemic until it was completed in August 2021. The lounge is now officially up and running. The college held a grand opening of the space in early 2022 as students and services begin to resume in-person.
Chanette’s project was featured on a local TV station, Q13. Here is a link to their feature: Photos of the beautiful remodel are attached (please see NSCV files)
https://www.q13fox.com/video/869299
Gabriella Smith, a Vet Corps member at the Washington State Arts Commission, works with military oriented populations within the Olympia community through art and creative healing initiatives. In support of serving the ones who have served, Gabriella uses her Bachelor’s in Music Business to seek out creative grant opportunities for local veteran support organizations as well as actively perform songs with veterans at Music Works 4 Veterans (MW4V) – a Veteran Family Fund of America project. Gabriella Smith joins MW4V’s bi-monthly music sessions to create friendships and engage in the healing benefits of the music making process; after months of participation, Gabriella Smith practiced and performed “Lonestar” by Norah Jones as a tribute to her mother, military spouses, and all family members who shine their light down on loved ones from afar. The song speaks truth to the Gabriella’s experiences during her time as a military dependent, when her mother used painting and music as a therapeutic practice during her father’s deployment, cherishing the moments spent as family both together and apart. With courage to express her own stories, now fellow members of the group have stepped up to honor and remember their time in service by writing poetry for future original works or singing songs from their past. This song and others are now performed at additional locations with the entire group – including the Lacey Veterans Service Hub, Lakewold Gardens, and the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Soldiers Home in Orting, WA. To reach additional populations, remote videos to learn specific songs performed by Gabriella Smith and Music Works 4 Veterans will be uploaded to the MW4V website and recordings will be made available to the public. To check out the performance of Lonestar click the link attached:
https://www.musicworks4veterans.org/video
Photos are attached of Gabriella and other veteran musicians. MORE PHOTOS: VetCorps Success Stories, Chanette Purser-Smith, and Gabriella Smith | Flickr
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