Page 26 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine

Receiving through Giving Back

One Veteran’s Perspective:

Helping Veterans Transition Back Home

‘’We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

~ Winston Churchill

he process of assisting
Tveterans striving to seamlessly
transition back home is now
following a new path: one of
contributing through mentoring
and innovating. Starting one’s
own small business is within
reach. However, today’s
veterans are often faced with the
challenge of applying specialized
knowledge and skills honed in
the military to civilian settings
and environments, where the
rules of engagement, success, and
performance are dynamic and environment for both student business, energy, etc.) and (2)
frequently less predictable than and teacher. By sharing their define a network of approaches
those in military service. There unique skills and perspectives on to engage veterans as mentors
are also cultural communication problem-solving and leadership and mentees. The next step will
barriers. These barriers impede through team competition, we be to promote a Lubbock-wide
success and advancement and create a fun, motivational setting strategy and garner community
often present themselves in that is highly adaptive and and political support for such an
insurmountable ways that are dynamic. organized network.
different from those in operational
settings. Transitioning includes Senior Link® recently organized
burdens and additional challenges an interactive luncheon,
posed by family, work, finances, sponsored by Carillon Senior
medical conditions and self- LifeCare Community and
improvement that may be facilitated by this author.
intangible and difficult to define.
The purpose of the luncheon
was two-fold: (1) jumpstart
Our overall strategy is to discussions around a number
make Lubbock “The Best City of topical areas (i.e., the arts,
in America for Veterans” by media and communications,
developing a holistic environment applied engineering, agriculture,
that enables veterans to give back education, theology and
through life-long and trans- spiritualism, information
generational mentoring in a safe
technology, health care services,

26 Lubbock Senior Link