Written by Roger Enix, American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming Public Affairs – Edited by Pat Kondas
In wartime, exhausted soldiers need a safe place to rest and recover – to stand down from fighting the battle. The concept has evolved into community-based events aimed at helping homeless and at-risk veterans address their needs and connect with resources.
Volunteers Jim and Nancy Griffith are key members of the Red Cross team effort at these annual Veterans Stand Down events held in Cheyenne, Fort Collins, Loveland, Aurora/Denver, Boulder/Longmont, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Durango and Cortez.
The Griffiths met during their own service in the Army while stationed in New Jersey and have been married for almost fifty years. They see these continuing efforts of the Red Cross as a “way to give back”. They feel that connecting veterans to a variety of resources is every bit as important as the social aspect of these Veterans Stand Down events. Contacts at these events allow Jim to provide many referrals for additional services in his role as Services to Armed Forces Community Resource Case Worker for the Red Cross.
Jim and Nancy were providing kits with gloves, a scarf, chemical handwarmers, socks and a handwritten note for each veteran that stopped by to visit during these events. They routinely hear appreciation for the other efforts of the Red Cross – veterans who have also been trained in CPR by the Red Cross and some that have actually been on Red Cross deployments to natural disasters as their way of giving back and returning a ‘hand up’ to others in need.
Jim takes particular interest in those veterans that want a ‘hand up’. The Griffiths say they draw strength and inspiration through routine contact with veterans from all different backgrounds while attending these events. Jim has worked with the Red Cross for 30 years, 26 years as Chaplain, and he and Nancy they have supported the Service to Armed Forces efforts of the Red Cross for the past 10 years. Along with meeting veterans across the Colorado and Wyoming Region, they also said that getting to pet the service animals that accompany many veterans is just “icing on the cake”.
As Jim and Nancy wind down yet another Veterans Stand Down event, they move on down the road to another event – serving those who have served us.