Outreach

According to a Dept. of VA report dated November. 21, 2016, the total Veteran population in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Territories/Foreign, as of Sept. 30, 2016, was approximately 21,368,000 million. The population of Women Veterans numbered 2,051,000. That's over 2 million female veterans, and that number has grown substantially since the 2014 report! Over 46,000 of them are right here in Michigan! But when asked, many people think the number of women veterans is much, much lower. We at WINC: For All Women Veterans want to change that and by having a day where we raise awareness about women in the military and about those who served we think that is a good step in that direction. That day is June 15th of every year. Our belief is that with more awareness, more veteran women will have access to the deserved proper health care, greater access to specialized treatment for military sexual trauma, and experience optimum treatment when seeking assistance at a VA facility, among other things. It’s important to make the nation aware of the many military women in their ‘own back yards’, because we are so often forgotten. Being made to feel as if our service doesn't matter is the worst thing female veterans can experience, yet it happens more than people know.    

WINC has hosted a veteran themed community resource fair; donated care bags for female veterans in local hospitals and nursing homes; are a participant in LST 393 veteran support group; works with HealthWest Veteran Resource Rep; and participates in local community and neighborhood events. WINC also has a Community Outreach Coordinator/Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Resource Specialist who provides resources and referrals to women veterans in Michigan. WINC also offers peer support groups for female veterans and peer support groups for female MST survivors.  

 WINC attended and participated in the “The Wild Gypsy Tour” in Stugis; collaborates with Challenge Aspen Military Opportunities (CAMO) to refer women veterans to their women veterans’ retreat held each December; works with Internity on a referral basis for MST survivors seeking legal services; and WINC, in partnership with Challenge America, will also soon be launching the Military Sisterhood Initiative on a national level.