 Release Date: October 21, 2008 SUPPORTERS TEE OFF TO BENEFIT RETURNING VETERANS Los Angeles, CA — On Monday, November 3, 2008, New Directions will host its 13th Annual Veterans Day Golf Classic at MountainGate Country Club. The event will raise funds for returning veterans and honor those individuals who have shown remarkable leadership in supporting the veteran community. This year, New Directions will present a first-ever Legacy Award to descendants of Arcadia Bandini de Baker, who in 1887 deeded 300 acres of prime real estate to the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers to be used as a residence and sanctuary for returning troops. This land now encompasses the West Los Angeles VA campus, where New Directions operates two of its facilities. Carolina Winston Barrie and Ricardo Johnson will accept the Legacy Award for their family. Also on November 3, New Directions will honor Senator Barbara Boxer for her longstanding support of veteran causes, and the agency will pay homage to former Board member and Vietnam veteran Chris Russell, who passed away last April after dedicating many years of service to New Directions. Actor and Vietnam veteran Troy Evans will present these awards and host the dinner and live auction. Each month, thousands of veterans return from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of them suffering from serious physical and/or mental problems. Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression and substance abuse are just some of the issues facing recent veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). New Directions’ latest initiative, Operation Welcome Home, was created specifically to assist these OEF/OIF troops as they reintegrate into civilian society. The New Directions Veterans Day Golf Classic raises thousands of dollars to support Operation Welcome Home and other programs that assist the men and women who have bravely served our country. For more than 16 years, New Directions has provided comprehensive services for veterans, including substance abuse treatment, transitional housing, counseling and peer support, remedial education, job training and placement, and legal and financial assistance. More than 20,000 homeless veterans reside in Los Angeles County, comprising nearly a third of the area’s homeless population. |
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