A Strong Partnership for Puerto Rico's Military Families
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| The 2011 Puerto Rico Delegation |
This last week (July 13-17),
The Magis Foundation's Executive Director and Founder,
Rebecca Maria A. Rivera, participated in the Army OneSource Partnership Institute, held in Washington, D.C., for the delegation of Puerto Rico. The event welcomed several stakeholders from over 25 states around the nation.
This 4-day intensive event was held with the purpose of developing a partnership with each state's professionals and organizations, that can provide Behavioral Health, Legal, Finance and Faith Based services and support to our military men, women and families.
"Although in previous years the Army has used the adage 'the Army takes care of its own', sustained operations and constrained funding have prompted us to seek additional assistance. With 1.6 million Soldiers currently deployed, the Army has acknowledged the need to incorporate community agencies and organizations in order to effectively support Soldiers and their Families."- says Lynn McCollum, Family Program Director for the
United States Army Installation Management Command.
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| Puerto Rico's Poster Board |
Army OneSource of Puerto Rico, in partnership with
The Magis Foundation and
Give an Hour, projects a social impact of at least
37,080 Puerto Rican Soldiers and family members.
The vision is to expand current resources and services, in terms of geography and outreach, throughout Puerto Rico, to improve the quality of life of Soldiers and their families.
"This is a great opportunity for our local mental health providers, and other organizations, to come together and join our initiative. We understand that a soldier's injury can affect his/her family, lifestyle, work, mental health, relationships, faith, self-esteem and overall functioning.
In behavioral health we are faced with the psychological scars of war and deployment, without mentioning the side effects in family dynamics and the financial, legal and faith based areas.
We're a community that cares for its members, we need to come together and support our local military families by giving them the tools to adapt and lead healthy lives."- stated Ms. Rivera, as she mentioned the participation of
The Magis Foundation along
Give an Hour and a board member of the
Institute of Continued Education of the Puerto Rico Social Workers Professional College.
"The Puerto Rico team created a strong and comprehensive action plan. We look forward to the development of this project, and most of all, to the positive impact it will have in our Army families' lives. The more professionals and organizations join, the faster this initiative will reach its goal."- says
Celeste Suris, ESQ, Vice President of
The Magis Foundation, and sister of an active duty soldier.
On a closing statement, Ms. Rivera added: "We need to look beyond the uniform, beyond war, and beyond politics. Helping others is a big statement, it says: 'I CARE'. Let's remember to be pro- person, pro-family, and pro-health." ■
If you're interested in joining this initiative, send us your contact information to info@MagisFoundation.org.
©2011 The Magis Foundation
