Ruck-Up Inc

ADVOCACY SERVICES RUCK UP PROVIDES FOR VETERANS IN OUR CATCHMENT AREA FREE ADVOCACY AND ASSISTANCE SERVICES TO HELP WITH VA AND SOCIAL SECURITY CLAIMS. IN 2022 THAT MEANT MORE THAN $2,460,300 IN BENEFITS AND SERVICES "WON" ON BEHALF OF OUR CLIENT VETERANS WE SERVE; $10,046,000 IN THE LAST 5 YEARS ALONE. THAT INCLUDES NOT ONLY DISABILITY BENEFITS, BUT ALSO VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION BENEFITS WITH THE VA. MUCH OF OUR TIME AND EFFORTS GO INTO RECORDS RETRIEVAL, INTERACTION WITH TREATING MEDICAL AGENCIES, FILING, AND PRESSING CLAIMS. THIS TAKES MUCH OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.OUTREACH SERVICES WHILE OUR OUTREACH SERVICES INCLUDE OTHER EFFORTS, A LARGE PART OF THEM IS OUR FOOD AND CLOTHING SHELF FOR VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN NEED. WE HELP FILL A GAP OFTEN NOT MET BY OTHER LOCAL AGENCIES, AND WE WORK SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE KEENE COMMUNITY KITCHEN IN OUR EFFORTS. UNTIL THE RECENT PANDEMIC OUR EFFORTS ALSO INCLUDED FEEDING LOCAL AREA VETS EVERY FRIDAY WITH A " NO-COST COOKOUT AND EVERY YEAR WE FED AREA VETS AT THANKSGIVING WHO HAVE NO ONE TO SHARE IT WITH. OUR FOOD SHELF HAS CONTINUED TO BE OPERATIONAL DESPITE STAFFING AND COVID ISSUES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS,, AND IN 2022, RUCK UP GAVE OUT MORE THAN 2.95 TONS OF FOOD AND CLOTHING TO VETERANS IN NEED, WITH AN ESTIMATED COST OF $155,000 IN FOOD & CLOTHING. HOMELESS PREVENTION - IN OUR LOCAL KEENE COMMUNITY, WE INTERACT WITH OTHER COMMUNITY AGENCIES IN HELPING VETERANS WITH EMERGENCY HOUSING AND FOOD, BUT ALSO IN THE LAST FEW YEARS WE HAVE HELPED VETERANS OBTAIN HOUSING OR SAVE THE HOMES THEY ARE IN WITH "HOMELESS PREVENTION" FUNDS IN COOPERATION WITH AGENCIES SUCH AS EASTER SEALS, FRIENDS OF VETERANS, VETS INC, VA HUD/VASH, HARBOR HOMES AND OUR LOCAL VVA, VFW AND AMERICAN LEGION RIDERS. THIS HAS BEEN OUR BIGGEST AREA OF GROWTH IN THE LAST 5 YEARS. THESE GRANTS, PAYABLE ONLY TO UTILITIES AND MORTGAGE FIRMS/LANDLORDS, ARE A MAXIMUM OF $600 PER VETERAN, PER YEAR. WE CANNOT DO MORE. BUT THE COORDINATION BETWEEN US AND OTHER AGENCIES HAS KEPT FAMILIES HOUSED IN SOME SEVERE CIRCUMSTANCES. IN 2018, $5,200 WAS COMMITTED TO AIDING VETERANS WITH RENT, UTILITIES, AND BASIC SERVICES ASSISTANCE IN WORKING WITH OTHER AGENCIES, RISING TO $13,205 IN 2019. AND IN 2020, 71 VEREANS AND FAMILIES WERE AIDED AT A COST OF $37,500. RUCK UP, IN 2021, HELPED PROVIDE DIRECT AID TO 125 VETERANS AND FAMILIES, WITH $59,530 THIS YEAR GOING TO HELP VETERANS GAIN OR MAINTAIN LONG TERM HOUSING. IN FY 2022, RUCK-UP PROCESSED 314 CASES FOR SERVICES AND ASSISTANCE, DELIVERING OVER $83,300 IN DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO STAY IN OR OBTAIN HOUSING. ALONG WITH THE OTHER COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS WE MAKE, RUCK UP EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST 10 NOW, HAS HOSTED AND PROVIDED TO AREA VETERANS AND FAMILIES ALL THE SUPPORTS AND SUPPLIES TO DO THE YEARLY "CANDLE VIGIL IN THE PARK". EACH MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, IN AN EFFORT SIMILAR TO THE "MOVING WALL" VETERANS GATHER TO PAY HONOR TO THE MEN AND WOMEN LOST IN SERVICE TO OUR NATION FROM OUR AREA. EVERY YEAR, MORE THAN 4,200 CANDLES THAT RUCK UP PROVIDES, ALONG WITH ALL THE SUPPORTIVE STAFF AND EQUIPMENT, HELP LIGHT UP THE CENT ER OF KEENE, NH IN HONOR OF OUR VETERANS AND THE FALLEN.COUNSELING SERVICES- RUCK UP HELPS PROVIDE VET2VET PEER COUNSELING AND AA SERVICES FOR VETERANS FROM NOT ONLY NH, BUT ALSO VT, AND WESTERN MA. IN 2020, RUCK UP PROVIDED MORE THAN 2,500 HOURS OF FREE COUNSELING SERVICES TO THE VETERANS WE SERVE, THAT NUMBER OF HOURS INCREASING TO 2,742 CLINICAL HOURS IN 2021. IN 2022 MORE THAN 2,940 HOURS OF CLINICAL TRAUMA, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING WAS PROVIDED TO VETERANS. THIS INCLUDED CASE MANAGEMENT AND INTERACTION WITH THE VA MEDICAL SYSTEMS MEDICATION MANAGER AT OUR LOCAL VA CBOC, AS WELL AS DIRECT COOPERATION WITH THE VA MEDICAL CENTERS IN THE REGION FOR HOSPITALIZATION AND PSYCHIATRY FOLLOW UP SERVICES. THAT PART ALONE BECAME VERY SIGNIFICANT WITH THE VA HOSPITALS REGIONALLY "SHUTTING THEIR DOORS" FOR MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALIZATION DURING MUCH OF THE PANDEMIC AND POST-COVID MONTHS, AND RUCK UP'S STAFF COORDINATING MULTIPLE SEPERATE HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH OUTSIDE MENTAL HEALTH AGENCIES TO HELP VETERANS IN CRISIS, 13 THIS YEAR ALONE.VETERAN'S SUICIDE PREVENTION- IN ADDITION TO OUR PRIMARY EFFORTS IN ADVOCACY, OUTREACH, AND COUNSELING, RUCK UP HAS BUILT A CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION [AFSP] . RUCK UP IS NOT ONLY THE ONLY TEAM OF VETERANS THAT ATTENDS AFSP'S NATIONAL "WALK OUT OF THE DARKNESS" IN EFFORTS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE SPECTRE OF VETERAN'S SUICIDE. RUCK UP HELPS PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION, AND ASSISTANCE TO THE VETERANS WHO MAKE UP THE TEAM AND MAKE THE WALK, PRIMARILY TO HELP THE TEAM GIVE THEIR BEST EFFORTS. NONE OF RUCK UP'S FUNDS GO TO AFSP DIRECTLY, BUT IN SUPPORT OF THE VETERAN'S MAKING THE GRUELING 18 MILE WALK AGAINST SUICIDE. THE TEAM OFVETERAN' S THEMSELVES, [MANY OF WHOM MAKE THE EFFORT DESPITE DISABILITIES], RAISE DIRECT SPONSOR MONIES TO HELP AFSP IN THEIR MISSION. IN 2020-2021, RUCK UP WAS TASKED TO OVERCOME THE DIFFICULTIES OF COVID, WHILE SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS AGAINST SUICIDE, WHICH HAS HAD ITS NUMBERS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY NATIONWIDE SINCE THE FIRST "LOCKDOWNS" OF THE PUBLIC. THE SITUATION HAS BECOME SO CRITICAL, THAT THE VETERAN'S ADMINISTRATION HAS ADMITTED THAT SUICIDES AMONGST VETERANS ARE AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH. SO, IN TRUE RUCK UP FASHION, AND WORKING DIRECTLY WITH AFSP, RUCK UP HOSTED A 3-MILE COMMUNITY WALK AGAIN THIS YEAR IN KEENE NH, AND AN 11 MILE "OVERNIGHT" OF OUR OWN, CALLED THE "LONG PATROL". FOR A TEAM OF VETERANS DEDICATED TO THE CAUSE. WITH THAT EFFORT, IN COMBINATION WITH THE WORK OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, RUCK UP HAS HELPED RAISE MORE THAN $905,000 IN FUNDS RAISED FOR AFSP FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST SUICIDE.OVERALL VETERANS SERVED IN NH, VT AND MA = 734.