Established 2020

Member Outreach Program

A peer-led network that makes sure nobody falls through the cracks.

Belonging to this community means more than showing up to events. It means knowing someone is going to check in on you - not just when you ask, but regularly. You can count on it. The Member Outreach Program is how Colonial PVA stays close to every member, including the ones who have gone quiet.

This program runs on peer-to-peer contact. Veterans open up to other veterans before they open up to anyone else. We built the outreach network around that reality.

How the Member Outreach Program Works

We're a family who shows up for each other every day.

Peer-to-Peer Check-ins

Members check in on each other regularly by phone, text, and email. We organize outreach by shared experience — spinal cord injury members hear from other spinal cord injury members, MS members hear from others living with MS, women veterans hear from other women veterans. Veterans open up to peers in ways they often don't with staff, and this program is built entirely around that truth.

Trained Peer Counselors

Every group has at least one member certified in peer counseling through the Christopher Reeve Foundation. These individuals know how to hold space, recognize when someone may be struggling, and connect that person to more support when they need it. Spinal cord injury and disorders carry a high risk of isolation and depression. We take that seriously.

Weekly Chill & Chat

Every Monday at 12:00pm Eastern, members gather on Microsoft Teams for an open, informal conversation hosted by Jennifer Small. Talk about whatever is on your mind — your day, what you've been reading, stem cell research, how the weather has been. Anything goes. It's always a lively discussion with your community who gets it.

A Bridge Into Possibility

Outreach is not only about emotional support. When a member mentions something they have always wanted to do, we listen. If someone wants to go adaptive water skiing, we find a way to make it happen. Outreach is how we stay close enough to know what our members need and want — and then go get it for them.

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