Mindfulness & Alternative Health Programs | Connecticut Veterans Resource Page

The Warrior's Art Room is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization who's mission is to provide veterans and their immediate family with a place to create art, materials to create art, and with instruction as needed. We provide veterans and their families with art gallery space to display their art in the Sgt James G Wheeler Memorial Art Gallery

Located at:

122 Pleasant St Suite 105

Keystone Building

Easthampton, MA 01027

Hours of Operation are as follows:

Monday 5-8, Tuesday 5-8, Wednesday 5-8, Thursday 5-8, Friday 10-3, Saturday Noon -4, Sunday Closed

A few details of our makers space:

1700+ square feet

Veteran's artwork gallery for public viewing

Handicap accessible

Large work areas

Coffee/small kitchen area

MakerspaceCT is a skills development center for makers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, members and students. Since 2019, we have offered our community unparalleled support and resources to learn and create. The 28,000 square foot workshop in the iconic G. Fox Building in downtown Hartford is a place for residents, students, hobbyists, aspiring innovators, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs to access the tools, technology, resources and educational opportunities they need to succeed in the state’s manufacturing and technology workforce.

The ten individual workshops we provide are equipped with cutting-edge hardware and software, offering virtual reality equipment and programming to support education-to-career pathways. Our professional and instructional staff are versed in digital fabrication and design processes, making us uniquely suited to provide innovative, outcomes-based programs.

Mission: Equip people with tools to design, invent, and create.

Description: MakeHaven, Inc. is a not-for-profit, membership-driven organization, gathering place workshop for makers, creators, tinkerers and dreamers. The environment supports the development of and collaboration on a wide variety of projects, including: prototyping, fabrication, mechanics, electronics, crafts, art, and woodworking. Through free public events, skill building workshops and the independent projects of our membership, MakeHaven enables people to make things.

Veteran Discount Avaliable

“52 Reasons to Love a Vet:” Fund Gifted to Frontline Arts from Ella Rue and Bob Eyet for Veterans’ Opportunities in Art

Frontline Arts is very pleased to announce the gift of a Veterans’ Opportunities in Art and Art Education Fund to help support Veteran Residencies and our Frontline Paper Program.

Ella Rue and Bob Eyet generously gifted the “52 Reasons to Love a Vet” fund, via Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation, Inc, (along with the full collection of original artwork by world-renowned artists and illustrators and supporting merchandise) in 2021. This much-needed funding will allow us to bring further support to our Frontline Paper Program plus other educational opportunities for veterans looking for a full immersion in techniques based in papermaking, printmaking and other social arts practices, virtually and in our studios.

The Combat Paper Project utilizes art making workshops to assist veterans in reconciling and sharing their personal experiences as well as broadening the traditional narrative surrounding service and the military culture.

The Combat Paper Project is based out of art studios throughout the United States and has traveled to Canada and the United Kingdom, providing veterans workshops, exhibitions, performances and artists' talks. This project is made possible by a multifaceted collaboration between artists, art collectors, academic institutions and veterans.

The Vet Arts Connect initiative was developed to support the health and well-being of military veterans by connecting them with vital experiences in nature and the creative arts. Consistent with scientific findings, many veterans report that artistic expression and encounters with nature improve their mood and self-confidence, while easing symptoms of post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and depression. We hope this successful demonstration project can influence and inspire other similar efforts to help veterans heal and flourish.

Connect & engage 100,000 veterans through our social media

Enroll 1,000 veterans annually in our immersive online art programs

Give free art materials to all veterans enrolled in our VA sponsored art classes

Have a national presence showcasing art for, of and by veterans

Our DREAM: Through the healing qualities of art we hope to give veterans a much needed way to express themselves when words can’t, and to provide a way to navigate a sometimes difficult world with creativity, purpose and joy.

Creative Arts Workshop is a nonprofit regional center for creativity that has served the Greater New Haven area since 1961. As an anchor institution located in the heart of the award-winning Audubon Arts District, CAW offers a wide range of visual arts classes and engagement in creativity in its own three-story building with fully-equipped studios in eight disciplines, and an active exhibition and public programming schedule. More than 1,800 adults and young people enroll annually in the more than 400 courses offered by Creative Arts Workshop, while over 1000 visitors enjoy the free exhibitions and public programs in its destination galleries throughout the year. CAW’s classes are open to students of all ages and levels of experience.

CAW is supported by its membership, tuition fees, sponsorship, contributions from individuals, charitable foundations, public funding, and from special events and sales.

The program aims to support veterans, service members, and military-connected populations of all ages and abilities through the arts and arts-based approaches that promote connectedness and improve mental health and wellbeing. Evidence-based research shows that arts-based wellness, equine assisted activities, and yoga can improve mindfulness, and reduce negative feelings associated with stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma. Creative Arts for Vets collaborates with veterans, service members, military-connected populations, community organizations, and the Indiana Department of Veteran Affairs to develop unique experiences that fit the needs and interests present in specific communities. All of our events are free, and we travel anywhere in the state of Indiana and beyond. With our events, veterans and service members are always encouraged to bring a plus one—a spouse, a friend, or an adult family member.

Mindfulness meditation for veterans: actually helpful or a woo-woo idea being peddled to you as a cure all for the stress of life? When you’ve spent any part of your professional career in the military, “calm” isn’t exactly a word you’d use to describe your time in service for most people. In fact, it’s pretty common to feel like you got institutionalized going all the way back to your first day at boot camp. So how can you bring mindfulness into your life? Is it even worth it? When should you meditate and what should that practice look like?

Veterans Yoga Project is on a mission to support recovery and resilience among veterans, military families, and communities.

VYP began when Dr. Daniel J. Libby was working as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Yale University Department of Psychiatry at the West Haven VA Medical Center, Connecticut.

While providing psychotherapy for veterans recovering from PTS(D), he found that those who developed empowering self-regulating practices had better outcomes — they moved through post-traumatic stress to post-traumatic growth more quickly and gracefully.

For Information in Connecticut call:

(860) 666-6951 ext.17838

What is Tai Chi and Qigong?

Tai Chi is a gentle exercise that connects the mind and body. It uses slow, flowing movements along with deep breathing and focus.

These practices come from Asian martial arts and traditional medicine practices from East Asia. Practicing Tai Chi can help with relaxation, balance, posture, strength, flexibility, and mood.

Qigong is like Tai Chi but focuses more on building the body’s energy, called “qi.” It combines breathing, posture, focus, and slow movements to improve overall well-being.

Tai chi and Qigong can be done seated or standing. It is sometimes offered in person or virtually through telehealth.

800,000 U.S. VETERANS STRUGGLE WITH PHYSICAL INJURIES, PTSD AND OTHER EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. WE BELIEVE GUITARS CAN HELP THE HEALING PROCESS.

Music helps decrease anxiety, increase self-esteem, and reduce episodes of panic attacks, nightmares and flashbacks. A research study of Guitars 4 Vets students showed a 21% improvement in PTSD symptoms and a 27% decrease in related depression symptoms. The study attributed learning and playing guitar as the primary catalysts for these improvements—and we want to ensure as many vets as possible have that opportunity.

More simply, playing a guitar can help veterans safely connect with their surroundings and other people.

Encore empowers veterans, active duty military, and first responders through music and enables them to pursue their creative goals by providing opportunities for them to make and record music together.

70+ years of research and focused studies show the beneficial effects of music:

Increases emotional expression & processing - Reduces anxiety & depression - Rehabilitates neural pathways in the brain - Fosters meaningful relationships & community. Programs Include:

EVENTS
JAMS
LESSONS
TRACKS
RETREATS

Operation Encore is a collaboration of singer-songwriters and musicians from across the veteran and military communities. Our organization focuses on two primary goals. First, Operation Encore provides opportunities and talent development for selected artists aspiring to take their music to a professional level. Second, we provide a unique service to the public, helping to bridge the gap between reality and public perception of veterans through the powerful medium of original music. We seek out talent from across the military and veteran communities, and offer selected artists unique opportunities, including professional networking education and training, live performances, marketing, advertising, talent development, studio time, distribution of music, and much more.

Comprised of graduates from America's finest music schools, the West Point Concert Band is a versatile ensemble that continues to entertain and inspire audiences through innovative programming and world-class performance in concert and ceremonial settings. The ensemble can be heard around the Greater Hudson Valley, New York City, and throughout the United States. Its storied history features performances for U.S. Presidents, heads of state, and foreign dignitaries. The band is regularly invited to participate in high-profile events in the New York metropolitan area at locations such as Yankee Stadium, MetLife Stadium, and the Statue of Liberty.

Check out the site for upcoming events and concert dates in the Tri State Area.

C*A*M*M*O the Center for American Military Music Opportunities, is committed to the principles of servant leadership with peer serving peer – American service member and veteran serving veteran. C*A*M*M*O builds the skills of musicianship and performance, putting our service members in touch with leading industry talent development specialists, extending career opportunities left unattainable to military personnel, and presents performances, concerts, and workshops to audiences of all ages.

There are three prongs to the C*A*M*M*O mission:

To create therapeutic programming and outlets for service members and veterans

To train and educate veterans in music industry career opportunities

To develop top-notch music artists

Challenge America Music Opportunities equips veterans with the tools they need to cope with the trauma of their military experience. Designed specifically for veterans who struggle with post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injury, each participant receives three days of expert-led music therapy, a high quality acoustic guitar, and access to our exclusive online networking tools as well as our growing library of free video tutorials on guitar, songwriting, and mindfulness. We provide these services to veterans for free. This is just one of the ways Challenge America works to realize its vision that all service members, veterans and their families have access to the resources they need to live productive, dignified lives.

The mission of Freedom Sings USA is to help veterans, military personnel, and their families throughout the country reach emotional balance by telling their stories through the creative process of songwriting.

We hold weekly ongoing classes on Wednesday mornings and Thursday nights in Chattanooga, Tennessee and sponsor events and group retreats throughout the U.S. Those we serve need no musical background, only the desire to tell their story.

In a typical session, the songwriter listens and encourages the participant to lay out the "puzzle pieces" of his or her experience. Together, they arrange those pieces into verses and choruses. The result is a complete song that they can call their own, then as alumni they have the support every week of other veterans who are alumni and to support new veterans just writing their songs.

Most of you are aware of the sacrifices our veterans have made for us. What many people are not aware of is the continuing sacrifices vets face when they come home. Repeated surgeries and years of rehab and adjustment. Some pretty tough stuff.

Strumming for Vets is an organization that has come up with a way to help restore the feeling of joy and self-worth that can be lost after extreme trauma. With donated guitars and teachers donating their time, these vets are given a new type of therapy that works!

Your donation of musical equipment (guitars, stands, tuners, etc.) would be greatly appreciated. A generous donation of $100.00 will buy a vet a brand new guitar.

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mindfulness &

alternative health programs

Veteran mindfulness and alternative health programs utilize evidence-based, non-pharmacological therapies—like art, music, yoga, and meditation—to help veterans

The Warrior's Art Room

makerspacect

makehaven

frontline arts

combat paper project

The Vet Arts

Connect initiative

The patriots

art foundation

creative arts workshop

creative arts for

veterans (cav)

Vet Life - Mindfulness & Meditation

Veterans

Yoga Project

The mindfulness center

Exhalted Warrior foundation

Sattva Wellness Collective

Veterans Administration:

whole health (tai chi & Qigong

Guitars for Vets

Guardian Revival -

encore program

Soldier Songs & Voices

Operation Encore

WEST POINT

CONCERT BAND

CAMMO: Center for

american military music

opportunities

Challenge America Music Opportunities

freedom sings usa

strumming for vets

Connecticut Veterans Resource page

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