What are you thankful for this year? These stories might help you decide
It can be tough to convince Americans to agree on something. But it seems we all agree on Thanksgiving –– or at least, 91% of us do, which is about as close as it’s going to get.
Across the nation, people will sit down with friends and family this evening, and the vast majority will share a blessing and perhaps even a round-robin shout-out session declaring what we are thankful for. To help Straight Arrow News readers settle into the mood, we’ve pulled together this roundup of stories from the past few months that may just give you something to add to your thankfulness list. Bonus: Many also provide an opportunity to give back or help someone.
How one Nebraska nonprofit is using music to treat veterans with PTSD
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 7% of all veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Over the years, well-meaning folks from across the country have tried to tackle this issue in a wide variety of ways.
Now, the Omaha-based nonprofit organization Hero’s Encore is working with veterans to treat PTSD through music. And it’s a tactic backed by research: A 2023 BMC Psychology study found that veterans who participated in guitar-based music instruction saw PTSD symptoms drop by an average of 21%. At the same time, participants reported their depression had eased by 27% and their overall quality of life had improved by 37%.
Air Force veteran Taylor Ullom founded Hero’s Encore after her own personal struggle with PTSD. Participants told SAN that the program has been transformational.
“It’s been really good for me,” Jake Gouger, a Marine Corps veteran, told SAN earlier this year. “When I’m playing music, I’m not focused on some of the mental health problems I have or, you know, what’s going on in life. I’m just focused on learning the craft. And so it’s been really positive and it’s been a really good coping mechanism.”
For now, the organization is teaching veterans in the Omaha area. But Ullom has dreams to grow the nonprofit to reach veterans across the nation.
For more on Hero’s Encore, its mission and how to help, read the full story here.
Quilters rally to stitch Texas community back together one ‘hug’ at a time
In the days after the deadly Fourth of July floods in Texas Hill Country, local quilter Connie Kortz did what she always does: She began wondering how she could help keep her neighbors safe, warm and feeling loved. She found her answer where she often does: at her sewing machine.
Kortz began sewing quilt blocks she would later piece together into full-fledged blankets. And then she took her quest to social media, where she asked her friends, as well as strangers, to join in her mission. Within weeks, she tallied thousands of quilt blocks that have made their way to her small shop in Victoria, Texas.
As she told SAN this summer, in times of grief, people often need a hug. “And,” she asked, “what is a quilt, but a hug?”
For more on Kortz’s mission to deliver hundreds of quilts to flood survivors, and details on how to help, read the full story here.
How a Minnesota church is tapping a ‘land use’ law to combat homelessness
The number of Americans experiencing homelessness continues to grow. And so does the effort to curb the issue. But many organizations have trouble fixing a multipronged problem, and still, there is no simple solution in sight.
But what if churches could help?
“If the church were to put their focus on that 20% that are the hardest to house, most expensive to the public, with the least amount of options available, then we would free up 80% of public resources to help people that do just sort of need a hand up,” said Gabrielle Clowdus, a former University of Minnesota researcher and founder of Settled, an organization that coordinates tiny home communities on church land. “But often we look away from the hardest to house because of things like mental illness and substance abuse. We believe the church is so equipped and well-positioned to help the people struggling the most.”
Settled has figured out a way to leverage land use laws to help combat homelessness through the installation of tiny homes. The key ingredient, Clowdus told SAN, is community.
For more on the church’s quest to house its neighbors, read the full story here.
Facing $50K in adoption fees, this Texas couple baked up a sweet side hustle
When Pam and Doug Johse learned they would not be able to have biological children, their world flipped over. Pam is a devoted aunt and has always dreamed of being a mother herself.
She and Doug knew they had to find a way to pursue the family they’ve always dreamed of. So they turned their hearts and minds to adoption. But very quickly, they learned this too might be out of reach –– this time because of the high price tag.
The average private adoption costs somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000, a far greater amount of money than the typical American has hanging around. For the Johses, coming up with that kind of cash has been a challenge. But they’re getting creative: These days, you can find Pam and Doug selling baked goods in pop-up farmers markets and brewery parking lots across their suburban Texas hometown.
And they’re learning that they have more support in their adoption journey than they ever could have imagined.
For more on the Johses’ sweet side hustle, read the full story here.
The post What are you thankful for this year? These stories might help you decide appeared first on Straight Arrow News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
