News
NEW SONG FOR WVFV BY JOHNNE SAMBATARO
www.johnsambataro.com
May 29, 2010 FORT MYERS, FLORIDA
WVFV presented Army Sergeant Bryson Alexander from Ft. Myers, FL, with a laptop enabling him to return to school. Rebounding from his PTSD, which left him "practically homeless," he will be moving to a VA sanctioned transitional living facility and attending UNLV. His letter to WVFV upon receipt of the laptop ended with the following:
"...Thank you for your time and service to veterans. I think people like you are the people that make this country worth fighting for"
May 22, 2010 NOANK, CONNECTICUT
Rick Crolius(WVFV), Sgt. Fran Whitworth, Peter Drakos
WVFV presented two-tour Iraq War Veteran Army Sergeant Fran Whitworth from Cranston, Rhode Island with a boat, motor and trailer donated by Peter Drakos from Groton Long Point, CT to start his commercial clamming business.
May 15, 2010 NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA
WVFV presented 5 veterans with laptops at a sold out Dave Mason/WVFV Benefit Concert at the Newport Beach, California American Legion Post 291, Natalie Gelman and Alex Drisos opened the show.
May 8, 2010 SOUTH CAROLINA
WVFV received this note along with a $100 bill from an anonymous donor fron South Carolina. We're honored and touched by the great Americans helping us help our Veterans!
APRIL 23, 2010 JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
Article(PDF):
Farming Project Invites Veterans to Work and Learn
Article(URL):
Farming Project Invites Veterans to Work and Learn
January 6, 2010 WEBSTER, FLORIDA
WVFV continues to support and expand disabled Army Veteran Adam Burke’s blueberry farm. WVFV has donated tools, equipment and a truck as Adam is preparing to expand the size of the farm which produces and markets “Red, White And Blueberry Jam”.
December 17, 2009 WASHINGTON, DC
WVFV donated and presented laptops to five soldiers in the Wounded Warrior Program at Walter Reed Hospital to assist them as they prepare to transition back to civilian life.
December 15, 2009 KEANE, NEW HAMPSHIRE
WVFV presented a car donated by Rick Crolius from Mystic, Ct. to the American Red Cross which needed the vehicle to transport veterans to hospitals throughout New England.
December 7, 2009 WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT
21 year old Lance Corporate Xhacob Latorre died from wounds inflicted fighting in Afghanistan in December 2009 after being hospitalized for five months at a military hospital in Texas.
Xhacob's family, living in Texas, wanted him to be buried in his hometown of Waterbury, CT, but could not afford the cost of the hotel rooms in Waterbury for the funeral. WVFV heard the story and paid for the ten rooms the Latorre family, including his parents, wife and 1-year old son, needed for three nights to bury their fallen hero.
November 28, 2009 MYSTIC, CONNECTICUT
The Noank Shipyard entered a boat on behalf of WVFV in the annual Mystic Boat Parade attended by over 10,000 people and was awarded “Best In Show” The event was captured on film and a short clip can be seen at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK47WBwnOKA
November 27, 2009 WESTPORT, MASSACHUSETTS
WVFV transferred a 39’ lobster boat donated by Westport lobsterman Tim Field to Army Veteran Chris Pinto who recently returned from his second tour in Iraq and is commencing his lobstering career in Plymouth, Mass.
The AP article can be viewed at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8830623
The Commercial Fisheries News article can be viewed at:
WVFV gives lobster boat to fisherman vet
November 24, 2009 GROTON, CONNECTICUT
A laptop was presented to Army Veteran Kenny Maldanado to enable him to attend nursing school in early 2010.
November 13, 2009 – JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA
The Landing in Jacksonville was the site of a night time concert featuring The Dave Mason Band on the banks of the St. Johns River. This was a free concert to promote awareness for the WVFV foundation.
November 13-15, 2009 – KORONA, FLORIDA
WVFV presented a “Salute To Veterans” weekend on the grounds of the White Eagle Lounge. The Dave Mason Band and Natalie Gelman performed along with local bands at the three day event. WVFV presented laptops to four veterans and honored five World War Two POW’s that attended the event in front of thousands of appreciative and cheering attendees.
November 11, 2009 – ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
WVFV kicked off Dave Mason’s Florida tour with an awareness and fund raising concert on Veteran’s Day at the State Theatre, which donated the use of the venue for the evening. During the show a laptop was presented to recently retired Staff Sgt. Melanie Hopes, who is setting up her new business in the St Pete area.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2009 – ATTALLA, ALABAMA
WVFV attended a "We Will Remember" event put together by Lisa Carnes and Thunder Road Magazine to salute our troops. A labtop was presented to Sgt. Sofia Malone, who had been severely wounded in a mortar attack in Iraq. The mother of three will be going back to school.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2009
SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
Yesterday, John delivered a car to a recently returned veteran named Mario Cruz. The car was a gift from the generousity of Mr Brown. This wasnt just any car. It was a car that would play a instrumental part in changing the life for a veteran and his family. Today we received a letter. Please read this and realize the sacrifice that is made by the soldier and also his family. Your support of them plays a valuable role. Please support our heroes and please support WVFV.
My name is Mario Cruz and I am a returning OIF combat veteran. I was in the Army for four years. Two of them I served in Darmstadt Germany under the 92nd MP Company, 709th MP Battalion, 18th MP Brigade. I was deployed to Iraq for 9 months serving under the 101st Airborne Air Assault Division Fort Campbell, KY. Upon return I finish my duties in Fort Campbell, KY.
During the war it was very difficult mentally and physically. There are many reasons why I say this, but only people who have been to war and been in combat can truly understand what I am saying. From having close friends taken away, and loosing my mother during this process, I can say it has been a difficult time. After the war, my wife, three children, and myself have really been struggling to get by. P.T.S.D. has taken its toll on all of us.
Four years later, I can now say that things are looking better. My family and myself have recently moved from Desert Hot Springs, CA to Groton, CT. It has been a significant change for all of us. I have enrolled in college, I have a steady job, and my children are in a great school system. The only thing that was missing was a vehicle to get to all these places!
I found a program on the internet called WORK VESSELS FOR VETS. www.workvesselsforvets.org I submitted an application explaining a little about myself, my military service, and my situation, and they replied. Now when I say they replied, they donated my family a car! A really nice car too. I’m crying right now. They donated a car to my family and thanked me for my service. They genuinely are a true passionate group of people who really helped me in a time of need. It was a true miracle for myself and my family. I personally would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Niekrash and Mr. Brown for putting this all together for me. This program has made me see that there are people out there who really care about veterans. I’m sorry I’m very emotional when I’m writing this. I’ve just felt so alone in the world since I came back from the war and have had such difficulties but you guys really made me feel special, and I haven’t felt that way in a long time. Thank you so, so much… because of WORK VESSELS FOR VETS, I can go to college, I can really go to college now, and not have to struggle. Thank you guys so much, it is truly a miracle from God.
SEPTEMBER 08, 2009
It has been incredible here at WVFV over the last few weeks. So many people have brought so many new opportunities to the table for ways to help out and expand all the current programs and projects we have put together. Ted has been doing speaking engagements with the local VFW’s and American Legions. John has been researching the new opportunities for farms, fishing vessels and ranches. Mary, in NJ, put together an event at Wall Stadium Raceway that was an incredible success. We had a 50/50 and also a raffle for prizes. The fans were great and their support was above and beyond.
Thank to Jim Morton and his staff. We presented Jim with a plaque for support of the WVFV initiative and look forward to working with him again next season.
We also would like to introduce the two newest members to the WVFV team, Paige Capelli and Ericka Steele. Paige has over 15 years doing volunteer EMT work in her hometown and now has chosen to share her time with WVFV. Ericka is back in the U.S. after 5 years in the U.S. Marines. She is now going back to school to continue her education and will be assisting the WVFV team in her free time. Welcome to both Paige and Ericka.
Ted & Paige are off to Alabama this week. Lisa Carnes & Thunder Road magazine put together an event called “We Will Remember”. They have chosen WVFV as the recipient of the benefit. There will be a motorcycle run through a wildlife preserve, barbecue and live entertainment all followed by a candlelight vigil for the troops. Many thanks to Lisa and Thunder Road for making this event a reality.
WVFV is also happy to hear from a laptop computer recipient from California. Michael Jacoby is now attending Shasta College in Redding.
Stay tuned for the November announcements. Five big concerts across the state of Florida.
AUGUST 22, 2009
Just back from the Newport Beach benefit concert, starring Dave Mason and his band. Dave continues to support WVFV with his concerts. We were able to get laptop computers into the hands of 6 local veterans that had just returned from service and are heading off to college. It was an incredibly emotional and entertaining night. WVFV raised some additional funds with the auctioning off of a Fender Stratocaster that Dave actually played during the show. It was a great night and thanks to all that came to support the cause. Please check the EVENT page for upcoming shows and events in September.
Sgt Andre Christianson
Cpl Joshua Reyes
LCpl Zachary Sizemore
Cpl Richard Klun
Cpl Ronald Dooly
Cpl Chris Colmenero
AUGUST 6, 2009
THE JERKY HUT and WVFV joined together and sent over all different flavors of beef jerky to the troops. Please support THE JERKY HUT, so that we can send more to the troops.
JULY 7, 2009
The staff at Work Vessels For Vets was honored this week at a ceremony in Brick NJ at the VFW post 8867 hall. Each individual was on hand to receive a commendation from the US Army Chief of Staff to their support of the troops. It was an honor for each of us. Dave Mason made the trip in from California for this ceremony. Dave said “Of all the statues, gold record and other awards I have received in all my years, this one is the one I am most proud to have received.”
Award Recipients
John Niekrash
Dave Mason
Ted Knapp
Mary Waseleski
Karen Chinery
Kathleen Burns
Kimberly Crew-Erle
Christian Gonzalez
JUNE 5, 2009
Work Vessels For Vets featured on FOX NEWS RED EYE show. Dave Mason promotes awareness on the show as well as his new CD release. Watch Clip
MAY 28, 2009
Military Appreciation Day at BlueClaw Stadium in Lakewood NJ on June 16, 2009 . WVFV will have a table set up and be there to promote awareness for the foundation. Come on out for some baseball and say hello.
Bill Johnson set up a page for WFVF on his site. Please check it out and sign up for Tour TV online.
http://tourtv.ning.com/group/workvesselsforveterans#
MAY 17, 2009
WVFV was in Columbus, Ohio on May 15th and in Wheeling, West Virginia on the 16th.
John, Ted and the Work Vessels for Vet staff were out in full force for a very special night. Dave Mason ( www.dave-mason.com ) was also there to play a benefit concert for the event. He had a surprise for everyone. Dave and John Sambataro ( www.johnsambataro.com ) together a few days before the show and went into the studio. In three days they wrote and recorded a song called "Thank You". Dave and John presented the song to WVFV as the theme song for our foundation. Here is a picture of the song being played for the first time to the public during the presentation. It was very relevant and touching. I know I wasn't the only one in the house that filled up with emotion during this.
WVFV, in conjuction with Delta Marine, donated a 22 ft boat to an organization called The Adaptive Adventure Sports Coalition (TAASC), which Dave presented. TAASC works with people with disabilities and enhances their everyday life, challenges their participants, helps build self-confidence, and enables learning through experiences. Their activities include: kayaking, alpine skiing, water skiing, wakeboarding, ice-skating, sailing, and cycling.
MARCH 22, 2009 by Mike Sullivan
Veterans plugged at Dave Mason show
Sometimes a column idea comes from the most unlikely of sources. And so it was last Sunday night when I got a pretty good column idea from Dave Mason. Yep, the same Dave Mason as the one from the legendary rock band Traffic. Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer, brilliant songwriter who penned such classics as "Feelin' Alright" and "We Just Disagree," killer guitar player ... not a bad resume.
Well, Mr. Mason and his band were playing at the Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, one of New England's true musical treasures. It was one of those shows you never forget, and by the end I found myself participating in a rather loud round of applause hoping for a curtain call.
Sure enough, Mason and his bandmates answered the call. The legendary axe man didn't delve back into song, though, at least not right away. He had something to say, and he had the ears of every admirer in the packed little venue.
Mason told the crowd about a group he supports called Work Vessels for Veterans, a group that finds veterans in need of assistance transitioning back to civilian life and establishing or re-establishing a career.
Mason said — please know that I'm paraphrasing because I was at the show socially and wasn't officially working — that the government doesn't do enough to help our veterans when they return from war. So, he told the crowd, we'll just have to help them ourselves.
That statement got a round of applause not unlike the one he got for playing "All Along The Watchtower" — Mason played acoustic guitar on Jimi Hendrix's original studio recording of the Bob Dylan song — earlier in the show.
WVFV's founder John Neikrash was on hand as well as Ted Knapp— who Mason referred to as his "stunt double" due to their physical similarities — greeted patrons as they entered the concert hall, handing out fliers and explaining what WVFV does. Neikrash was a working lobsterman in New England, and two years ago donated his vessel to a returning veteran who has become a successful commercial fisherman.
Neikrash has been at it ever since, and with Mason's support is spreading the word. WVFV also donates computers to help returning veterans with job searches as well. Whether it's a computer, advice, or helping make connections, "Vessels For Vets" will try to help.
Being the son of a Vietnam War veteran, any cause in support of our current and former servicemen and women is one I tune into. I heard the stories from my dad about how hard it was to come back, how hard it was when many people just didn't understand what it was the veterans went through. This was especially true of the Vietnam era, when those returning from war weren't celebrated as heroes upon their return. Far from it, but that's another column for another day.
So after making a donation to WVFV near the end of the show, I felt compelled to do more. I felt compelled to spread the word, not just to help WVFV, but to help every man and woman who puts his/her life on the line so we can go about our daily lives and enjoy something many of us take for granted — our freedom.
Also, please know that I'm no sucker for people pushing their causes into the faces of anyone who will listen.
As an avid concert-goer for nearly 20 years, I've seen many a musician step up into the pulpit and push all kinds of politics on unwanting ears. Mason wasn't making any political statements, at least not the types that tend to make me nauseous. He was speaking from the heart about something that is undeniably true — we need to support our veterans in any way we can.
I'm fiercely proud of my late father, and all of our veterans, so anything that supports them deserves and commands our attention. I'm thankful I was at the Dave Mason concert, and not just because of the music.
MARCH 17, 2009 THEDAY.COM Connecticut
Groton - Almost a year after John Niekrash gave his lobster boat to a 22-year-old Marine reservist and Iraq veteran, his organization, Work Vessels for Vets, has expanded its mission beyond boats and formed a new partnership to give laptop computers to veterans in need.
Niekrash, a Mystic lobsterman, decided last year he wanted to find a more worthwhile cause for his old boat, the Krasher III, which he was replacing. His goal - to give a veteran a way to make a living - eventually led him to Richard Giguere, of Chepachet, R.I., a carpenter with a love of fishing who completed two tours in Iraq.
But over the past year, more people - even those without boats to give - offered their help. So organizers broadened the definition of “vessels” to assist veterans with all kinds of needs.
Last week, the group gave laptops to 11 Connecticut veterans, gifts made possible through a friend of Niekrash.
Ted Knapp, vice-president of Green Technology Recycling in Essington, Pa., in association with Kimberly Crew, CEO of Computer Systems and Solutions in Philadelphia, donated the computers. Novartis Pharmaceuticals offered the computer cases, mice and headphones.
Niekrash said the group's goal is to donate 2,000 to 3,000 per year in various states. The foundation requests that interested veterans send a letter outlining their needs and plans for the computer.
Work Vessels for Vets is also looking into providing construction and automotive tools and equipment for veterans who are in the greatest need, Niekrash said. They're talking about soliciting donations of tractors for veterans who farm land and car rentals for vets who want to start a delivery or taxi service.
”Anything that will help these guys find work,” Niekrash said. “This is a tremendous generation of kids. We're not doing enough.”
Veterans already face challenges transitioning into careers when they return, and the poor economy has only made it harder, Niekrash said.
Requests have continued to come into the organization and to the Connecticut Department of Labor's Office for Veterans' Workforce Development from veterans who had often served on multiple deployments, who were injured and prohibited from returning to pre-service careers and many who were enrolling in college.
The group has also gotten a bit of a celebrity endorsement. Hall of Fame rocker Dave Mason, a founding member of the group Traffic, is a friend of both Niekrash and Knapp and signed onto the foundation's board. Mason, who participated in a recent ceremony when the laptops were donated, has been promoting the organization's efforts nationally at his concerts.
But the group's expanded mission doesn't mean it is moving away from its beginnings, said Kathleen Burns, general manager of Noank Shipyard, which has also been involved with the project.
The group is working on a donation in Michigan in which a disabled vet hopes to fulfill his dream to captain a 32-foot charter boat on Lake Erie. Another boat is being transferred from Florida to Wyoming. The group also manned a booth at the Hartford Boat Show.
Niekrash said he still has a handful of vets interested in commercial fishing, but needs to find the right type of boat for them. Giguere, meanwhile, is actively working the boat in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay and serves on the organization's board.
”This has really struck a chord with Americans,” Niekrash said.
