44 THE QUEENS COURIER • SALUTE TO VETERANS • NOVEMBER 9, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
salute to veterans
Creative arts help veterans reclaim their voice
For Angela Walker, music was her fi rst
love, her passion and her whole identity.
“Once a singer, always a singer,” she oft en
says. Th at was true even aft er she joined
the U.S. Navy in 1985. But what happened
next forever changed Walker’s perspective
on what it means to have a voice.
When she was 26, Walker knew she
had a calling to serve and protect her
country and its ideals. She served as a
naval airman and sang cadence in boot
camp while training to work on helicopters.
During boot camp, she developed a
throat condition and lost her voice. When
Walker was medically discharged, she was
devastated. On top of that, Walker’s illness
worsened, and she was later admitted
to a U.S. Department of Veterans Aff airs
(VA) hospital, where she would meet a
therapist who helped change her life.
“One day I met Jessie,” Walker recalled.
“She played the piano and would encourage
patients to sing along with her. She
kept at me, until I gave in and sang
‘Summertime’ by Ella Fitzgerald. In that
moment, I found my voice again.”
Once Walker began singing again, it
was clear she still had talent. So much
so that years later, she would become a
fi ve-time fi nalist at the National Veterans
Creative Arts Festival (NVCAF), which is
open to veterans who participate in their
local VA hospital’s creative arts therapy
programs. Veterans can submit their
work in the categories of performing arts,
creative writing and visual arts through
their therapists for a chance to be selected
for the NVCAF. Once selected, veterans
from around the country join together for
the weeklong event with creative workshops,
an art exhibit, meet-and-greet and
a live stage show to display their talents.
Today, Walker volunteers at her local
VA hospital to help others fi nd their
voice, in addition to traveling on tour and
singing commercial jingles.
Her story is not that diff erent from many
other veterans involved in art therapy programs,
which help veterans recover from
and cope with physical and emotional disabilities.
Creative arts gives them an outlet to
express themselves through various forms of
art. Oft en, this form of therapy is the life-saving
tool veterans need for rehabilitation.
Th e NVCAF is co-presented by the
VA and the American Legion Auxiliary
(ALA), the world’s largest women’s patriotic
service organization and one of the
nation’s most prominent advocates for
veterans’ needs. For 17 years, the ALA
has partnered with the VA to co-present
the festival to celebrate veterans and
their talents. Th anks to volunteers from
across the country, the ALA assists veterans
with art projects and their travel to
the NVCAF, assembles displays, and supports
publicity, production and materials
development during the weeklong event.
Many of the volunteers from ALA units
make it a yearly commitment to donate
their time to support this program.
Sharon Neville helped host the NVCAF in
her home state of North Carolina in 2014
and has volunteered at the event multiple
times since then.
“Th is experience is unlike any other,”
said Neville, who began volunteering in
2013. “Th is festival is life-changing for all
who attend, not just the participants. It’s
a way for the public to understand a veteran’s
journey, appreciate it and celebrate
it. It’s a story that many of us will never
know, but we should start listening.”
Courtesy BPT
all they’ve sacrificed to protect our freedom
Happy Veterans Day
CONGRESSWOMAN
GRACE MENG
Paid for and authorized by Grace For New York
This Veteran’s Day we honor those
who have served and who are
currently serving our country.
Because we treasure peace and
freedom, thank them and show them
Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. New York State Senator
District 15
Ranking Member of NYS Senate Committee for Veterans,
Homeland Security, and Military Affairs
159-53 102nd Street
Howard Beach, NY 11414
TEL: (718) 738-1111
FAX: (718) 322-5760
66-85 73rd Place
Middle Village, NY 11379
TEL: (718) 497-1630
FAX: (718) 497-1761
our appreciation.
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