OHIO demonstrates commitment to service at ninth annual Athens Area Stand Down

The words are inscribed on the Alumni Gateway—those who attend Ohio University enter to learn and depart to serve. Part of OHIO’s mission is a strong commitment to service while preparing students for their post-graduation lives. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to get involved in their community to share their knowledge, skills and creativity and to promote global understanding and peace.

The Ohio University community undoubtedly demonstrated a commitment to those in need at the recent ninth annual Athens Area Stand Down. Several OHIO colleges, departments and organizations played integral roles at the Stand Down event, volunteering to help veterans and community members who are unhoused or at risk of homelessness.

Athens Area Stand Down is a grassroots, community-based intervention program originally designed to help our nation’s homeless veterans combat life on the streets. Stand Down has since expanded to all community members who are in need. Individuals who attend Stand Down are provided with a broad range of necessities including food, clothing, medical, legal and mental health assistance, job counseling and referral, and most importantly, companionship and camaraderie.

According to Vice President of Athens Area Stand Down and Director of Ohio University’s Veterans and Military Student Services Center Terry St. Peter, Ohio University has been involved with Stand Down since its inception in 2016. St. Peter is a veteran himself and has played a large role in getting the OHIO community more involved with Stand Down as the event has grown.

“It’s an opportunity to give back to the community and to veterans who have served our country and might have fallen on some hard times,” said St. Peter. “I think from a humanity standpoint, it’s a good opportunity for students to help those who might be struggling and donate their time.”

St. Peter went on to explain that the event is volunteer-heavy as Stand Down ideally matches one volunteer per one participant to create a personalized experience. Volunteers can then walk participants around, get to know them and ensure they are provided with the specific resources they need.

“I just would like to thank the Ohio University departments, colleges, participants—our volunteers, for their outstanding support over the last nine years, in this endeavor,” St. Peter emphasized. “We look forward to continuing to work with each and every one of them as we continue this. My thanks go out to all those around the Ohio University community that have contributed over the years.”

This year, Ohio University Army and Air Force ROTC detachments, the Ohio University Student Veterans of America student organization, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Patton College of Education, Chi Omega, Phi Delta Theta and more helped volunteer.

OHIO Student Veterans of America (SVA) and ROTC units annually provide a significant number of volunteers to help organize parking, direct traffic, tend to participants and help with additional equipment as needed. Many of these military-affiliated students are also paired with Stand Down participants to guide them through the event.

“[With Student Veterans of America] it was a pretty easy opportunity to get them involved—veterans giving back to other veterans, can't go wrong,” said St. Peter. “[For ROTC] this is a good opportunity for cadets to help veterans who served before them.”

One of the most important resources Stand Down participants are provided with is food. Students from the Patton College of Education’s Restaurant Hotel and Tourism (RHT) programs helped feed those in need by providing lunches this year. These dedicated students made more than 300 servings of food from scratch to hand out to those in need, many of them going beyond class time to meet this goal.

RHT Graduate Student Hardi Wijakesuma said that while giving back to the community, students also were given an experiential learning opportunity.

“We made the chicken salad, cucumber and tomato salad and the cookies all from scratch. So, our students got a chance to practice catering,” Wijakesuma said. “We helped the community but also our students’ got hands-on experience creating a catering service and a catering experience.”

Associate Professor Thomas Stevenson (known to his students as Chef Tom) was the catalyst for Patton College’s involvement with Stand Down. Before becoming a professor, he created the nonprofit ChefVet—a holistic and synergistic effort to reintegrate veterans with disabilities into America’s workforce through the act of engaging in culinary services.

Dean of Patton College Dr. Lisa Harrison spoke about Stevenson’s passion for community-building and service and how that passion is passed down to students.

“[Stevenson] was the one that really has made all the connections within the community to allow us to be here today and serve in this capacity,” Harrison said. “Ultimately the students that we have, we want them to understand how they use their passion and their skills to give back.”

Also present at the ninth annual Athens Area Stand Down were representatives from Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Community Health Programs. Community Health Nurse Coordinator Carrie Johnson and Registered Nurse Coordinator Toby Witschey provided free health screenings for those in need with the Heritage Mobile Clinic.

“This is a wonderful event for veterans, it’s been great speaking with them,” said Witschey. “Beyond providing health screenings, we also encourage everyone to follow up with their healthcare and serve as a bridge and reminder.”

Community Health Programs provide care for uninsured or underinsured individuals at no cost including health screenings, primary care, sexual health and wellness and women’s health. Individuals can receive care at the Heritage Community Clinic on Ohio University’s Athens campus or at one of the mobile health clinic locations.

Ohio University President Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez and Vice President for Enrollment Management Candace J. Boeninger also attended Stand Down. The Veterans and Military Student Services Center falls under Boeninger’s division and with her own father being a veteran, she was happy to support the partnership and philanthropic efforts of Stand Down. Both Boeninger and President Gonzalez were pleased with the amount of OHIO involvement they saw at the event.

“One of the things that I’m most proud of is our students’ commitment to service,” President Gonzalez said. “This event is a perfect example of students coming out to support the Athens area community. That’s the Bobcat spirit.”

For more information please visit: https://www.athensareastanddown.org/.

Disclaimer: It is not the intent of Ohio University to imply an endorsement by any service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.