ROGERS — If you're in a veterans service organization or are someone who wants to help veterans, this is a good time to start planning your efforts for this winter and next year.

Stand Downs (go online to www.va.gov and type in Stand Down in the search box), the Moving Wall (www.themovingwall.org) and donating to groups that let veterans go on adventures free of cost are all good places to direct your energies.

Contact the volunteer group at the closest Department of Veterans Affairs medical center, and block out one day a month to go and assist. Get its annual calendar and sign up to help at some of the bigger events, such as root beer float parties, barbecues and field trips.

Host a Christmas party for a whole unit at the closest VA medical center, complete with presents (maybe a big television for the day room) and pizza (with staff permission) and drinks. Call the volunteer department in advance to see what is needed.

If you're near a shelter where a large number of homeless veterans are helped, think about serving daily meals, handing out clothing and pulling shifts at the facility.

Sign up to drive veterans to distant medical centers for their care. This door-todoor chauffeuring (and then back home again) can be invaluable to veterans who are unable to drive.

If you're an attorney who does pro bono work to help veterans with their claims, commit to helping an additional veteran each month.

If you're in college, see about tutoring a veteran who's just now going back to school.

If you want to make a cash donation to an organization, be sure to check www.charitywatch.org to verify that your dollars will go to veterans, not to a money machine that spends most of the donations on itself and "admin" costs.

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

Entertainment, Pages 19 on 10/21/2009

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