Veteran Mentoring Program
It’s difficult for many veterans to seek help after the experience of traumatic events in the military. Veterans play protector role so if they have to switch roles and ask for help it can create a challenge but WestCare Veteran Mentoring Program helps make that easier for veterans.
WestCare, a national nonprofit organization that focuses on treating mental illness and drug addictions is partnered with Pinellas Veterans Treatment Court. The aim of this special court is to help veterans deal with their current criminal charges and stop them from getting into further trouble. It also is designed to help with substance abuse or mental health issues that may have caused or contributed to their legal problems. Only veterans charged with misdemeanors and certain felonies such as drug-related charges, burglary, grand theft, and battery may qualify.
Lonnie Winbush, a WestCare representative and Marine veteran travels around Tampa Bay to recruit veteran mentors. He speaks to a variety of military/veteran organizations about the benefits of veterans who mentor veterans. He recently shared with University of South Florida-St. Pete’s Military and Veterans Success Center’s student veterans about its benefits.
“For a veteran to mentor a veteran it’s as if he’s your brother in arms. He’s crossed the same ground that you’ve crossed, maybe not the same place but he’s been there and he’s seen the military community,” Winbush said. “He knows how it’s talked about, knows what goes on, knows how it works so this is why it’s much easier for a veteran to mentor a veteran.”
The treatment program is open to men and women veterans who qualify. Winbush recruits men and women veterans so there is a variety of mentors for veterans in need of help.
Winbush has worked for WestCare for 19 months and he has observed through veteran mentorship veterans who seek help are more at ease when they talk to a veteran mentor because they both have military experience. To become a mentor, a volunteer must be a military veteran and willing to give a certain amount of weekly hours to a veteran who seeks help. Once a volunteer veteran is assigned to a veteran in the program a couple of the duties are to call a veteran just to ask how they are doing and sit with a veteran and listen to his or her frustrations.
Kaitlyn Mollo, a Coast Guard veteran and USF St. Petersburg Military and Veterans Success Center worker and student hopes to start volunteering with WestCare next month. Another USF St. Petersburg MVSC worker and student, Ben Smet said he will volunteer with WestCare in the near future. Smet is a Navy veteran.
WestCare actively seeks mentors, and if you are a veteran who would like to give back to other veterans through this program, contact Lonnie Winbush at 727-490-6769 ext. 30304.