Community of Christ supports Soldiers Project/Sacramento with surprise $1,000 donation

SACRAMENTO – Hearing first-hand about the “invisible wounds of war” and how battle can traumatize military men and women, a religious congregation was moved to donate more than $1,000 to The Soldiers Project/Sacramento recently.

The Community of Christ Church, located at 4044 Pasadena Ave. in Sacramento, celebrated Veterans Day with a Sunday service that saluted those in uniform. Speakers included Col. Kevin G. Cavanagh, commander of the 940th Wing, 10th Air Force, at Beal Air Force Base, and Becca Bettis, program director of the local chapter of The Soldiers Project.

Bettis told the congregants about the mission of The Soldiers Project – to provide free, confidential mental health services to active-duty military and veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and their loved ones.

“People are often shocked to learn that 22 veterans kill themselves every day and that many of those suicide victims were struggling with what we call the hidden or invisible wounds of war,” Bettis said. Those injuries include post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma and major depression.

Bettis expressed her deep appreciation for the surprise donation collected from the congregation during the Sunday morning service.

“The Soldiers Project/Sacramento depends on donations like this to continue reaching out to the veterans who need our help,” she said.  “I was so surprised and grateful when the Community of Christ presented us with the check.”

The Soldiers Project/Sacramento, named in 2012 by the White House as one of the nation’s top 20 non-profit military service organizations, is comprised of about 45 volunteer therapists who last year gave nearly 1,000 hours of free treatment to soldiers and their families. Its unlimited services go beyond those provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs medical system.

For more information about The Soldiers Project/Sacramento and its programs, visit www.tspsacramento.org or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tspsacramento. To be connected with a therapist, call locally 916-792-3728 or toll-free 877-557-5888 or e-mail Sacramento@TheSoldiersProject.org.