To highlight its 40th anniversary, the Outer Banks Community Foundation announced in March that it would award a $40,000 special impact grant to address mental health and substance abuse issues on the Outer Banks. This new program seeks to expand mental health care in Dare County.

Sound Minds is a collaborative partnership through Interfaith Community Outreach, Outer Banks Relief Foundation, and the Dare County Department of Health and Human Services. Funding is provided through the Outer Banks Community Foundation.

Read More about the Sound Minds Grant 

Dear Friends,

Are birds building nests near you? They are here!

Spring is the season of renewal – renewing connections with communities, faith, families, and friends. In the Outer Banks, spring is also a season of building. Here at ICO, we are busy building new bridges of connection within our community, continuing to provide assistance to neighbors in need during an unexpected crisis.

Scott is a single father of 4, a small business owner on the Outer Banks and the sole earner for his household. Diagnosed with cancer in January, he has been trying to work and raise his children while receiving treatment. ICO helped this family in their time of crisis, allowing Scott to focus on recovering from the surgery, chemo, and radiation he needs, supporting him during times of reduced income. Before the illness, Scott knew little about ICO despite being a contributing business owner. Being on the other side of that door was an eye opening and spiritual experience for him. “The people and the support from Interfaith are amazing. Amazing!”

Here’s another story about connecting with a neighbor. An elderly veteran lost the use of his car after an accident caused by another driver. His car connected him to medical appointments, the grocery, and the pharmacy. This gentleman was contemplating suicide when he reached out for help. When he called us, I happened to answer the phone and assured him we were here to lift him up.

He broke down and cried, so grateful that we were there in his time of desperation. Through the kindhearted giving of donors like yourself, ICO was able to provide him the financial assistance needed which alleviated his crisis and renewed his hope.

Will you help us build these new bridges of connection? Continuing our outreach requires continuous support. All gifts big and small help to connect ICO to those in crisis, honoring our vision of Bridging the Gap when neighbors find themselves in need of hope, kindness, and connection.

Thank you for your ongoing generosity and compassion.

Yours in faith,
Jenniffer Albanese

“The Wall That Heals” Coming to Dare County
November 16, 2023 through November 19, 2023

The Wall That Heals—a traveling, three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., that tours the country—will be on display in Dare County from November 16, 2023 through November 19, 2023 at the Soundside Event Site in Nags Head. This free exhibit is hosted by the Dare County Veterans Advisory Council, which worked to bring the official replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and its accompanying mobile education center to Dare County.

Honoring the more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War, “The Wall That Heals”—which is 375 feet in length and bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam—is transported from community to community via a 53-foot trailer. When parked, the trailer opens up to showcase a variety of exhibits, allowing it to serve as a mobile education center that tells the story of the Vietnam War.

The free exhibit will be open to the public 24 hours a day from November 16, 2023 through November 19, 2023 at the Soundside Event Site, which is located at 6800 South Croatan Highway in Nags Head.

By hosting “The Wall That Heals” this fall, Dare County will provide an opportunity for local veterans, residents and visitors to the Outer Banks community to remember and honor those who served and sacrificed in the Vietnam War—and to educate them about the continuing impacts of the conflict on our country. Visitors will also have the opportunity to create a name rubbing of individual service members’ names on the wall when they visit the exhibit.

“The Dare County Veterans Advisory Council, as well as the committee we have established, feel that bringing ‘The Wall that Heals’ to Dare County is important not only to honor the veterans who served and died during the Vietnam War but to also teach and inform students and younger generations about the war and the sacrifices our soldiers made for our country,” said Dare County Veterans Services Officer Patty O’Sullivan. “Some gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, and some veterans that were able to come home suffer with the impact of injuries sustained during their service, the effects of toxin exposure, as well as PTSD. We wanted to give veterans and their families that may be unable to travel to Washington, D.C., the opportunity to see the wall in person.”

Donate:

In order to bring “The Wall That Heals” to Dare County, the Dare County Veterans Advisory Council is seeking financial support from businesses and individuals. In addition to covering the costs associated with bringing “The Wall That Heals” and its accompanying mobile education center to the area, donations will also be used to help support the veterans within the community through the Dare County Veterans Advisory Council, which works to coordinate a wide array of services and activities that benefit local veterans and their families.

Tax deductible donations can be made online through Interfaith Community Outreach, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is collaborating with the Dare County Veterans Advisory Council to bring “The Wall That Heals” to the Outer Banks in November. To donate online, please click the button below.

Sign Up to Volunteer:

Numerous volunteers will be needed to help assemble the wall when it arrives, to work at the event site during its stay in Dare County in order to help direct visitors and answer any questions they may have, and to disassemble the wall before it begins its journey to the next location.

If you are interested in volunteering during this event, please use the links below to find more information about each volunteer position and to sign up.

• Set Up “The Wall That Heals” – Assembly Volunteer Schedule
• “The Wall That Heals” – Onsite Volunteer Schedule
• Disassemble “The Wall That Heals” – Take Down Volunteer Schedule

For more information about “The Wall That Heals,” please contact Dare County Veterans Services Officer Patty O’Sullivan by email at Patricia.O’Sullivan@DareNC.gov or by phone at 252-475-5604 (office) or 252-473-7749 (cell). Those interested in volunteering may also contact Dare County Veterans Advisory Council Secretary Marsha Brown at GiglineHeroes@aol.com or 252-202-2058.

Volunteer

Honor Your Vietnam Veteran:

Since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans have died each year due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD/suicide, cancer and other causes related to their service. In an effort to honor these veterans, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund created the In Memory program, which provides a way for family members and friends to honor those who returned home from Vietnam and later passed away.

When a Vietnam veteran is honored through the In Memory program, their photo will be included on an Honor Roll display alongside images of other honorees from the state in which “The Wall That Heals” exhibit is on display. In order for a local veteran to be included in the In Memory Honor Roll display when “The Wall That Heals” comes to Dare County in November 2023, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund must receive the application by October 13, 2023.

How to Apply:

To apply to honor a Vietnam veteran who is longer with us through the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory program, please click the button below to complete an application.

The application can be completed online or printed out and mailed to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Attention: In Memory Program, 3033 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22201. In addition to completing an application form, applicants must also provide the following documentation in order to be accepted into the In Memory program:

• A DD214 (or other record that provides proof of service in the Vietnam War)
• A death certificate
• Two clear photographs of the honoree (the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund recommends one photo from the Vietnam era and one photo that is more recent, if possible)

If you are unable to complete the application yourself and do not have a family member available to help you, please contact Dare County Veterans Services Officer Patty O’Sullivan at 252-475-5604 (office) or 252-473-7749 (cell) and she will be happy to assist you.

Please Note: The In Memory program honors all Vietnam veterans who have passed and enables the families and friends of those who came home and later died the opportunity to have them be forever memorialized. The In Memory program is inclusive to honor all Vietnam veterans, regardless of their cause of death. For more information about the In Memory program, please click here to download a flyer.

“The Wall That Heals is a reminder of a time in our history we should never forget,” said Marsha Brown, who serves as secretary of the Dare County Veterans Advisory Council. “This beautiful yet haunting symbol of extraordinary loss will touch your life. To know a survivor is to know a hero, and as the widow of a Vietnam veteran, I can attest to what ‘The Wall That Heals’ will mean to the still-living veterans who could witness that we do care, respect and love them.”

For more information about “The Wall That Heals,” as well as updates about the upcoming event in Dare County, please visit www.DareNC.gov/Wall or click the button below.

EXCERPT FROM DARE COUNTY – PLEASE READ THE FULL STORY HERE

The Veterans Advisory Council helps Dare County Veterans by serving as a liaison with the community in coordinating services and activities benefiting Veterans and their families. Members of the Veterans Advisory Council solicit information and provide updates about community-based activities honoring Veterans. Meetings of the Veterans Advisory Council are open to the public.

ICO is collaborating with DCVAC in hoping to bring The Wall That Heals exhibit to our Veterans on the Outer Banks in 2023.  This exhibit features a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The replica is 375 feet in length and stands 7.5 feet high at its tallest point. Visitors experience The Wall rising above them as they walk towards the apex, a key feature of the design of The Wall in D.C.

Like the original Memorial, The Wall That Heals is erected in a chevron-shape and visitors can do name rubbings of individual service member’s names on The Wall. The replica is constructed of Avonite, a synthetic granite, and its 140 numbered panels are supported by an aluminum frame. Machine engraving of the more than 58,000 names along with modern LED lighting provide readability of The Wall day and night.

As on The Wall, the names on The Wall That Heals are listed by day of casualty. Beginning at the center/apex, the names start on the East Wall (right-hand side) working their way out to the end of that wing, picking up again at the far end of the West Wall (left-hand side) and working their way back in to the center/apex, joining the beginning and end of the conflict at the center.

If you would like more information about the services of DCVAC please call Patty O’Sullivan, Veterans Affairs Administrator 252-475-5604, or Interfaith Community Outreach, please call Jenniffer Albanese, Executive Director 252-480-0070

If you would like to donate to Veteran Outreach in hoping to bring the Wall That Heals exhibit to our Veterans on the Outer Banks, please use our secure donation form: