Archive for category: News

ATTENTION ALL CIVOC CLIENTS

1. All clients will be required to call the individual staff member with whom they wish to meet 24 hours in advance to schedule an appointment.

2. During the call, the staff member will conduct a brief health screening to determine whether an appointment can be scheduled.

3. When a client arrives outside the office, he or she will call the staff member with whom they have an appointment from their automobile. The staff member will then:

• Come to the door to meet you
• Make sure you are masked
• Take your temperature
• Show you where to sanitize your hands
• Escort you to the appropriate office, providing you do not register with a temperature.

4. Once within the staff member’s office, both you and the staff member will maintain a six-foot distance from each other, and continue to wear a mask.

All of these precautions, dictated by the CDC, will be in place to protect the health and well-being of both our staff and clients during the current health situation.

Thank you for your patience!!!!

The CIVOC Board of Directors and Staff would like to thank all the members of the community who attended our Third Annual Veterans Town Hall on Monday, November 11th at the Barnstable Town Hall.  It was a respectful community event which followed the Veterans Day parade hosted by the Department of Veteran Services.

During the Town Hall, seven combat veterans spoke to nearly one hundred community members for ten minutes a piece, describing their experiences during and after combat.  Their talks culminated with a final presentation by Gold Star father, Steven Xiarhos who shared a video with the audience, and gave a brief overview of the life and death of his son Nicholas, a young Marine who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.  Nick’s father, Steven has since founded the Nicholas Xiarhos Foundation through which he raises funds to assist veterans of Cape Cod.

This event was coordinated for the third year in a row, by our Director of Counseling, Jack Bonino who first brought the concept of this event to us three years ago. He followed the model of Congressman Seth Moulton and the author, Sebastian Junger, who first conceived of this event as a way of showing the deepest form of respect to our veterans, the act of listening to their experiences. Jack assumes  the responsibility of contacting the veteran speakers, and organizing the event each year.

An added treat for our guests this year, was a full buffet donated and served by volunteers from the Hyannis Elks, who are ongoing supporters of both our food pantry and the residents of our Transitional Housing Program.  Their generosity is moving and very much appreciated by our organization and the veterans we serve.  We would also like to thank Lynne Poyant, Community Services Director for the Town of Barnstable for all of her gracious assistance in planning this event.

On Wednesday, July 17th at 1 pm. the Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center will host the author of the newly published, Vietnam Veterans Unbroken, Conversations on Trauma and Resiliency, by Jacqueline Murray Loring.

This book is based upon interviews with seventeen Vietnam Veterans, most of whom were clients of our Director of Counseling, Jack Bonino who originally suggested the concept of interviews about veterans’ resiliency after war. Jack is the author of the Forward of this book.

The Outreach Center is honored to host this event, during which the author will discuss the individual veterans who were interviewed, and the origin of the project. Following questions and discussions with the audience, this intriguing view into the minds of veterans will be on sale. For reservations, please call Jack Bonino at 508-778-1590, x 17 or email jackbonino@yahoo.com. Space is limited so call today!!!