Member Spotlight: Richard
Veteran finds support system at Vail Place When you take a tour of Vail Place, you might just be guided by a man named Richard. Richard is a veteran who served in the Army for four years in the early 1980s. He was a support person with the Special Forces and was a paratrooper with 25 jumps as well. For the last 15 months of his service, he was stationed in Germany, and after leaving the Army, he spent some time touring Europe. A few decades later, however, Richard found himself struggling with homelessness, mental illness and financial problems. After a very difficult time in his life, Richard reunited with his family in Minnesota, and they helped get him started in a treatment program at the V.A. hospital there, which was the beginning of his recovery. He commented, “I was still kind of messed up. I wasn’t thinking right.” While in treatment at the hospital, he remembers watching a video that included an image of Vail Place’s Minneapolis Clubhouse. He knew he needed a place to go after daytime treatment, and he thought the Clubhouse could be a good fit. Richard’s father and stepmother arranged a tour for him, and he became a member of the Uptown Club in December of 2006. Though he didn’t realize it then, Vail Place would become a huge part of his life.
09 September, 2019
