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7THE ROAD TO HEALING Police Officer Honors His Daughter by Completing Route 66 Ride
Local DAR Chapter Supports Our Veterans 16
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very
the very proud mother of a Veteran (Iraq/ Afghanistan), I more than understand the sacrifices
(Iraq/Afghanistan),
than understand the sacrifices
service men & women and their families have made for our freedoms! I will forever hold a special place in
service men & women and their families have made for our freedoms! I will forever hold a special place in my heart for all Veterans as well as those still active. I thank you and may God bless all who have served our great country!
heart for all Veterans as well as those still active. I thank you and may God bless all who have served
great
Perkins
All of her friends and family remember Hanna Cox as a social butterfly who doled out kindness to one and all. With friends from all walks of life, she didn’t know a stranger.
“When we’d go to the mall when she was 8 or 9 years old, I’d look around and ask, ‘Where did Hanna go?’” says her dad, Bobby Cox. “She was two stores down, talking to someone we didn’t even know. She was always like that.”
She didn’t discriminate when it came to loving animals either.
“We’d always find plates outside from her
feeding stray cats and dogs,” Cox says. “When she was 10, she desperately wanted a pet alligator so she saved up money to buy one.”
She talked of attending arts school after graduating from high school in June of 2022. However, first came the completion of a dream 15 years in the making. When Hanna was a little girl, she watched the “Cars” movie repeatedly.
“We probably saw it 200 times,” Cox says. The majority of the film’s theme revolves around traveling Route 66, and when Cox asked Hanna what she wanted to do to celebrate her high school graduation, she said she wanted to ride with her dad on his motorcycle down Route 66 to California.
“She was adamant that she wanted to go there and back, regardless of what weather we encountered,” Cox says.
No one had to twist Cox’s arm to convince him. “As a motorcycle rider, Route 66 is the big one,” he says.
Sadly, none of Hanna’s post-grad plans came to fruition because tragedy struck
in February of 2022. Hanna was sitting beside her boyfriend in the front seat of his car as he was cleaning his gun and it went off, putting a bullet into her chest. Though it was an accident, that doesn’t make Hanna’s death any less heartbreaking or devastating.
The first couple of months after Hanna’s death, Cox lived in a fog as he grappled with the shock. An officer with the Jonesboro Police Department, he appreciated the outpouring of community support.
“I couldn’t pump gas without someone coming up to express their condolences,” he says.
However, reliving the incident was painful, so for a while he took to shopping in neighboring towns.
Healing after a tragedy takes time, and it also takes effort to put one foot in front of the other.
“In the beginning you don’t want to leave the house, but you’ve got to keep moving forward or [the grief will] consume you,” Cox says. He knew that part of his grief journey involved actual, physical journeying, by completing the long-awaited trip that he and his beloved daughter had been planning for years. But he didn’t go it alone. Hanna’s sister, stepbrother, and five friends tagged along for the 4,999.3-mile trek from Hanna’s gravesite in Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier.
“I had a truck full of 18-year-old girls driving my new pickup truck across America,” Cox says. They pulled a trailer so they could continue on if the bike broke down. Cox admits it was a grueling trip as he rode from sunup until sundown, day in and day out, for seven days straight (the teens switched drivers at each stop).
Along the way they snapped pictures of the group, holding a photo of Hanna in front of Route 66 landmarks such as the Wigwam Motel, the Blue Whale of Catoosa and the Grand Canyon. It took seven days to complete the excursion. They arrived at sunset at the Santa
“It provided closure,” says Cox, who posted a photo to social media saying, “Daddy made it, as promised. It was an amazing journey. I love you!”
For the most part, Cox has just been trying to get through this year of firsts, and anyone who has ever grieved for a love one can tell you it is painful as you navigate that first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first New Year’s, first birthday and others. In the future, however, Cox would like to focus his efforts on securing funding to offer civilian gun safety and training, even if it’s online.
“You’d be surprised how many people don’t want to ask how to do something because they are embarrassed, but they’ll get online to learn,” Cox says. “If we could do free, online gun safety training, people could do that discreetly.”
Being a veteran police officer, Cox has spent his entire adult life teaching firearm safety to his children. He’s devastated that he lost a child because someone else didn’t do the same.
“So many fathers don’t teach their children life skills these dayseverything from changing a tire to tying a tie,” Cox says. “This includes the proper handling of firearms. We can’t just teach kids that guns are evil, bad, dangerous things, because then they will be curious and not ask you for help about how to properly use them.”
“To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.”
ALL WHO SERVED
Writer / Julie Yates Photography Provided
The purpose of many 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations is solely to raise awareness of a condition or situation. Operation Combat Bikesaver, INC. (OCB) in Crown Point goes beyond that starting point. Its mission is to provide veterans dealing with mental issues the ability to adjust to life after
military service.
Founded by Army veteran Jason Zaideman, OCB is a program through which motorcycles in disrepair are given a new life by participants. The atmosphere in the workshop is one where veterans feel camaraderie, and also the ability to express themselves without judgement. All the motorcycles are donated. Once one is repaired and running, the individual who
worked on it is free to keep it or donate it elsewhere.
“I was an engineer in the Army,” Zaideman says. “It was my job to solve problems. I saw many other organizations out there that raised a lot of money, but they really weren’t doing anything. I don’t know of any other nonprofit like ours that is actually doing something to help veterans deal with mental
health issues, and ease their adjustment to life outside the military.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, research has shown that up to one in every five veterans experiences post-traumatic stress disorder. Many are also dealing with traumatic brain injuries, depression and anxiety. In 2020, deaths by suicide for military service members and veterans increased by 25%. OCB provides a safe place for struggling vets as they adjust to civilian life.
Vets pick out a bike and map out what needs to be done. A spirit of community is developed, as all the participants help
each other as problems come up. No prior knowledge is necessary, and new skills are learned in each session. Working toward a goal and achieving success during each weekly workshop session transfers over to everyday life.
“One vet was aimless and couldn’t seem to get any direction in his life,” Zaideman says. “He was living back home and doing
nothing. He got in the program and was able express his pent-up feelings with others who understood. He went on to get a college degree and now has a good job.”
Any kind of broken-down, motorized vehicle can be brought back to life in the workshop.
Donations of old cars, trucks, boats and RVs are accepted. Tools are always needed, and parts can be harvested on anything that
might be deemed truly unfixable.
The program is run entirely on donations, which can be made via the OCB website. The site also has a link to an Amazon Wish List, where needed tools and parts can be purchased. In addition, visitors to the website can also find links to donate to the OCB Veteran Cancer Support Program, and the Blaster Program, which provides reliable transportation and home improvements for veterans.
In 2017, and again in 2019, the organization was featured on Facebook Watch, in Mike Rowe’s show, “Returning the Favor.” The exposure caught the attention of others who realized the need for programs that yield results. Ultimately, inspired individuals were led to open OCB chapters in California and Alabama.
OCB has community support, but continues to need backing and funding. Area high schools such as Lake Central and Lowell have held fundraising activities to benefit the program. Zaideman is also available for appearances at events to explain the program. Volunteers can always be used for clerical duties, and to help in raising funds by retailing merchandise such as hats and T-shirts.
“Within a few minutes of meeting someone, I can tell if they are a veteran,” Zaideman says. “It’s the way they act and the lingo they talk. There is very little, if any, support for people once they get out of the military. OCB is here to provide help.”
Operation Combat Bikesaver is located at 1670 East North Street in Crown Point. Visit combatbikesaver.org, or call 219323-3940 (Sundays only), for more info.
June Beck, regent for the General James Cox Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in Kokomo, says members of the organization have done an outstanding job of helping people.
She says their objective since the organization was formed has been to help support veterans in Kokomo. The chapter members have been doing thoughtful work for local veterans to help them enjoy their lives.
“Twice a year we furnish coffee and all the adjoining necessities with the coffee,” Beck says. “Each Christmas, and at various holidays during the year, we make or buy gifts for each veteran.”
The veterans have been very enthusiastic
about the thoughtful and kind gifts.
Beck believes it’s a simple thing to do for people who have done so much to help their country through the years.
“We try to brighten their days by remembering each person,” Beck says.
The chapter also helps schools. “We pass a small school bus at each of our meetings, and we get people to donate money to DAR schools around the country,” Beck says. “When floods washed out the Hindman School for the dyslexic youth, we helped our members determine their urgent needs and we helped them.”
The chapter members thoroughly enjoy helping kids.
“We also help support our Children of the
American Revolution,” Beck says. “It is a budget account each year for children to support the veterans, the American flag and patriotism.”
Beck says the organization encourages respect for the American flag, and the correct display of the flag. The chapter conducts a DAR American History Essay Contest and Good Citizen Scholarship Contest, plants trees, places historical markers, promotes literacy and honors community leaders, among other positive work in the community.
The chapter has also helped out veterans living at military bases.
“We recently learned that there is a facility at Grissom Air Reserve Base,” Beck says. “We are planning to hand out cards thanking each vet for their service on
(for
followed by
of different
Veterans Day this November.”
Members were also busy in October.
“We also sent cards welcoming home the men and women on the 37th Honor Flight, which originated in Indianapolis on October 15,” Beck says.
Beck would like to get other people in the Kokomo community to help out.
“As people see veterans, they can say ‘Thank you for your service,’” Beck says.
Beck says General James Cox, for whom the chapter is named, served in the New Jersey militia during the Revolutionary War. Beck says he was first a major, and later a brigadier general and commander of the Monmouth brigade.
Membership in the DAR requires proof of bloodline descent from a Revolutionary War patriot.
To find out more about the General James Cox Chapter, visit genjamescoxdar.org.
Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer / John Bolinger
A month and a half after graduating from high school, Kevin Jewell shipped off to boot camp to become a Marine. His first duty station was in Okinawa, Japan. Next, he was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. While there, he deployed to Afghanistan for 9 months supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2011, a buddy introduced him to CrossFit, which essentially involves functional movements performed at relatively high intensity.
“I was like, ‘Wow, that was hard but kind of fun,’” says Jewell, who was promptly hooked. When he returned home from the military in 2015, he began working as a coach at CrossFit Kokomo.
“I had no intention of ever owning a business,” Jewell says. However, two years later, when the gym’s owner offered him the chance to buy the place, he decided to give it a try.
“From a military perspective, I don’t love change,” he says. “Our bodies, however, crave change.”
This is where CrossFit shines, as it focuses on three modalities - weightlifting (kettlebells, dumbbells and barbells), gymnastics (pull-ups, push-ups and handstands) and mono-structural conditioning (running, biking, skiing and rowing).
“With CrossFit, we don’t want to be good at just one thing,” Jewell says. “We want to become a well-balanced athlete.” This is why the program model is based off of creating a constantly varied program. On some days workouts include short sprints, and on other days they involve a lot of barbells. On some days it’s cardiovascular endurance and machines. On other days it’s a combination of it all. As the owner, Jewell is responsible for writing the daily workouts.
A staple of CrossFit is taking what’s performed inside the gym and using it in the outside world in some way. For instance,
today you might carry a 50-pound sandbag at the gym. Tomorrow you may be lugging a 50-pound bag of dog food at the pet store.
“We want our programming to have some sort of carryover into the real world,” Jewell says. That may be in the form of raw strength, or it could include having the endurance to go to the zoo with your grandchild.
“My father-in-law is 62, and what CrossFit has done for him is allow him to be functionally fit enough to play tag with his grandson,” Jewell says.
Members don’t have to be a certain age or fit into a certain mold. All demographics can join CrossFit, from high school students with aspirations to play sports, to busy soccer moms squeezing in an hour-long workout, to grandparents trying to stay in shape for life.
“Our goal is for you to be better today than you were yesterday, and continue that pattern over and over again,” Jewell says.
The 6,000-square-foot gym also offers a kids program, tailored to 9- to 14-year-olds, that not only teaches correct lifting form, but also demonstrates to children that exercise is empowering, healthy and fun.
Four years ago, Jewell was thinking about what he could do in Howard County to help veterans who are struggling. He did a random search and found Jackson Street
Commons, which offers permanent, supportive housing for homeless veterans in Howard County. Some may reside only briefly as they work to get back on their feet, while others stay longer if they are struggling with a mental health disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder. Howard County has one of the highest per capita veteran populations in the state, and there is always a waitlist for one of the 27 units.
Every Veterans Day weekend, the members of CrossFit Kokomo participate in a fundraising effort for which they do 24 workouts in 24 hours. Called “HERO” workouts, they are named after a military service member who died in combat. The event starts at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday morning and goes until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday night. At the top of each hour, a
new group of people comes in to work out.
Local businesses each sponsor an hour of the day. Community members are also invited to donate.
“Howard County is an incredibly patriotic county,” Jewell says. “I posted my Venmo and it was blowing up. People were donating all amounts - $5, $10, $100, $1,000, $5,000.”
Each year Jewell asks the director of Jackson
Street Commons, Angie Ciski, for wish lists from each veteran living in Jackson Street Commons. They provide three items they would love to have. Those wish lists are posted on a corkboard in the gym. When members come in to work out, they take a tab and purchase the items listed.
“One guy asked for an alarm clock,” Jewell says. “Another wanted $10 worth of quarters to do laundry. It opens your eyes to see what some people don’t have.”
At noon on November 12, CrossFit Kokomo buses the Veterans to the gym.
“We introduce ourselves, and ask them to share their name and which arm of the military they served in,” Jewell says. “It’s my favorite day of the year.”
CrossFit Kokomo is located at 1086 South Dixon Road in Kokomo. For more information, call or text Kevin Jewell at 765-860-0591.
Hosted by CrossFit Kokomo Since 2018, CrossFit Kokomo has performed a 24-hour, round the clock fundraiser to support Jackson Street Commons. We raise money, food, toiletries, bedding and bath sheets, towels, household goods, and much more to donate to these deserving Veterans. Some of these heroes have nothing to their name except the roof over their head that Jackson Street Commons has provided for them. Our goal and vision for this event is to give each and every Veteran a sense of belonging and meaning again.
On Saturday, November 12th, CrossFit Kokomo will be performing a different workout at the top of every hour, with the first working beginning at 0000 hours on the morning of Saturday November 12th and the last workout will be at 2300 hours Saturday evening. These workouts will be long and challenging, as they are "HERO WORKOUTS", named after service men and women who have died in the line of duty to protect our freedoms.
By donating to this fundraiser, we can ensure we give these deserving men and women, who once signed their name on a dotted line to defend our freedom and ways of life, some items and goods to help ease their transition back to civilian life or simply, to make their life better.
We are hoping to have all (24) hours donated by a local business in Howard County. With the donation of $250, you will receive the following...
• A social media shoutout the day of your donation and the day of the event
• A 3x2' vinyl banner with your business logo, Jackson Street Commons Logo, and CrossFit Kokomo's logo, along with the workout that will be giving to your donated hour, signed by everyone who did that workout
• All monetary donations will be collected by Kevin Jewell (owner of CrossFit Kokomo) and personally delivered to Angie Ciski, Director of Jackson Street Commons & Veterans' Programs
If you are looking to sponsor an hour, or multiple hours, please email Kevin Jewell at crossfitkokomo@qmail.com,or text/call at (765) 860-0591. Thank you for your consideration and God Bless!
-Kevin Jewell, United States Marine Corps VeteranI’m Matthew Roswog, a licensed sales agent in Indiana. When it comes to Medicare, it’s important to consider all of your options. What works well for your neighbor may not be the best fit for you. I know the ins and outs of Medicare, and I’m ready to answer your questions and help you find a plan that fits your needs.
I’m Matthew Roswog, a licensed sales agent in Indiana. When it comes to Medicare, it’s important to consider all of your options. What works well for your neighbor may not be the best fit for you. I know the ins and outs of Medicare, and I’m ready to answer your questions and help you find a plan that fits your needs.
I’m Matthew Roswog, a licensed sales agent in Indiana. When it comes to Medicare, it’s important to consider all of your options. What works well for your neighbor may not be the best fit for you. I know the ins and outs of Medicare, and I’m ready to answer your questions and help you find a plan that fits your needs.
Matthew Roswog Licensed Sales Agent 765-431-9193, TTY 711 roswog@sbcglobal.net www.MyUHCagent.com/matthew.roswog
Matthew Roswog Licensed Sales Agent 765-431-9193, TTY 711 roswog@sbcglobal.net www.MyUHCagent.com/matthew.roswog
Licensed Sales Agent 765-431-9193, TTY 711 roswog@sbcglobal.net www.MyUHCagent.com/matthew.roswog
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June Beck, the chapter regent for Jackson Street Commons, a program of the Family Service Association of Howard County, Inc. (FSAHC), says the organization has expanded through the kindness of the Kokomo community.
Both Beck an Angie Ciski, director of community services for the FSAHC, feel the generosity has been overwhelming.
“We have been so very blessed with such wonderful people in the Kokomo community who really care about the future of our veterans,” Ciski says. “In May of 2014, Family Service Association of Howard County, Inc. opened Jackson Street Commons to provide permanent, supportive housing to veterans that have been literally homeless, and have a disability or a disabling condition that has been a barrier to maintaining stable housing.”
Jackson Street Commons is an apartment complex with 27 one-bedroom units, and operates under the “Housing First” model, which recognizes that stable housing is the foundation for other health and socialservice goals, and that people experiencing chronic homelessness achieve greater success when they have stable housing.
“Family Service Association provides the stable housing piece first, and then easy access to supportive services, for the veterans to work on the barriers that led to their homelessness,” Ciski says.
On-site services include case management, mental-health counseling, support groups, post-traumatic stress disorder services for resident and nonresident veterans, addiction support, employment training, financial counseling and more.
“Jackson Street Commons is permanent housing in the sense that the housing is not time limited,” Ciski says.
Ciski adds that when homeless veterans enter the program, they are no longer homeless, but rather have the rights and responsibilities of leaseholders.
“Many veterans, after having the stable housing and engaging in the supportive services offered, have moved on to maintain
permanent housing independently, opening their apartment up for another vulnerable, homeless veteran to benefit in the same way,” Ciski says.
Since opening, Jackson Street Commons has provided housing and supportive services to nearly 70 veterans at the apartment complex. Since opening, the Jackson Street Commons team has endeavored to be a resource for any
veteran in need.
“Through grant support from the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs, we were able to hire a veterans housing specialist who assists other veterans in the community experiencing homelessness or housing instability,” Ciski says. “In 2021 our region was granted the distinction from the Interagency Council on Homelessness, HUD
and the VA for effectively ending veteran homelessness in our region. By no means did Jackson Street Commons work alone, but worked alongside other veteran and homeless service providers to achieve this distinction, and was a spoke in the wheel in our combined work to help homeless veterans.”
Ciski loves her work.
“It has been extremely rewarding to serve those who have served our country,” Ciski says. “As a supportive service provider, it is amazing to see how our resident veterans have been able to thrive with their own health and wellness goals after getting stable housing.”
Ciski adds that more help is always needed.
“Jackson Street Commons has been blessed by tremendous community support over the years and we are very thankful for the continued support,” she says. “Jackson Street Commons also recently has had a transition in leadership with the retirement of our program and property managers, and we are thankful to have Tammy Price and Ron Eller joining the team in these roles.”
Beck says working for Jackson Street Commons has been a very enjoyable experience. It’s been a valuable way for her, and many other members of the Kokomo community, to give something back to those who have sacrificed so much to help their country.
“For me and a lot of other people, it’s the opportunity to say ‘Thank you for your service’ to the men and women,” Beck says. “As citizens of the United States, we, each of us, owe a tremendous amount to all those who gave their all for our freedom.”
The Jackson Street Commons team is always looking for financial donations to keep their program moving in the right direction. To donate or find out more, call 765-236-1002 or check out fsahc.org.
They can be
forwards, backwards or even diagonally.
As the very proud mother of a Veteran (Iraq/ Afghanistan), I more than understand the sacrifices our service men & women and their families have made for our freedoms! I will forever hold a special place in my heart for all Veterans as well as those still active. I thank you and may God bless all who have served our great country! - Nicci Perkins
the very proud mother of a Veteran (Iraq/Afghanistan), I more than understand the sacrifices our service men & women and their families have made for our freedoms! I will forever hold a special place in my heart for all Veterans as well as those still active. I thank you and may God bless all who have served our great country! —Nicci Perkins
