An incident at the GHB Insurance Office about a year ago, gave the staff there a reason to raise funds and donate to Chapter #41 of the Disabled American Veterans organization in Olympia.

A young man, who had served in the military and was recently discharged from the hospital, walked into GHB’s Lilly Road office. He was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was exhibiting unusual behavior and speech.

Though staff tried to help him, eventually it became necessary to call the police for assistance.

But the young man  kept repeating “I wanted to be a good soldier.”

How did the staff deal with it?

For GHB staff, the incident raised their awareness of the kind of help that Veterans need.

“We chose to honor the day that we became more personally aware of the mental dangers of actively serving in the military,” says Lisa Bartholomew (far right in photo), Client Services Manager in GHB’s Personal Lines department.

The staff made a decision to put their concern into constructive action by hosting a luncheon to raise funds for assistance to disabled Veterans. Then, with check in hand, Lisa and another GHB staff member, Naomi Lamoureux (far left in photo), a Client Services Manager in GHB’s benefits department, surprised Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Chapter#41 on Poplar Street with the GHB staff contribution.

“They told us they get some State help, but it mostly comes from donations,” Lisa explains. “They were very grateful and their comment to us was, ‘Even a penny makes a difference and we’ll take it!’”

A Veteran can contact the DAV for help, but many are too proud to call in, so the DAV reaches out to help them understand their benefits and get the help they so rightly deserve.