20 | PN October 2015

Kate Callahan serves assecretary for the Paralyzed Veterans of Amer-ica (PVA) Texas Chapter, is a thrower for the U.S. Paralympic national team and volunteers for other nonprofi t organizations. Despite all

this, she believed there was still something missing from her life.

Callahan, who became paralyzed from the waist down during a sur-

gery to reduce fl uid on her brain after tendons in her back

separated from her spine, wanted to fi nd a career

that would utilize her experiences

and educa-tion, while-

also

Paralyzed Veterans of America’s Operation PAVE is much more than an employment program for veterans with disabilities.

by Amanda Laverman

COURTESY OF TEAM USA

Kate C

alla

han

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October 2015 PN | 21

enabling her to help other members of the military.

“It did not seem like that is all I was supposed to do with my life after my injury. I wanted to use my master’s degree in rec-reation therapy to help people. I wasn’t feeling like I was a productive member of soci-ety when I was not working,” says Callahan, who held numerous roles during her time in the U.S. Air Force, including combat medic, aerospace physiologist and fl ight nurse. “I desired the camarade-rie that I missed so much from the military, so I wanted to work with the military population.”

That’s where PVA’s Operation PAVE (Paving Access for Vet-erans Employment), comes into play.

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ALY

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Above:

Operation PAVE’s

(Paving Access for Veterans

Employment) Interim Director

Shelly Stewart (standing) and Paralyzed

Veterans of America Deputy Executive Director

Sherman Gillums Jr. (seated) pose with PAVE client

William Bryant (left) at the opening of the

Operation PAVE Chicago offi ce in the

Edward Hines Jr. Department

of Veterans Affairs

Hospital on May

28, 2014.

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22 | PN October 2015

Embark on AdventureAs veterans with spinal-cord injury or disease (SCI/D) return to civilian life, many fi nd themselves wanting to embark on their next adventure — a job that will give them professional and personal fulfi llment. How-ever, navigating the job market may look much

different than it did before their time of service. Operation PAVE ensures these veter-

ans not only fi nd employment, but have the continued support to be success-

ful throughout their entire career. The program offered by PVA in

every Department of Veter-ans Affairs (VA) spinal-

cord injury center is unique in that it

provides holistic, ongoing and inte-

grated support to U.S. veterans, tran-

sitioning service mem-bers, military spouses and

military caregivers.Master’s level, certifi ed

vocational counselors and trained employment support analysts are avail-

able to assist clients in overcoming their individual set of barriers to employment.

“There is no shortage of veteran employment programs across the nation, many of which are phenomenal in providing services for our disabled veterans. Often, clients come to us and are very pleased to discover a very dis-tinct difference in our program’s holis-tic, ongoing and integrated support model,” says Operation PAVE interim director Shelly Stewart. “For example, one of the most unique characteristics of the PAVE program is our ‘Partner for Life’ commitment. Our counselors provide ongoing post-placement support

to veter-ans and

employers to ensure that our

clients not only fi nd employment, but

have the tools and resources to maintain it. As their personal and professional needs and goals change, clients appreciate that our counselors and analysts are there for them every step of the way.”

More to Life Callahan is a prime example of the success PAVE has had and now works as the only recreation therapist at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

PAVE helped Callahan identify her career passions and how to match those with her leadership skills and expe-riences with

ALL PH

OTOS B

Y SARA JO

RDE

Right: Veteran Eric Lorence

secured a job at the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service through

Operation PAVE (Paving Access for Veterans

Employment). He now works as the sports

director at Paralyzed Veterans of

America’s Minnesota Chapter.

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October 2015 PN | 23

the Paralympics and mental health fi eld. Cal-lahan plans to expand the recreational therapy program at Brooke Army Medical Center and hopes to one day become the program’s director.

Through her current position at the center, Callahan has found new levels of personal satisfaction and success. She encour-ages other veterans to get involved with PAVE and experience the rewards of rejoining the workforce fi rsthand.

“Your life isn’t over just because of an injury. You can be a productive member of society and have goals and aspirations in the workplace just as you did before,” Callahan says. “Do not be satisfi ed with just receiving a check from the government. There is more to life than just sitting on the couch and

receiving a check each month. Job satis-faction and working with peers (have)

great challenges and benefi ts that can be enjoyed from a wheel-

chair or walking!”

“Your life

isn’t over just

because of an injury. You

can be a productive member of

society and have goals and

aspirations in the workplace

just as you did before.”

– Kate Callahan

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Goals in MotionAnother veteran who has benefi ted from the program is James Marron, who started his military career with the Navy in 2000.

It included two stints in Iraq, during which he was cited for his heroic achievement for

saving the lives of two Marines. During his service, Marron sustained injuries

to his back and nerves, for which he receives chiropractic services

from the nonprofi t organiza-tion The Patriot Project.

These constant aches and pains were

one reason he struggled with

returning to work, but he

wanted to make

a change. “Upon return-

ing, I wanted to change my life and knew

that there were people that could help at the VA. My occu-

pational therapist, Vivian, told me about Joan (Haskins, an Opera-

tion PAVE counselor) and how she worked for a nonprofi t that helped with

employment opportunities,” Marron says. “If I learned anything in business school, it was how important networking is.”

After completing a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Marron knew he wanted a career that allowed him to help others. Through PAVE he received counseling on defi n-ing career goals, job searching, résumé, cover letter critiquing and how to use LinkedIn.

Not only was he provided this professional advice, but also moral support. Whenever he felt like giving up, Marron knew he could fi nd the strength he needed to keep going from the team at PAVE.

“Joan was really good at being personable and working with me. She really cares about what she does versus just doing it, “ says Mar-

ron. “(She) and her team also gave me encour-agement when I wanted to just quit.”

Through the program, Marron found full-time employment as a Quality Assurance Specialist for QTC Medical, a Lockheed Martin Company, which contracts with the VA. He still keeps in touch with his PAVE counselor to check in and let her know of any job openings that other veterans may be interested in.

“The position that I have now is work-ing for the VA, expediting veterans’ claims. I love talking to vets from all eras and helping them with the process,” Marron says. “I feel good about what I do and offer the best service possible not only because it’s my job, but also because I have a profound respect for what these brave men and women went through. They offered their lives as a sacrifi ce for our way of life.”

Evolve & ExpandPAVE currently serves 680 people across the country and has placed more than 350 clients since July 2014, an increase of 40% over the previous year.

Since the program’s inception in 2007, PAVE has served more than 2,500 veterans and military families. With all this growth, there are plans to expand PAVE in the future, partic-ularly through partnerships with higher educa-tion institutions and military establishments.

“As PAVE continues to evolve and expand, we will strive to distend our visibility and nationwide outreach within the veteran community through increased collabora-tion and partnerships,” Stewart says. “We want to broaden our footprint by providing outreach and early engagement to veterans, transitioning service members and military caregivers in communities near colleges, universities and military installations across the country.”

For more information on Operation Pave contact a PVA National Service Offi cer from the roster on page 48 or visit operationpave.org. ■

24 | PN October 2015

COURTES

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AMES

MARR

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“I feel good about what I do and offer the

best service possible.” – James Marron

Jam

es M

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