In the Community
Gratitude Charlottesville: A Directory of Military & police discounts in charlottesville, va
Please check out the new website for Gratitude Charlottesville, a directory of military and police discounts in Charlottesville, VA. The businesses enrolled in this directory have eagerly agreed to offer special deals and discounts from their companies to our military heroes, and their families.
Gratitude Charlottesville was one of the wonderful worthy beneficiaries of our 2019 4 Our Freeedom 5k run/walk. They are conducting their own “Freedom 5K” race on November 9, 2019, 8:00 am at Glenmore Country Club. Please support their event and register today at https://www.freedom5k.net/registration/
The race caps at 350 runners, so hurry!
Nickel For Your Story: Vietnam
In the Media
Matt Deegan (from left), project coordinator with ParadeRest, Bruce Eades, president of the Dogwood Memorial Foundation, and Gregory Saathoff, co-founder of ParadeRest, stand near the Charlottesville Dogwood Vietnam Memorial.
The Daily Progress
"Saathoff is now working on a new oral history project focusing on Vietnam War veterans with the same goal as before with the help of Matthew Deegan, a teacher at Charlottesville High School, and Bruce Eades, a Vietnam veteran."
Read the full article by clicking here.
Newsradio wina
Charlottesville High School teacher Matt Deegan joined the show to discuss a unique history project connecting Vietnam Veterans with high school students.
CBS 19 News
"ParadeRest records interviews with military veterans and sends them to be archived at the Library of Congress for historians and students to study. They also give a copy to the veteran's family...ParadeRest began recording interviews with World War II veterans and is now focusing on Vietnam War veterans."
Read the full article by clicking here.
Cville Tomorrow
"By embarking on this project -- called “A Nickel for your Story: Vietnam” -- ParadeRest seeks to provide veterans a way to capture their stories for posterity, to further bind families through a greater sense of their histories, and to engage University of Virginia and high school students in the process of historical storytelling."
Read the full article by clicking here.
About Nickel for Your Story
A Nickel for your Story is an effort to record the stories of our nation's veterans, starting with those from World War II, to preserve these invaluable and increasingly rare accounts for future generations. This year, we are continuing our mission in collecting the stories of veterans from the Vietnam War era. By allowing these soldiers to tell their stories, we can give them the welcome home many never received.
Military veterans in Central Virginia interested in participating in ParadeRest’s project can call (434) 234-9795 or send an email to history.paraderestvirginia@gmail.com.
To read more about ParadeRest's efforts in preserving these invaluable stories, please check out our most recent features in the media by following the links above.
expressing gratitude
to our military, their families,
and veterans.
Feature on Charlottesville Inside-Out
ParadeRest was recently featured on the local PBS program, “Charlottesville Inside-Out”. To watch the complete episode about our organization's activities and efforts, please click here or check out the video below.
ParadeRest’s segment begins at 13:31.
To Our Sponsors
We would like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors who generously support our ticketing program. Through ticket donations from the UVA Athletic Office, The Paramount Theater, Sprint Pavilion, John Paul Jones Arena, and others, ParadeRest is able to fulfill its mission of serving the Charlottesville community and its military personnel. Thank you. We could not do it without your help.
About Us
Composed of veterans, non-veterans, and representatives of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville area community, the ParadeRest Board has donated its time since 2009 towards providing ways to engage military personnel and their families with the local community. Expressions of gratitude for our veterans have taken the form of donated tickets to entertainment and sporting events.
ParadeRest was launched with the assistance of the National Headquarters of the American Red Cross, the Blue Star Families of Central Virginia and the Research Strategies Network with the purpose of encouraging such expressions of our community’s gratitude, and to provide returning and soon-to-be-deployed service members, and their families during their deployments, with convenient online information and access to these invitations and opportunities. Because of its role in community resilience as well as oral history, and its relevance to Critical Incident Analysis, UVA’s Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) also supports ParadeRest in its educational mission.
Finding The Fallen
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Finding the Fallen: A Photographic Memorial Tribute to Local and University of Virginia Military Personnel Who Died While Serving in Times of War”
Nickel For Your Story
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Documenting the stories of United States military veterans, to preserve these invaluable and increasingly rare accounts for future generations.
"We must thank those who have served and the select group who have given all."
Scott S. | Paraderest Memorial Event At The Paramount Theater
Our Team
Composed of veterans, non-veterans, and representatives of the University of Virginia and Charlottesville area community, the ParadeRest Board has donated its time since 2009 towards providing ways to engage military personnel and their families with the local community. The team expresses gratitude and recognition through donated tickets to UVA and community venues, collecting histories from living veterans while honoring the fallen, and arranging and sponsoring events both cultural and athletic. UVA students staff ParadeRest year-round providing constant support for ParadeRest members. ParadeRest salutes its volunteers, whose work is essential to our success. For example, Jeff Boecker has donated thousands of hours in providing essential outreach and collection of military narratives from soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guard members who have served during wartime.
Staff
Maihan Far Alam maihan@paraderestva.org
Stella Connaughton stella@paraderestva.org
Staff may be reached collectively by emailing tickets@paraderestva.org
To schedule a Nickel For Your Story interview, please email history@paraderestva.org
ParadeRest Board
ParadeRest Coordinator
Mission
ParadeRest serves the military population of Central Virginia including active duty and retired military personnel and their families. Our mission is to demonstrate the community’s tremendous gratitude for their service and sacrifice by recognizing and supporting the area’s ‘hidden military’ personnel and their loved ones who are not stationed near large bases. Our objective is to develop and implement integrated outreach and support programs prior to their deployment, while they are away, and when they return home.
ParadeRest seeks to partner with other military support organizations, other community organizations, academic institutions, and local businesses to enhance the community’s gratitude for those presently serving, their families and veterans.
"We couldn't have had a better experience with ParadeRest. My family had a wonderful time at the game, and we are very appreciative of the organization and what it does for servicemembers, veterans, and their families."
- ParadeRest Member
Goals
The ParadeRest Virginia program gives the Central Virginia community a special way to show its gratitude for the commitment and sacrifice of military personnel and their families.
Like many communities around the country, Central Virginia is home to National Guard, Reservists and their families. Without a nearby veterans hospital or military base, the sacrifices of those serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are often unrecognized. They are part of the “hidden military” who quietly serve our country. Many organizations and civic groups in our region have wished to express their gratitude by inviting service members to be guests at their performances, special events and programs, but how to make contact with these soldiers and their families has been a recurring question.
The ParadeRest Virginia program gives the Central Virginia community a special way to show its gratitude for the commitment and sacrifice of military personnel and their families.
Ready to help?
Get Involved!
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Donate Tickets, Money, or Time
ParadeRest In The News!
Finding The Fallen
Nickel For Your Story
Check Out What The Media Is Saying
Our Community Salutes
Heroes at the Harbor
Memorial Day Tribute
Stars and Stripes