Standout Memories at Stand Down

Stand Down just wrapped up over the weekend but the three-day event to help homeless veterans left an indelible impression on one of our own. Housing and Community Development’s Julie Odlum was one of several department staffers who volunteered on their own time to help out. In a brief write-up to her supervisor, see what the Housing Specialist had to say about the experience “In Her Own Words.”

It was my first time volunteering at Stand Down and I thought it was amazing. I am so impressed with how organized it was and just how many people are involved in making it all happen. I initially wanted to volunteer on the first day (Friday), but the volunteer slots had already been filled for that day, so I accepted a slot on Sunday, from 6 am – 12 noon and I was scheduled to be a volunteer runner. Upon arrival, I was sent to work in the Command Unit.  There was a woman in charge by the name of Linda (from Veterans Village of San Diego) and another person by the name of Jack (retired military, 13-year volunteer at Stand Down). They were both on top of it and just handled everything in stride as it came in. Linda in particular was absolutely amazing. She was a bundle of energy and just seemed to know who everyone was and how to anticipate their needs. The Command Unit had an abundance of volunteers so I took it upon myself to find things to do. I picked up trash, I cleaned off tables, greeted people, etc…… I basically just looked for something that needed to be done and did it.

After having breakfast (volunteers were provided with breakfast which was a pleasant surprise!) I was sent over to work in the clothing tent which was a huge tent, divided in to one side for women and the other side for men. Once again, so much organization went in to this, it was incredible. There were oh, so many clothes available, categorized by size and type of clothing. Then on top of that there was another set of volunteers in the back sorting and bringing out more clothes as the morning went on. I was assigned, along with several others to escort vets, one at a time, through the tent. Each vet could have 15 minutes to go through the tent and was issued two pairs of new underwear and two pairs of socks and then each vet could select one pair of shoes and was allowed to take as much clothing as they could carry (not using a bag). People for the most part, were very appreciative and it was really fun helping people select clothes. It truly was an honor for me to thank them for their service as they left the tent.

The loyalty and dedication that exists at Stand Down is contagious. I loved the environment. People were so friendly. The most memorable part to me about the whole day was early in the morning, perhaps about 7 or 8 a.m. when everyone was called to attention and asked to face the flag (there was a huge U.S. flag hung up on the wall of the handball courts). We listened to the Star Spangled Banner being sung by a man and a woman up on stage and then we were all led to say the Pledge of Allegiance together. It was a very beautiful and emotional experience, as there was such a strong sense of pride for our country that came from the entire camp as it came to a halt to salute and honor the U.S. and our veterans.