Veteran's Heritage Project facts for kids
The Veterans Heritage Project (VHP) is a special group that helps connect students with military veterans. It's a nonprofit organization, which means it's a group that works for a good cause instead of making money. VHP's main goal is to "Connect Students with Veterans™." This helps to honor veterans, keep America's history alive, and help young people become future leaders.
The program brings together students from middle school, high school, and college with veterans. These veterans share their personal stories from wars like World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. Their stories are like real-life history lessons, giving students a direct look into the past.
How VHP Started
The Veterans Heritage Project began in 2004. It was started by Barbara Hatch, a social studies teacher at Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, Arizona. At first, it was just an after-school club.
The idea for VHP came to Ms. Hatch in 1998. Her students had watched the movie Saving Private Ryan, which is about World War II. They were very interested in hearing real stories from veterans. Ms. Hatch then found a local group called Veterans of Foreign Wars. She wanted to find a veteran who had fought in Normandy to share his experiences.
In 2004, Ms. Hatch received a special grant from the Salt River Project. This money helped her expand the program and reach more students and veterans.
Honoring the Work
The work of Barbara Hatch and VHP has been recognized with many awards. In 2017, Ms. Hatch received the Friend of the Humanities Award. This award came from Arizona Humanities, a group that supports history and culture.
In 2018, VHP won the Community Service Hero Award. This was a big honor from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. It showed that VHP was one of the best community service programs in the whole country. Also in 2018, Ms. Hatch received the Vietnam Veterans of America Achievement Medal. This award was given by the American Council of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Recording History
One of the most important things VHP does is record the veterans' stories. These are called "oral histories." They are published in special hard-cover books called Since You Asked™.
These books and videotapes of the interviews are kept safe at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.. They are part of a larger collection called the Veterans History Project. This national project was created by the United States Congress in 2000.
You can even search the VHP database online. If you want to see the actual interviews, you can visit the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Publishing each book costs money, but generous donations help cover these costs.
The very first book, Since You Asked: Arizona Veterans Share Their Memories, came out in 2005. It included stories from 65 veterans. VHP also gives scholarships every year to students. These scholarships go to students who show great effort and dedication to their projects.
By April 2018, over 1,779 students had taken part in the program. They helped document the stories of 1,824 veterans. The Veterans Heritage Project now has chapters in 25 schools. These schools are located in 17 different cities across Arizona.
