Amanda Eidemiller, a mental health specialist volunteer with the Service to the Armed Forces (SAF), learned the value of service early on. Her mother, Jeannette, was a volunteer nurse for the American Red Cross after World War II and later helped at blood drives. Her father, Tom, served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the Pacific.
“It’s tremendously satisfying,” said Eidemiller, now in her seventh year as a SAF volunteer. “To be able to give back to the community is a value I hold for myself. My parents were a strong influence that, if you can, you should be of service to other human beings. If you can be helpful, be helpful. That’s how I always felt.”
SAF helps members of the military, veterans, their families and caregivers cope with the challenges of service. Each year, a network of SAF volunteers assist more than 240,000 military and veteran families from all branches of military service across the country and around the world.
In her role, Eidemiller facilitates in-person and virtual resiliency workshops that provide tools and strategies for managing stress, improving communication skills and practicing mind-body techniques. These workshops are free and available to service members, veterans and their families.
“We are facilitators, not therapists,” said Eidemiller, who holds a master’s degree in social work and works in palliative care medicine at a Michigan hospital. “This is a workshop on skill building. Resiliency is like a muscle you have to work and build. It’s a skill you have to learn like a trade.
“I would love to believe that people are naturally resilient in some ways, but it’s also something we have to learn how to be.”
A typical workshop has about 6 – 12 attendees and lasts 45 – 90 minutes. Attendance is strictly voluntary. Eidemiller stresses the importance of creating a safe space for attendees to further develop their skills and knowledge.
“We want to create a space where they can speak freely and practice some of these skills, which might be very foreign to them in their capacity as a service member,” she said.
“We do things like guided meditation, talk about ‘I’ statements, and how to respond empathically, how to recognize stress in your body and how to release that stress.”
Resiliency workshops are especially helpful to those navigating the transition from military life to civilian life. Eidemiller teaches skills on how to read nonverbal communication and how to engage in nonverbal listening.
“It’s learning how to be able to make those reconnections with your family, with yourself and with your community,” she said, “and to help the people you love to reconnect with you.”
Eidemiller’s journey with the Red Cross began with a brochure about SAF she picked up at a VA hospital in Michigan. SAF medical and non-medical volunteers provide care, comfort and therapy items at veteran hospitals and military treatment facilities.
Because of her work in palliative care, Eidemiller would often reach out to the Red Cross for assistance to alert service members when a loved one was near the end of their life. During times of emergency such as the birth of a child or the impending death of a family member, the Red Cross helps military families communicate with their loved ones and facilitate their return home through its Hero Care Network.
The brochure led Eidemiller to the Red Cross website. She eventually landed an interview and was hired. She was ecstatic about working for an organization widely known for its humanitarian mission.
“I have a lot of love for it,” she said. “I think Service to the Armed Forces isimportant. I mean, think about what these service personnel do for us, for our country, for our way of life.”
By David Olejarz, regional communications director