Community Outreach... what is that?
Hello SOM+C!
I’d like to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself to the dedicated members of this coalition and its diehard supporters. My name is Amilcar Rodriguez and I am a retired SOF Medic from the SARC community, currently serving as our Pillar Head of Community Outreach. So, let’s get right into it; What does Community Outreach even mean and what does this pillar do? By now I’m sure we’ve all taken the time to read the brief overview of each pillar in the About section so this post will simply expand on each purview.
Here we go:
To act as a support program providing mentorship, guidance, benevolence, and heritage preservation to the enlisted SOF Medic. The biggest take away from this is that the only person directly receiving any benefits from this pillar will be the enlisted SOF Medic. The lower their seniority the more attention they’ll receive. If anyone has a problem with this then you need to reread our site, rethink your existence, and then leave forever. If you are the type of senior leader in charge of junior troops that decide to “audit” new courses in order to gain certifications not afforded those you “lead”, we will know about it and you will not be welcomed here. For those of us that understand that quality prehospital military medicine starts with the meticulous development of the junior Medic on the ground and in the helo, we thank you for your commitment. For example, an Air Force Lt. Col Doctor invited a newly promoted Army Flight Medic Sgt on his podcast to discuss the young medic’s personal research of Hypocalcemia and the Lethal Diamond. This Medic now leads our Research Pillar. That is the very illustration of being dedicated to Enhancing Prehospital Medicine by Focusing on the SOF Medic and we thank you and supporters like you!
To act as the fundraising arm of the organization, supporting future programs through merchandise sales, fundraising events, and donor management. We recently completed our first fundraising event and we are grateful to everyone of you that purchased a SOM+C T-Shirt and donated to your coalition. Our upcoming goals include providing merchandise for sale and establishing an athlete partnership for future fundraising efforts. Below is a glimpse of how the coalition will manage and utilize its donations, more to follow in future updates.
To seek out sponsors and partners that share in our values and vision. The GWOT 9/11 Veteran has made significant impacts to our culture through combining small business and philanthropy. We literally have brothers and sisters everywhere doing amazing things for our larger veteran community. We will seek and partner with those who have not forgotten the sacrifices our servicemembers have endured and do not value profit over cause.
To create mentorship and networking opportunities by pairing SOF Medics with former SOF Medics with careers in Medicine, Allied Health and Health Care Management. We will facilitate the pairing of SOF Medics through our soon to be released network/mentor program and through each other via the forums on our site. We aim to expand our network by combining contacts of staff and members to not just include the traditional careers of doctors, physician assistants, and nurses, but to also seek out those in paramedicine, remote and austere specialties, emergency and disaster management, administrative, and health related technical careers.
To pursue financial aid options for continuing education and higher education. We will facilitate a SOM+C Book Exchange for those pursuing higher education through universities commonly attended by Special Operations Medics to alleviate book costs. Future projects will be focused on aiding in the attainment and maintenance of civilian certifications.
To provide up to date information through our website, social media, emails, and newsletters to our members. We will engage members of our community, both in and out of the coalition, through our site by blogs and forums, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We will inform our members of our efforts through our newsletter and explore coalition and community topics through our podcast, both of which will make their debut shortly in March.
Hopefully you noticed the use of “we” and “us” throughout this post and understand that no one entity can bring about unification. We need as many interested parties as possible to help in any way possible; whether that’s donating, volunteering to oversee a project or even facilitating a strategic introduction, if you have a background in any of the above mentioned topics please contact us, we need your help! Together we can stop the team room hate sessions. Well, maybe not stop, but at least turn it into a low rumble. Thank you, and I look forward to serving our community!
“…and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.”
Amilcar
Community Outreach
SOM+C