Creative Arts further rehabilitation goals for Veterans

Tomah VA hosted its annual Creative Arts Festival in June and closed out the season with an award ceremony in July. Twenty-one Veterans attended the award ceremony of the 44 participants from a total of 85 submissions.

The celebration included Tomah VA leadership, American Legion Auxiliary President and sponsor of the Creative Arts Festival, Helene Stein, and newly crowned 2024 Miss Wisconsin, Mandi Genord.

Veterans were awarded medals and certificates honoring the hard work and dedication to each entry submitted.

The ceremony started with a reminder about the healing therapeutic power of the creative arts. Tomah VA incorporates creative arts into its therapy programs to further the rehabilitation goals for patients.

"The gift of the creative arts is the availability to express oneself without the need for words and to bring awareness to an experience, maybe a shared one, that reminds us we are not alone," said board certified music therapist and co-chair for the Creative Arts Festival, Bethany Riedel.

Many Veterans engage in the creative arts for managing mental health symptoms, such as depression and PTSD, and others specifically for physical rehabilitation goals, such as prolonging use of dexterity of their hands or concentration to task. Several placing winners for both performing arts and visual arts participated despite physical limitations, such as significant hand tremors and loss of use of limb.

Other Veterans shared the main reason they engage in the creative arts is for managing chronic and debilitating pain as it helps distract and take their mind away from the pain.

"This was the highest turn out in five years, and we had many Veterans as first-time participants. Many of our participating Veterans had never shared their artwork outside of their own home, and it was an honor to debut their artwork in the Creative Arts Festival Art Gallery," said Brittany Kelly, certified therapeutic recreation specialist and co-chair of the Creative Arts Festival.

Out of the 85 entries submitted, 79 are moving onto the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival where they will compete against other Veterans from up to 128 other VAMCs. Tomah VA has had national placing winners for eight years in a row.

The Creative Arts Festival is open to Veterans who are eligible to receive care through VA and are enrolled at a VA Medical Center, outpatient clinic or Vet Center before entering the local competition.

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