While years in the service can provide important job skills, many veterans lack experience in landing work in the private sector. But a Goodwill Manasota program launched this year will better prepare area veterans and their families for job interviews. The program builds on successful efforts on Goodwill’s part to prepare military members for life after finishing their tours.

CJ Bannister, Goodwill Manasote director of Veteran Services, recalls that when she completed her time in the service, wrapping up in 2001 after eight years in the Air Force, she didn’t have the right vocabulary for civilian life. A paralegal through the Judge Advocate General Corps, better known as JAG, Bannister was sending her resume and getting no return calls before another veteran attorney called her back and informed her non-military court proceedings used completely different terminology than what she had learned while in uniform. While he could not offer her a job, he helped rework her applications. “He crossed out all the court terms that were called something different and two weeks later I had my first job (outside the military),” she says.

The experience showed her how important such mentorship can be to veterans trying to establish themselves in the civilian workforce. She has volunteered or worked professionally for support groups in the 16 years since, the last two working at Goodwill.

A new “mock interviewing program” at Goodwill launched in January with the purpose of helping veterans prepare for the interview process, something most have not engaged in for years before their discharge. Coaching over time reduces anxiety and teaches the participants how to sell their own skill set in the private sector. 

Kevin Henault, owner of Veteran Air, was the first CEO to help with the mock interview program and has since hired five candidates for his own company. "I appreciate that Goodwill works to help and employ veterans through its many programs and services," says Henault, himself an Army vet. "Especially given my own family’s tradition of service, I'm honored to partner with Goodwill to help the veterans in our community. At the same time, I’ve benefited through some great hires for my company."

The interview program is the latest offering since Goodwill launched its Veterans Services program in 2013. Bannister says Goodwill also hosts weekly therapy for former soldiers still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and hosts job connections classes that have helped hundreds of veterans in the last few years. One program, launched with a grant from the Department of Labor, has helped 103 homeless veterans. The jobs program has been expanded to help all veterans, serving more than 350 veterans in 2015 and another 250-plus in 2016.

All programs run from Goodwill’s Veteran Services facility on Lockwood Ridge Road. 

Editor’s Note: This is part sixteen of an ongoing series documenting the flights of active-duty US Navy Pilot Ryan Rankin on his journey to fly 52 planes in 52 weeks through the year 2017.

Stepping away from last week’s rugged and utilitarian classic—The Beaver—Rankin gets behind the stick of something a little more futuristic—the Diamond DA40. A composite aircraft, the sleek and compact DA40 harkens back to week four of Rankin’s journey and the Sting S4. Composed primarily of carbon fiber, which can create shapes and curves impossible for metal frames, these planes represent the height of aerodynamism. And in the DA40’s case, the height of safety.

Flying out of Troy, AL, with Flight Instructor Micah Thompson of Trojan Aviation, Rankin took the DA40 for an hour-long cruise, banking and turning and getting a feel for the craft. A rather utilitarian training craft designed primarily for straightforward travel or cruising, aerobatics were out of the question, but the craft remained “a dream to fly,” he says, with responsive and smooth controls. Then they demoed the autopilot. “It blew my mind,” Rankin says. “The airplane flies itself.”

Throughout Rankin’s military experience, he’s had the opportunity to fly numerous craft with all sorts of expensive and advanced technology, just not usually the kind that takes control out of the pilot’s hands. The DA40 comes equipped with a Garmin G1000 avionics suite, complete with a state-of-the-art autopilot. Capable of more than just cruising, the autopilot can even nearly orchestrate a precision landing on its own. With the landing dialed in, the autopilot adjusts speed, descent and angle, only needing a human hand when the plane reaches minimum altitude. “Then you just click the autopilot off,” says Rankin, “and hand-fly it down the last couple hundred feet.”

And should the worst occur (or almost the worst) and the engine fails mid-flight, the DA40’s design allows the craft the uncanny ability to glide to the ground more gently than a parachute. An aircraft stalls when the nose is up and either the power fails or the lift over the wings becomes insufficient, leading the plane to fall from the sky. “Every other aircraft I know,” says Rankin, “if you do that, you’re going to depart flight and it’s not going to end well.” The DA40, on the other hand, can glide to the ground powerless as long as the nose is trimmed up. Some aircraft even come equipped with a parachute for the entire plane, and those, says Rankin, have a speedier rate of descent than a DA40 with the engine off and the nose up.

“That is unreal to me,” says Rankin, who remembers his first flights in aircraft with round dials and shaky frames. “It’s a real testament to how far things have come.”

For more about the flight in Rankin's own words and a video of the flight, follow the link below. 

Pictured: The Diamond DA40. Photo courtesy of Ryan Rankin.

Ryan Flies

French designer James Taffin de Givenchy is known for his modern, sculptural and evocative jewelry designs, working with bold combinations of diamonds, peridots, sapphires, mandarin garnets, coral and spinels. His brand, Taffin, also produces home fragrances that channel the same attention to craftmanship and luxury, the three candle varieties an homage his personal sensibilities. The white packaged Bois de Lilas combines the sweet smells of lilac and rose (the universal symbol of love), giving off an energizing and harmonizing power. A dash of sweet honey balances out the florals with a sense of earthiness and comfort. Sample all three scents and pick one that speaks to you at Orange Avenue's new home shop, Pansy Bayou.  

Photo courtesy of Pansy Bayou.

Pansy Bayou, 512 South Orange Ave., Sarasota, 941-413-5115.

Calling all Florida cyclists with a passion for philanthropy and thrill for riding the best beaches on the Gulf Coast! Sharky’s will be hosting its 15th annual Ride the Beaches event Sunday, April 30, benefitting three amazing charities—Team Tony, Friends of the Legacy Trail and the Livestrong Foundation. In 2016, Sharky’s hosted over 1,200 cyclists and raised $40,000 to support local charities. Riders will have the choice of three scenic bike routes (15-, 35- and 70-mile rides) and complementary breakfast, rest stops stocked with water and snacks and a BBQ lunch at Sharky’s.  While relaxing on the beach with lunch and a frozen piña colada after the ride, be sure to vote Sharky’s the Best Beach Bar of 2017 at floridabeachbar.com/vote/.  

Sharky's On the Pier, 1600 Harbor Dr. S, Venice, 941-488-1456.

Dr. George Lindenfeld of the RESET Therapy Professional Institute in Sarasota has affiliated with MindSpa Integrative Wellness Center to continue supporting veterans, first responders and other adults dealing with emotional trauma. Lindenfeld is a clinical psychologist who served in the Navy Seabees prior to attaining his doctorate in child and developmental psychology at Utah State University. The RESET Therapy Professional Institute is dedicated to the permanent healing of emotional trauma. One of the Institute’s current projects, in collaboration with MindSpa, is a study of 36-combat veterans who served in various conflicts in Southeast Asia, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq. The study is examining the potential of a neuro-acoustical device and treatment protocol that helps veterans and other adults dealing with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions. Lindenfeld is also conducting research on additional applications of RESET Therapy including addictive disorders. Lindenfeld completed his residency in medical psychology at the University of Oregon Medical School and holds a diplomate in clinical psychology. He has been certified in EEG Biofeedback by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance and the Academy of Certified Neurotherapists. 

MindSpa Integrative Wellness Center

The Friendship Centers, a nonprofit organization serving older adults in Southwest Florida for more than 40 years, has received a $10,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation and a $1,000 grant from the Michael Saunders & Company Foundation (MSC Foundation) to again offer the Aging Mastery Program. The Friendship Centers was one of three organizations in the state selected to offer the series of classes as a pilot program in 2015. With support from The Patterson Foundation, it is part of a collaborative group of organizations in the region offering the Aging Mastery Program, an initiative of the National Council on Aging. The program, which consists of 10 two-hour classes, is scheduled to be held in the North Sarasota Library, June 9 through August 11, once a week. The series is being offered in Newtown free of charge, and registered participants are expected to attend all classes in the series to get the most out of the program. If interested in attending, register with Library Assistant Manager Erin Clay. 

Friendship Centers