1. 20 | PN October 2015
Kate Callahan serves as
secretary for the Paralyzed Veterans of Amer-
ica (PVA) Texas Chapter, is a thrower for the
U.S. Paralympic national team and volunteers
for other nonprofit organizations. Despite all
this, she believed there was still something
missing from her life.
Callahan, who became paralyzed
from the waist down during a sur-
gery to reduce fluid on her brain
after tendons in her back
separated from her spine,
wanted to find a career
that would utilize
her experiences
and educa-
tion, while-
also
Paralyzed Veterans of America’s
Operation PAVE is much more
than an employment program for
veterans with disabilities.
by Amanda Laverman
CO
URTESY
O
FTEAM
USA
Kate
Callahan
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2. October 2015 PN | 21
enabling
her to help
other members of
the military.
“It did not seem
like that is all I was
supposed to do with my
life after my injury. I wanted
to use my master’s degree in rec-
reation therapy to help people. I wasn’t
feeling like I was a productive member of soci-
ety when I was not working,” says
Callahan, who held numerous roles during her time in
the U.S. Air Force, including combat medic, aerospace
physiologist and flight nurse. “I desired the camarade-
rie that I missed so much from the military, so I wanted
to work with the military population.”
That’s where PVA’s Operation PAVE (Paving Access for Vet-
erans Employment), comes into play.
COURTESYOFPARALYZEDVETERANSOFAMERICA
Above:
Operation PAVE’s
(Paving Access for Veterans
Employment) Interim Director
Shelly Stewart (standing) and Paralyzed
Veterans of America Deputy Executive Director
Sherman Gillums Jr. (seated) pose with PAVE client
William Bryant (left) at the opening of the
Operation PAVE Chicago office in the
Edward Hines Jr. Department
of Veterans Affairs
Hospital on May
28, 2014.
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3. 22 | PN October 2015
Embark on
Adventure
As veterans with spinal-cord
injury or disease (SCI/D)
return to civilian life, many find
themselves wanting to embark on
their next adventure — a job that will give
them professional and personal fulfillment. How-
ever, navigating the job market may look much
different than it did before their time of service.
Operation PAVE ensures these veter-
ans not only find employment, but have
the continued support to be success-
ful throughout their entire career.
The program offered by PVA in
every Department of Veter-
ans Affairs (VA) spinal-
cord injury center is
unique in that it
provides holistic,
ongoing and inte-
grated support to
U.S. veterans, tran-
sitioning service mem-
bers, military spouses and
military caregivers.
Master’s level, certified
vocational counselors and trained
employment support analysts are avail-
able to assist clients in overcoming their
individual set of barriers to employment.
“There is no shortage of veteran
employment programs across the nation,
many of which are phenomenal in
providing services for our disabled
veterans. Often, clients come
to us and are very pleased
to discover a very dis-
tinct difference in our
program’s holis-
tic, ongoing and
integrated support
model,” says Operation
PAVE interim director Shelly
Stewart. “For example, one of
the most unique characteristics
of the PAVE program is our ‘Partner
for Life’ commitment. Our counselors
provide ongoing post-placement support
to veter-
ans and
employers to
ensure that our
clients not only
find employment, but
have the tools and resources
to maintain it. As their personal and professional
needs and goals change, clients appreciate that
our counselors and analysts are there for them
every step of the way.”
More to Life
Callahan is a prime example of
the success PAVE has had and now works
as the only recreation therapist at
Brooke Army Medical Center in
San Antonio.
PAVE helped
Callahan identify her
career passions and how
to match those with
her leadership
skills and expe-
riences with
ALLPHO
TO
S
BY
SARA
JO
RDE
Right: Veteran Eric Lorence
secured a job at the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service through
Operation PAVE (Paving Access for Veterans
Employment). He now works as the sports
director at Paralyzed Veterans of
America’s Minnesota Chapter.
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4. October 2015 PN | 23
the Paralympics and mental health field. Cal-
lahan plans to expand the recreational therapy
program at Brooke Army Medical Center and
hopes to one day become the program’s director.
Through her current position at the
center, Callahan has found new levels of
personal satisfaction and success. She encour-
ages other veterans to get involved with PAVE
and experience the rewards of rejoining
the workforce firsthand.
“Your life isn’t over just
because of an injury. You can
be a productive member of society
and have goals and aspirations in the
workplace just as you did before,” Callahan
says. “Do not be satisfied with just receiving
a check from the government. There is more
to life than just sitting on the couch and
receiving a check each month. Job satis-
faction and working with peers (have)
great challenges and benefits that
can be enjoyed from a wheel-
chair or walking!”
“Your life
isn’t over just
because of an injury. You
can be a productive member of
society and have goals and
aspirations in the workplace
just as you did before.”
– Kate Callahan
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5. Goals in Motion
Another veteran who has benefited from the
program is James Marron, who started his
military career with the Navy in 2000.
It included two stints in Iraq, during which
he was cited for his heroic achievement for
saving the lives of two Marines. During
his service, Marron sustained injuries
to his back and nerves, for which
he receives chiropractic services
from the nonprofit organiza-
tion The Patriot Project.
These constant aches
and pains were
one reason he
struggled with
returning
to work,
but he
wanted
to make
a change.
“Upon return-
ing, I wanted to
change my life and knew
that there were people that
could help at the VA. My occu-
pational therapist, Vivian, told
me about Joan (Haskins, an Opera-
tion PAVE counselor) and how she
worked for a nonprofit that helped with
employment opportunities,” Marron says. “If
I learned anything in business school, it was
how important networking is.”
After completing a bachelor’s degree in
business administration, Marron knew he
wanted a career that allowed him to help others.
Through PAVE he received counseling on defin-
ing career goals, job searching, résumé, cover
letter critiquing and how to use LinkedIn.
Not only was he provided this professional
advice, but also moral support. Whenever he
felt like giving up, Marron knew he could find
the strength he needed to keep going from the
team at PAVE.
“Joan was really good at being personable
and working with me. She really cares about
what she does versus just doing it, “ says Mar-
ron. “(She) and her team also gave me encour-
agement when I wanted to just quit.”
Through the program, Marron found
full-time employment as a Quality Assurance
Specialist for QTC Medical, a Lockheed Martin
Company, which contracts with the VA. He
still keeps in touch with his PAVE counselor to
check in and let her know of any job openings
that other veterans may be interested in.
“The position that I have now is work-
ing for the VA, expediting veterans’ claims. I
love talking to vets from all eras and helping
them with the process,” Marron says. “I feel
good about what I do and offer the best service
possible not only because it’s my job, but also
because I have a profound respect for what
these brave men and women went through.
They offered their lives as a sacrifice for our
way of life.”
Evolve & Expand
PAVE currently serves 680 people across the
country and has placed more than 350 clients
since July 2014, an increase of 40% over the
previous year.
Since the program’s inception in 2007,
PAVE has served more than 2,500 veterans and
military families. With all this growth, there
are plans to expand PAVE in the future, partic-
ularly through partnerships with higher educa-
tion institutions and military establishments.
“As PAVE continues to evolve and
expand, we will strive to distend our visibility
and nationwide outreach within the veteran
community through increased collabora-
tion and partnerships,” Stewart says. “We
want to broaden our footprint by providing
outreach and early engagement to veterans,
transitioning service members and military
caregivers in communities near colleges,
universities and military installations across
the country.”
For more information on Operation Pave
contact a PVA National Service Officer from the
roster on page 48 or visit operationpave.org. ■
24 | PN October 2015
CO
URTESY
O
FJAM
ES
M
ARRO
N
“I feel good about what I do and offer the
best service possible.”
– James Marron
Jam
esM
arron
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