Joanna Lennon

The mission of Civic Assets is to rehabilitate and reintegrate recovering service members prior to their separation from the military and post 9-11 veterans by placing them in a high quality transition assistance program where they will continue to serve their country by doing environmental projects on public lands in the public interest. At the same time, Civic Assets participants will develop the foundation and the skills that will help them to improve their employability in preparation for a return to the civilian workforce. The program focuses on those service members who suffer from traumatic brain injury and/or post traumatic stress.The program will integrate service experiences done initially in teams doing environmental work on public lands and progresses to individual internships in both the public and private sector; help with navigating and enrolling in college and/or vocational courses; expedited medical and mental health treatment through a partnership with the San Francisco, Palo Alto and Martinez Departments of Veterans Affairs and the University of California San Francisco Medical Center; neural-behavioral training interventions that will strengthen core cognitive, emotional and behavioral functions necessary in the civilian sector; and cutting edge research that will work to examine the effects of supported service work experience integrated with both physical and mental rehabilitation with the goal of improving interventions. By utilizing the unique leadership talents of these men and women, program research will seek to demonstrate the healing and transformative power that results from structured experiences where individuals devote their time and energy for the greater good. At the same time, our country benefits from the completion of vital environmental and infrastructure projects.