Arizona State Veteran Home - Yuma

We had so much fun celebrating Father's Day with a special lunch to honor all of our fathers (and grandfathers) in the Yuma home!

As the oldest branch in the military, for 249 years the Army has stood for loyalty, dignity, determination and more.

To ADVS Veteran Benefits Counselor Vanessa Estrada, the Army gave her all that and more. It gave her lifelong connections and taught her lessons she carries throughout her life: a sense of integrity, the ability to overcome and adapt.

Vanessa joined the Army in 2006 after realizing she needed a positive change in her life. During her service of just over four years, she was stationed at Ft. Carson and had two separate deployments to Iraq acting as a 25U signal support specialist, an ammunition specialist and a human resources specialist.

Though it was tough to be away from her family, going though those life experiences during deployment with her fellow soldiers and battle buddies was the best part about serving.

"At the end of the day, the Army gave me a sense of pride knowing I played a minute part in helping to defend and maintain our nation’s great freedoms."

Thank you Vanessa for your service and a big happy birthday to all of our Army soldiers!

Flag Day commemorates the adaptation of the United States Flag on June 14, 1777. The Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777, stated, "Resolved: that the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."

All 50 stars were not added to the flag until 1959.

Since 2015, Tanya Morrison has been helping Veterans in a variety of positions, from the Arizona State Veteran home up to the cemetery administrator at the Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at Marana. For Tanya, being at ADVS offers her a career with a sense of purpose.

At the Marana cemetery, Tanya oversees the day-to-day operations including coordinating interment ceremonies, working with families and supervising her staff.

While Tanya didn’t serve in the military, she comes from a long line of family members who did, including her father, grandfather, uncle and cousins.

“What I love most about ADVS is having the chance to serve those who have served our country!”

Thank you for your service to our Arizona Veterans Tanya!

Today, Women Veterans Day marks the anniversary of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act that enabled women to serve as permanent, regular members of the Armed Forces.

Today, more than 2 million women Veterans are in the United States. Thank you to all of the women who have served to protect our freedoms!

We're hiring!!

We are looking for individuals interested in a fulfilling career working with Veterans in the Yuma community. We have positions open for a Nursing Supervisor, Recreational Therapist, LPNs, CNAs and more!

Find all of our current openings here: https://bit.ly/AZStateJobsPage

We love a good celebration here at the Yuma home and there is no better reason to celebrate than a little appreciation for our staff and residents!

Today, on the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, we honor and remember the brave men who stormed that European beach by air and by seas during Operation Neptune.

Also known as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion with more than 160,000 Allied troops landing on the beach that day and it marked the start of Allied operations that would ultimately lead to the end of WWII.

Today, we honor the sacrifices and services of those military members.

We are ready for some good summer fun here at the Yuma home! ☀

The next round of Pouring Compassion is on the calendar! This month we are raising funds for Arizona State Veteran Home - Yuma!

🎉 Join us to support the Veterans Home Yuma!

📅 Date and Time:
June 27th, 2024
5:30 to 7:30 PM
📍 Location:
Sage & Sand Cocktail Lounge
2852 E 16th St
Yuma, AZ 85365

🎉 What to Expect:
Music 🎶
Delicious Drinks 🍸
Raffle Prizes 🎁
Co****le on the Patio
Pool
Darts.. and Karaoke to follow at 8:00 PM!

Donation Drive:
Donate to our jars throughout the bar to support the Veterans' Home Yuma.
🍹 Sage and Sand's 10% Donation:
10% of sales go to the Yuma Veterans' Home.

🤝 How You Can Help:
Attend with friends!
Donate generously!
Enjoy drinks at Sage and Sand!
Play Co****le, Pool, and Darts
Join our Raffle

🎁 Win raffle prizes!
Click 'Going,' spread the word, and let's make this event unforgettable! 🚀

Who is Arizona State Veterans Home - Yuma?

ASVH-YUMA serves the long-term care and rehabilitation needs of southwestern Arizona veterans with energetic and caring staff providing nursing, therapeutic recreation, and social services. Veterans enjoy a vibrant, independent lifestyle with customized services. The community fosters comfort, dignity, and social connections through various planned activities.

A little art therapy is just what the doctor ordered!

After more than a decade with the Navy, Veteran Benefits Counselor Regional Manager Reghan Stuller wanted to help other Veterans and their families get connected to the benefits they rightfully earned.

As the Regional Manager, Reghan helps supervise the VBCs across Northern Arizona to ensure that the Veterans are well taken care of.

“Veterans are not aware of the benefits available to them and our staff is a key player in the positive connection between Veterans and benefits.”

Before coming to ADVS in July 2017, Reghan served in the Navy for 12 years as a Petty Officer First Class where he worked as a Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman. He was stationed all around the world during his military career, including in Japan, Iraq, Hawaii and Camp Pendleton.

Thank you Reghan for your service and the work you do for Arizona Veterans!

Military Appreciation Month may be coming to an end, but every day we should make sure to honor and thank our active and former military members for their service and sacrifices for our country! Thank you!

We love when our winged friends come to visit so we made sure to provide some cool digs for them! 🐦

Today, as we honor our fallen service members, the main ADVS office in Phoenix and the offices at the Veterans Memorial Cemeteries are closed today in observance of Memorial Day. The State Veteran Homes and the cemetery grounds will still be open for visitors.

Normal business hours will resume Tuesday, May 28.

A big shoutout to our community partners for your generous donations to our Yuma home!

Thank you Valley Sand and Gravel for donating 200 river rocks to help us start our memorial rock garden and thank you to our local Red Cross for donating 5 RC cars for our residents to enjoy!!

We couldn't be more thankful for your generosity and helping bring some joy and smiles to our residents!

We're hiring!!

We are looking for individuals interested in a fulfilling career working with Veterans in the Yuma community. We have positions open for a Nursing Assistant, Medical Records Supervisor, Social Worker, LPNs, CNAs and more!

Find all of our current openings here: https://bit.ly/AZStateJobsPage

During World War II, Marine Corps. Corporal Alfred Peaches was part of an elite subset of the U.S. Marine Corps selected to translate messages into the Navajo language as a military tactic. This group, known as the Navajo Code Talkers, created a code based on the complex, unwritten Navajo language.

When Alfred was drafted into the military during WWII in the early 1940s, he wanted to go to the Navy, but because of his knowledge of the Navajo language, he was told to go to the Marine Corps to train in Code Talker communication and radio operation.

"[The code] saved a lot of people, even on the frontline. The war could have taken longer, but we saved thousands and thousands of people, even our enemies. I’m just proud that I served my country. I served to save my people and country. Now everything is okay.”

Born in Shonto, Arizona, Alfred was Bitter Water People clan and born for the Red House People clan. His maternal grandfather was Water’s Edge People clan and his paternal grandfather was Reed People clan.

Alfred died on January, 16, 2016 at the age of 90. He was the first Veteran interred at the Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at Camp Navajo when it first opened later that same year.

Thank you Alfred for your service and sacrifice.

To read more about Alfred and his service, click here: https://bit.ly/AlfredPeachesSOOH

If you would like to have your loved one featured on our next Stories of Our Heroes, email [email protected] or fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/5wAXQs9nbypnprpu6

Better get our poker faces ready for game day!

Today on Armed Forces Day, ADVS recognizes all of our military personnel who are currently serving. The United States has more than 2 million active duty service members throughout the country and around the world protecting our freedoms.

Thank you to all of our military who have served and sacrificed for our country.

In celebration of Military Appreciation Month, we want to shout a big thank you to all of our active and former military members out there! We appreciate all that you have sacrificed in order to protect our country and our freedoms.

Our residents have been having so much fun for National Skilled Nursing Care Week! Each day our staff and residents have been participating in fun theme days from Crazy Hair Day to a Pajama Party!

We ❤ our residents!

This week we are celebrating National Skilled Nursing Care Week and all of our Veterans who call our facilities home!

In the past 25 years, more than 15,000 children have lost a parent in military conflict. While these sacrifices are often overlooked, Children of Fallen Patriots Day raises awareness of the struggles these children face in the wakes of their parents' deaths.

For the children who have lost a parent to military conflict, we honor your sacrifices and offer our condolences.

Today, there are more than 1 million military spouses in the United States and we honor and recognize their sacrifices in the face of their partner’s career.

The life of a military spouse isn’t always easy, but for ADVS Legislative Liaison and Air Force Veteran Julia Romero Gusse, she is proud of the journey her and her husband took together.

Julia and her husband Kevin, a Navy Veteran first met during technical school and were married before they left active duty, but Julia became pregnant at the end of her enlistment and left the service.

“I was an active duty military spouse for a short time and the negative aspect has to be the separation, I have known of spouses going months without seeing each other.

It was also hard as the spouse of a veteran, and being a veteran myself, when people assume that my husband is the only veteran.”

Though the two had to face lengthy time away from one another and other difficult decisions due to their military services, Julia said that she couldn’t be more proud of both their careers and marriage.

“I am extremely proud of not only my service but my husband's service as well. I was stationed in the states during my entire military career and my husband had the opportunity to serve overseas. He was stationed in a very precarious area of the world during a time of much uncertainty. He served with honor and earned recognition for his contributions, something we are all proud of.”

Thank you Julia and Kevin for your services and sacrifices!

Connecting with other Veterans and helping provide resources to the community is what brought Central Outreach Coordinator Dana West to ADVS in 2022.

As the Outreach Coordinator, Dana travels across Central Arizona connecting Veterans, loved ones and community partners with ADVS and other community programs, benefits and services.

As an Army Veteran herself, Dana knows how important it is for Veterans to be able to connect with the necessary resources in the community. Dana served for two years as an E3 in Human Intelligence Collection at Fort Bragg.

"I get to go into our community and share the resources we offer to give them a place to start whether it is just asking questions or needing an advocate. I get to be a part of making life easier for Veterans to access the resources they may need to thrive."

Thank you Dana for your service and the work you do for Arizona Veterans!

In honor of Nurses Week, meet RN Supervisor Katrina Harris, one of our many rock star nurses whose hard work and dedication to our Veterans is unmatched.

Katrina joined the Yuma home when it opened in the beginning of 2023 and for her, being able to be there for a patient, especially our Veterans, throughout their care process is fulfilling. She said she has always appreciated the fact that nurses are truly involved in every aspect of a person’s care from clinical to spiritual to embrace the entirety of a patient’s well-being.

“My favorite thing about being a nurse is following the patient’s care from beginning to end. Whether we are actively treating a disease process or following the natural processes of life, I get to be there with my patients through it all.”

Growing up in Yuma with its strong military community, Katrina enjoys being able to provide care for those who have served their families.

“I get to care for veterans who dedicated their lives to our country. I also have the privilege of supporting their families. What could possibly be more rewarding?”

Thank you Katrina for all of your hard work!

We may be a little biased but we think that we have some of the best state employees right here at ADVS!

Today is State Employee Recognition Day and we want to thank each and every person at ADVS for all of the hard work you do every day. From our nurses to our Executive Team to our cemetery folks and everyone in between, without y'all, we wouldn't be able to continue to help serve our Arizona Veterans! ❤

Thank you Matt Farris and Jacob Farris for coming out to play for our Veterans! ❤️

Free concert for residents at the Arizona State Veteran Home in Yuma - KYMA A free concert was provided to residents at the Arizona State Veteran Home in Yuma.

Just look at these wonderful creations, we've got some real artists in the Yuma home! 🎨