There’s been a lot of talk in the media recently about the privileged 1%. Today we honor another 1%: our veterans, the brave men and women who put on their uniforms every day and make our freedom their mission.
At a veterans health conference in June, I was shocked to learn that only 1% of all Americans ever serve in the military. Those soldiers and their families make enormous sacrifices for all of us. We can aspire, dream, and create because they have pledged the other 99% of us. It’s a humbling ideal and they deserve more than a day of celebration. We should be thanking veterans every day of the year because every day of the year they are giving us a chance to live the lives we imagine.
To show our gratitude and concern for the struggles that face veterans and their families when they return home, Compass Yoga is putting together a holiday gift for them as part of our veterans program. Over the next few weeks, we’re filming several short yoga videos and meditation podcasts that will be readily freely available for any veterans and their family members who wish to start down the road to better health. The package videos and podcasts will be available just before Christmas, and we’ll be sure to let you know about their release. In January, we’re starting a yoga class for veterans and their family members at the Muhlenberg Branch of the New York Public Library. (Details here.)
It’s our way of serving them when they return home from serving us. There will never be enough ways to thank them for all they’ve done, but this is a start.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. Iāve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. Iāve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, Iāve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimerās Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. Iām currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, Iām equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
Iām bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
ā¢ I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
ā¢ I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
ā¢ I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
There’s been a lot of talk in the media recently about the privileged 1%. Today we honor another 1%: our veterans, the brave men and women who put on their uniforms every day and make our freedom their mission.
Christa Avampato 
thanks for sharing this stat and for your work to honor our veterans. i had no idea about the 1% stat.
LikeLike
It surprised me, too, Col!
LikeLike