Christina Vasquez was the first art therapist at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center in Wichita, Kan. At that time, many creative arts initiatives had been postponed or reduced due to staff turnover. Christina knew she would have to be an advocate for the return of these programs because of the profound impact art

Thousands of veterans take part in local Veterans Creative Arts Festivals across the country each year. From there, some are invited to showcase their talents at the national level. U.S. Marine Corps veteran Raymond Douglass discovered a talent he didn’t know he had. “I have no formal writing experience or anything like that. I just