Chronic pain sufferers.

Pain is the body's way of saying that something is wrong. It normally goes away when the cause is corrected, but for many disabled veterans, the pain is constant and chronic. It may be phantom pain from an amputated limb, chronic pain caused by an injury or wound, or mysterious pain that appears for no reason at all.

Chronic pain is, in itself, a disease. It can interfere with employment, intrude on family life, and even alter a veteran's personality.

The Charitable Service Trust is helping ease the pain for disabled veterans with a S 15,900 grant to the W761 American Pain Foundation in Baltimore, Md. The grant will be used to develop Internet information and outreach strategies specifically designed for veterans suffering from pain. It will also help the caregivers and family of veterans suffering pain and offer information, education, resources, and sup port to veterans.

"The American Pain Foundation is offering services that are urgently needed for disabled veterans suffering from chronic pain," said Charitable Service Trust Chairman Richard E. Marbes. "Research Conducted by the foundation shows that there is a high prevalence of pain among veterans, and the associated emotional distress and substance abuse that often accompany it."

The foundation will create a special feature on pain in veterans on its existing Web site and offer links for information and links to health care providers. The site will provide Internet chat rooms and expert forums on pain in veterans.

"Veterans can access information on improving their quality of life, end of life issues, and caregivers for pain sufferers," Marbes said. "It will also provide important facts on financial issues and health issues, such as depression."

The foundation will also provide an electronic newsletter on its Web site at www.painfoundation.org focusing on the issues of veterans affected by pain, and access to information, support. and resources for veterans.

"There is an enormous need for more research in the area of chronic pain," said Marbes, "especially for patient and family education and support. These services are vitally needed with so many injured and wounded veterans returning from the Iraq war and war on terrorism."

The Charitable Service Trust also awarded a $625,000 grant to The Colorado Trust to be used toward the purchase of vans for the DAV Transportation Network. The funds will be used to help Departments purchase new vans to transport veterans to and from the medical a ointments at VA medical centers.

The DAV created the Transportation Network in 1987 after the Department of Veterans Affairs discontinued transportation reimbursements for veterans obtaining medical care at VA medical centers, The vans are purchased by DAV Departments and Chapters and donated to the VA to meet tire transportation needs of veterans. Since the Transportation Network was created, Chapters and Departments, which contribute a portion of the cost of the vans, have donated 1.549 vans to VA medical centers nationwide at a cost of $31 million. Today the program provides more than 755,000 rides annually to veterans who need transportation for their medical care.

"The Transportation Network is one of the most successful veterans service programs in the history of the DAV," said Marbes. "These vans, driven by our volunteers, are a daily reminder of our mission to help build better lives for disabled veterans and their families."

The Charitable Service Trust awarded several grants to improve the medical care and rehabilitation for disabled veterans. A 525,000 Trust grant to the Achilles Track Club in New York will help fund a pilot program of rehabilitative and therapeutic athletic events at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The pilot program will be used to develop a model for continuing support for veterans from the medical center to the veteran's home.

The Achilles Track Club was founded in 19$3 to help disabled people participate in athletics. The pilot program at Walter Reed will give disabled Iraq War veterans, many of them amputees, the support, training, and equipment to participate in distance running. The goal is to increase the mobility and endurance of veterans using prosthetics or hand cycles.

The Missouri State Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau, Mo., received a $20,000 Charitable Service Trust grant to purchase equipment to improve the medical care, mobility, and safety of its veteran residents. The funds will be used to purchase airflow mattresses, wheelchairs, walkers, and chairs to accommodate the special needs of veterans. The 150-bed facility that serves veterans in southeast Missouri is one of seven long-term care facilities operated by the Missouri Veterans Commission.

The Outward Bound West program in Golden, Colo., was awarded a $16,000 Trust grant to conduct two wilderness programs this year to provide therapy for 20 veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Outward Bound program gives veterans suffering from PTSD the skills to deal with the wilderness as a method of personal growth. Courses this year are being developed to include veterans from the Iraq War and the war on terror.

A $12,500 Trust grant was awarded to the California Pools of Hope in Long Beach. Calif., to provide aquatic therapy for veterans suffering from brain and spinal injuries, neurological disease, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and other physical maladies. The rehabilitation program provides year-round access to care that improves the health and quality of life of people with debilitating injures or illnesses. Veterans are referred to the program through the VA Desert Pacific Healthcare Network. Nearly half the veterans are referred by the Long Beach, Calif, VA medical center after its therapeutic pool was closed and demolished.

The National Amputation Foundation of Malveme, N.Y, received a $5,000 Trust grant to provide counseling and rehabilitation programs and services to veteran amputees through the Veterans Assistance Center. Founded in 1919 after the end of World War I, the foundation conducts the "Amp-to-Amp" program which lends support to amputees and their rehabilitation. It is currently addressing the needs of amputees at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The Charitable Service Trust also continued its support for programs assisting homeless veterans across our nation.

The Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation in Indianapolis, Ind., received a $30,000 grant to continue providing food, transportation, clothing, and referrals to community services for an estimated 900 homeless veterans in Indiana. The foundation provides support, transitional housing, and assistance to allow homeless veterans to live independently.

A $20,000 Trust grant was awarded to the Brown County Chapter of the Armitage to help pay for the operation of a transitional housing facility for homeless veterans in DePere, Wisc. The Armitage provides low-cost, subsidized transitional housing for homeless veterans in northeastern Wisconsin. The program helps homeless veterans rebuild their lives and find permanent housing and employment.

The VA Puget Sound Healthcare System received a $20,000 Charitable Service Trust grant to provide vocational, medical, and social services to homeless and disadvantaged veterans in the Tacoma, Wash., area. The funds will provide clothing, tools, and licenses to find employment; eye care and glasses; and temporary child care and family shelter for women veterans enrolled in the Homeless Women Veterans Program. In addition, the program provides transitional and permanent housing assistance. Through the program, as many as 100 homeless women veterans will be assisted annually.

Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., was awarded a $16,000 grant to pay for patient care, eyeglasses, and optometry services for homeless veterans using the Indianapolis Eye Care Center, which is part of the Indiana University School of Optometry. The center also provides vision screenings at the Department of Indiana's annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for homeless veterans.

A $15,000 Trust grant was given to the Lutheran Social Services Central Coast Office in Thousand Oaks, Calif., to help provide emergency housing and transportation services to homeless and low-income veterans in Ventura County, Calif.

"The DAV Charitable Service Trust's partnership with these fine programs ensures essential support for our nation's disabled veterans will continue," said Marbes. "We thank the generosity of those who annually contribute to the DAV Charitable Service Trust, which allows us to support many valuable and important initiatives that assist the men and women who have sacrificed for our nation."

Funds to support the Charitable Service Trust result from the generosity of donors through the Combined Federal Campaign, United Way, and other workplace giving programs across the country.