Public Media Cross-Platform Project, Veterans Coming Home,
Is Helping to Bridge the Military-Civilian Divide and Strengthen Communities

This summer, Mountain Lake PBS and PBS stations across the country, will come together to tell stories and engage the community to begin to bridge the military-civilian divide for the national initiative, Veterans Coming Home. Mountain Lake PBS will host a community screening of new Veterans Coming Home stories and selections from the documentary On Home Ground at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall on June 21 at 7 PM.

The events hosted by Mountain Lake PBS are free and open to the public. For more information or to register, please visit mountainlake.org/vets.

“Our participation in Veterans Coming Home builds on the success of the On Home Ground documentary produced in 2014,” said Bill McColgan, Director of Production and Content at Mountain Lake PBS. “The community response to that film was overwhelming, and we’re looking forward to taking a fresh perspective on this topic, and expanding our engagement efforts in the community.”

The Kindling Group and Wisconsin Public Television, in partnership with PBS Stories of Service, will premiere Veterans Coming Home, a 10-part digital-first series that aims to help veterans and communities understand the opportunities and challenges faced during the transition to civilian life and bridge the military-civilian divide. Veterans Coming Home is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), with additional funding from Got Your Six, and with local funding from the Cloudsplitter Foundation.

The Veterans Coming Home series explores themes common to veterans reintegrating to civilian life, including how veterans continue to seek the close bonds of a military unit after transitioning, as well as the value of sharing and expressing their stories through art and comedy, and the notion of public and community service in civilian life.  The first two episodes visit a recruiter in Kansas City who has found her new tribe in a women’s roller derby team, and an activist and artist in New Orleans who was inspired by his veteran father.

Mountain Lake will produce eight stories over the next few months, that address the themes of Veterans Coming Home. These stories will premiere online, and will appear on Mountain Lake Journal.

About Mountain Lake PBS

Mountain Lake PBS produces high quality programs for local and worldwide audiences, reaching over 3.9 million viewers in New York, Vermont, Quebec and Ontario. The station also provides a host of education and outreach services for learners of all ages and devotes at least eight hours a day to programming for children. Mountain Lake PBS’ mission is to inspire and enrich people and communities through meaningful storytelling, entertainment, education and public engagement.

About Wisconsin Public Television

Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) enriches, educates and entertains diverse audiences through the innovative use of television, other communication technologies and community engagement. Over the last twelve years, WPT developed deep experience working with the veterans’ community through robust engagement with key audiences and constituents.  Those efforts yielded exceptional programming, including the Wisconsin War Stories series of documentaries and LZ Lambeau, which drew 70,000 veterans and their families to a three-day event in 2010 that recognized Wisconsin’s Vietnam Veterans. WPT is a service of the Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin-Extension.

About Kindling Group

Kindling Group (KG) crafts powerful documentaries and engagement campaigns that ignite change.  KG’s filmmakers, digital strategists and activists are dedicated to creating films and media for all screens, from large to small, that promote inquiry and connect viewers to critical social issues.  Veterans Coming Home is executive produced by Danny Alpert, an award-winning producer and director, whose films have aired on HBO, PBS, and around the world and have been nominated for Emmy and Academy Awards. Story Producer is Whitney Dow, whose films have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca and IDFA and recognized with the George Foster Peabody Award; Alfred I. duPont Award and many film festival honors.

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,400 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit www.cpb.org and follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebookand LinkedIn.

About PBS Stories of Service

PBS Stories of Service is a multi-platform initiative that explores veterans’ experiences and provides a deeper understanding of our country’s military history.  Stories of Service was announced in May 2014 as part of an initiative with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to share veterans’ stories, provide a deeper understanding of our nation’s military history, and increase dialogue as our nation’s veterans transition to civilian life.