Vulcan Productions Teams With Defense Centers of Excellence, Unveils Handbook for Family & Friends of Service Members

SEATTLE, Nov. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Philanthropist Paul G. Allen's independent film production company – Vulcan Productions – today unveiled a handbook and video for the family and friends of those serving in the United States Armed Forces. The one-of-a-kind resource was produced in consultation with medical, mental health and military family experts. More than 200,000 handbooks will soon be distributed to friends and family of U.S. service members around the country through the combined efforts of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) and corporate donors.

"The Handbook for Family and Friends of Service Members will help loved ones of military personnel prepare for the emotional challenges before, during and after deployment," said Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.  

This unique resource was created so those close to service members can better understand what to expect during all phases of deployment, to build the skills to strengthen or repair relationships and to gain the tools to keep the service member's personal community strong throughout the duration of the separation and during the return home.

"This handbook meets a great need, especially for the parents of young men and women in military service for whom there is little support currently available," said Interim Director of DCoE, Michael E. Kilpatrick, M.D. "We are hopeful that other federal agencies and private sector organizations will step-up and help ensure we can get this valuable resource in the hands of every family affected by a deployment."

The handbook is an extension of the award-winning PBS documentary This Emotional Life, a multi-platform project produced by Vulcan Productions and WGBH/NOVA Science Unit, which explores the science behind our quest for happiness and the importance of social relationships in surmounting life's challenges. The series recently received a coveted Voice Award from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for its portrayal of three veterans and their families.

"As many members of our Armed Forces begin the difficult process of reentry after deployment, we must work together across the public and private sectors to continue to provide our military families with the knowledge and support they need to keep their family strong," said A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed., lead for SAMHSA's Military Families Strategic Initiative and Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

The contents of the handbook are specifically designed to help families and friends:

• Become aware of the stressors and feelings they may encounter throughout deployment.
• Develop skills to become more resilient despite these stressors and feelings.
• Improve their overall quality of life and satisfaction.
• Identify outside resources that may be useful to them throughout deployment.

The first 198,000 handbooks will be distributed by DCoE, the Real Warriors Campaign (www.realwarriors.net) and Military OneSource. The University of Phoenix has also made more than 25,000 copies available through its website (www.phoenix.edu/veterans).

"Just as military members of our Armed Forces make great personal sacrifices to proudly serve our nation, so too do the families and loved ones who support them," said Glenn Welling, Executive Director for DoD's Yellow Ribbon Program. "Families and friends bear the burden of that sacrifice, often enduring great hardship, in order to make their service possible."

The series is complemented by a content-rich website (www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife), which provides expert-vetted resources and opportunities to build social support networks around topics including PTSD and early attachment, as well as how to heal strained or damaged relationships, stress, depression, grief, resilience and our pursuit of happiness.

About the Project Partners:

Vulcan Productions is the independent film production company founded by investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen in 1997. Vulcan Productions devotes itself exclusively to producing independent films of unique vision and artistic quality. Through its collaborative partnerships with established and emerging filmmakers, Vulcan Productions explores creative opportunities that result in engaging and inspirational story telling. www.vulcanproductions.com

NOVA/WGBH Science Unit WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of fully one-third of PBS' prime-time lineup, along with some of public television's best-known lifestyle and children's programs and many public radio favorites. One of its premier programs, NOVA, is a production of the NOVA/WGBH Science Unit. Now in its 36th year of broadcasting, NOVA is the most popular science series on American television and is seen in more than 100 countries. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won every major television award, most of them many times over. www.wgbh.org and www.pbs.org/nova

Kunhardt McGee Productions (formally Kunhardt Productions) was founded in 1987 by Peter W. Kunhardt, a veteran of ABC News and the winner of three national Emmy Awards. Dyllan McGee, Kunhardt's longtime colleague, became a partner in the company in 2008. The company specializes in multi-platform documentary programming crafted to bring cutting-edge scholarship to popular audiences. www.kunhardtmcgee.com

Cause & Affect is an innovative agency operating at the nexus of media and social change, with the objective of creating meaningful public engagement on a wide variety of issues. Led by Meredith Blake, the architect of the social action campaign accompanying Al Gore's Academy Award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, Cause & Affect brings widespread attention to causes by partnering with influential individuals or organizations that possess considerable resources, visibility and credibility. www.causeaffect.com

SOURCE Vulcan Productions