Ya know…retirement is still a busy time in life! I am shocked at how long it’s been since I contributed anything to this endeavor. What have I been up to…

Well, I’ve been developing one of my passions through my hobby of woodworking – for one. While I was working at Golden West College, Huntington Beach, CA; I discovered what challenge coins are and started to collect and trade them at national conferences. It didn’t take long before I needed someplace to display them…someplace other than that growing pile on my desk. So, I designed a display piece.

The idea grew from there into a gift of recognition. There are four criteria to qualify for this recognition.
1. Recipient must be someone who has a pile of challenge coins, like a veteran, a first responder, or caregiver.
2. That person has received a diagnosis of mental illness like PTSD, depression…to name a few.
3. That person champions the defeat of stigma by stomping on it in some fashion.
4. That person gives back to the community in some way.

So far, I’ve been able to place four of these – out to three 911 dispatchers and one psychologist. The recipients have all been nominated by third parties, all of whom have been kind enough to go good for the material costs ($200).

The verbiage and emblem on the display can be changed to suit anyone’s need – like a retirement gift or simply a place to store your own pile of coins.