VALDOSTA —
An event next week is designed to help veterans who have come home.Sponsored by Valdosta Veterans First, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, the American Legion and the Department of Labor/Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Education and Benefit Fair will provide information regarding educational programs and assistance, health-care and mental-health-related programs, housing, career guidance and more for military personnel making the transition to civilian life.
“There are a lot of programs in our community designed specifically to help veterans transition into civilian life and to help them as well as their families reintegrate into the community,” Tim Oliver of Valdosta Veterans First told The Times.
Valdosta Veterans First is part of the Community Blueprint project. Valdosta is one of three cities across the nation selected as a pilot city for the program.
The idea behind Community Blueprint is finding ways to “help local leaders assess and improve their community’s support for veterans, warriors and their families,” according to a mission statement. Representatives from 55 non-profit organizations, military family service organizations, faith-based groups and senior Veterans Administration, Department of Defense and Department of Labor officials identified eight mission areas. These areas are behavioral health, education, employment, family strength, financial-legal services, homelessness, reintegration, and volunteerism.
The fair will provide information and services regarding several aspects of this mission.
Organizations participating in the fair include the Georgia Department of Veterans Services, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Valdosta State University, Webster University, Park University, Georgia Military College, Thomas University, Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Brain Injury Advocates of Services of Georgia, Valdosta/Lowndes Chamber SEEDS Center, etc.
But the fair is only one aspect of helping integrate these young military veterans into civilian life. As a community, we can all ask ourselves what more can we do for those who have already done so much for us.Five years ago, Valdosta and Lowndes County raised approximately $100,000 in a matter of weeks to send World War II veterans to see their monument in Washington, D.C. The South Georgia Honor Flight program sent three planeloads of World War II veterans to D.C. — two trips in 2007, one in 2008. It was an admirable project and one that uplifted the community. Finding ways to honor and help the young veterans who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq is equally admirable and one that can make our community an example to cities across the nation.
The Veterans Education and Benefit Fair is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. Tuesday, July 24, Brooks Hall Building 500, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, 4089 Val Tech Road. More information on the fair and Valdosta Veterans First, call Tim Oliver, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.), (229) 561-5251.
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