TACOMA – With no initial budget, few disabled Veterans who understand many of the problems that Veterans in the Puget Sound are having, decided to do something about those problems. With no initial budget they have marshaled the resources to coordinate a multi-County Veterans Resource Fair (Facebook Page) at the Tacoma Dome—Veterans from King, Pierce, Kitsap, and Thurston are invited (Saturday, June 21, 2014, 9am-3pm).
“This is a community project that we have been calling Veterans Helping Veterans – Service Over Self,” said Tito Medina, Event Director. “We believe that an annual showcase of area resources, clubs, apprenticeship programs, alternative therapies, benefit information, and jobs is needed for multiple reasons. Mainly, to help get information to the community; and so that we as Veterans and Veterans Advocates get to know each other.” The event will have ten resource sections, and is designed to help every type of Veteran (and their families).
There is growing concern that with JBLM and the military decreasing in size, that in particular King and Pierce Counties will have a large increase of newly transitioned Veterans and their families. Couple this with staggering suicide rates of both Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and Vietnam Veterans; and one starts to understand the necessity for this type of grassroots organized activism.
“There are plenty of organizations and agencies that could be doing this type of event, but they won’t and can’t. When we understood the deep need and the general lack of communications and coordination of events between many agencies that get Federal, State, or County contracts/grants we knew that something had to be done for the long term stability of our community” said Scot Pondelick, Assistant Event Director. “People thought we were crazy saying that we were going to provide a free event without charging for booth space, but here we are. We’re doing it with the help of donors and sponsors.”
This event is expected to draw over 1000 Veterans and their families. Please assist in spreading the word on this important community event. For more information, please visit: theveteransresourcefair.us/ or www.facebook.com/TheVeteransResourceFair.
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