The DRI Foundation will sponsor a hole at the American Society of Military Comptrollers (ASMC) Military Committee Golf Outing on May 13, 2016 at Gray Eagle Golf Club in Fishers, IN. All proceeds from the event will benefit Save our Veterans. Save our Veterans aims to combat homelessness and unemployment in the veteran population by providing career opportunities, access to job training, and pathways to housing.
We spoke with CPT Jason Reyes, one of the ASMC organizers involved in the event, to learn more about Save Our Veterans (SOV):
What does SOV contribute to the veteran community for resilience?
Save Our Veterans plays a role in the community when it comes to providing job training and employment through companies looking for veterans to employ. They have provided resources directly to the Army, through the Soldier 4 Life program, and have worked with WorkOne Indy to help administer training for vets looking for employment.
What are SOV’s plans for the grant money?
SOV will use this money to help build their current welding program. Currently, they have a few welding machines but need to purchase roughly 20-30 machines. This will allow them to be more marketable to companies when it comes to hiring, knowing that possible employees can be trained in 8 weeks.
How will this project help build resilience in the veteran community?
Resiliency in the way of having a vet bounce back from nothing, to something. This money will help in their welding program which will provide certification and employment. Consider it a resource that is helping plant a new foundation for a plant to grow, except this plant in particular has skills that just needs to be explored. They also have training for HVAC, and connections with the IT fields and professional markets for veterans. These vets are not training to be business continuity planners, but their jobs impact resiliency in times of disaster and relief.
How can veterans play a role in building resilient communities?
Veterans know what it is like to be in the war zone, to be on the line, to overall “adapt and overcome.” The best person to show resiliency is the person who has worn the uniform and has faced adversity. Any service member can tell you they have to learn how to “bounce back,” from anything, every day. This entails dealing with obstacles that the common man has never experienced. Companies that have been built on the blood, sweat and tears of vets have not only built a strong foundation, but have flourished and become profitable. Leadership is key in building a strong team, and everyone who has served knows from day one, they are all trained to be leaders. From the 19 year old Private who joins the Army, to the General who leads the Marines, we all play a vital role.
Those types of leaders, veterans, can play a huge role in building a community that is not only resilient, but can also help other communities in disaster/hunger relief, training, and services.
SOV is the type of program that is needed to bridge the gap, or disconnect, that many vets have from transitioning out of uniform and into the civilian workforce. That transition is a bumpy road. Why add more bumps in the road to someone who has already sacrificed themselves for their country? SOV is a piece of the puzzle that helps smooth out that road.
CPT Jason Reyes is a business continuity planner with the US Army Contingency Operations, Enterprise Solutions and Standards (ESS).
Photos courtesy of Save Our Veterans.