Focus on Manatee: It takes a village to support veterans

With Veterans Day approaching, talking about our local veterans should be more than a just a theme. It needs to have a purpose, and that purpose is to raise awareness.

I admit, though I consider myself being fairly involved with the community, that I am not fully aware of all the services that local organizations provide to veterans. This has been a learning experience for me, and I hope it will be for you, too.

More than 30,000 veterans reside in Manatee County, and it takes a village to come together to help them. If you haven’t seen Goodwill Manasota’s 2016 Veterans Resource Guide, get your hands on one. This guide provides veterans and their families with a wealth of resources so they can connect with assistance from various organizations in our region.

In the past three years, Goodwill Manasota has helped 1,200 veterans reintegrate into their families, communities and job market by connecting them with social services, providing emotional and physical support, offering employment services and distributing funds for emergency needs.

The organization also has grown a network of more than 250 partners to maximize resources for veterans and avoid duplication.

At CareerSource Suncoast, we have veterans who are passionate about helping veterans find employment and connect with other services. From 9 a.m.–noon on Nov. 9 at the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex in Sarasota, CareerSource Suncoast will host Paychecks for Patriots, a hiring event solely for veterans and their family members. Thirty-five employers from Manatee and Sarasota counties will come together with a goal of employing as many veterans as possible.

And about that village. The 18th Veterans Stand Down will be held from 8 a.m.-noon on Nov. 5 at the Manatee County Fairgrounds in Palmetto. This event targets homeless veterans and their families, and includes more than 20 organizations that connect them with the services, including clothing, blankets, a hot meal, medical, dental and vision. Also, cosmetology students from Manatee Technical College will provide haircuts and personal makeovers. Estimates have 300-400 homeless attending, and the event requires 400 volunteers.

I spoke with Adell Erozer at Turning Points, which puts together the event, and she said that our community is so supportive of veterans that she doesn’t have to convince anyone to volunteer. So many want to do this for our local veterans, so they are happy to help.

Think about that. Approximately 400 people in need of services and 400 volunteers. What a show of support.

It truly does take a village to come together and work toward a common goal. I am proud of our region and am humbled to live in a place where philanthropy is part of our culture.

This story was originally published October 23, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Focus on Manatee: It takes a village to support veterans."