Military veterans, along with their families and caregivers, often face serious challenges as they navigate their way through the services and assistance that can make life easier for them post-discharge. Now, Cleveland County Government is stepping up with a special event that will showcase many of those aids and agencies in an upbeat atmosphere of education and empathy that will connect veterans to the services they need.
Dubbed "Veteran's Resource Connection Event", the free program is slated for Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 9am to 2pm at the LeGrand Center, 1800 E. Marion St., Shelby.
The need for events like it is huge, and the statistics behind it are staggering. According to numbers provided by Cleveland County Clerk to the Board of commissioners Phyllis Nowlen, there are over 8,000 veterans in Cleveland County. In North Carolina there are 700,000 veterans with only 117 accredited veterans service offices to serve them. Studies show that 44% to 72% of veterans experience high levels of stress in their first year after military service. Sadly, veterans make up 10.6% of all homeless people in the nation and are twice as likely to become homeless as those who did not serve in the military. Nowlen explained how the Nov. 20 event will help attendees.
" This is not a grab a pamphlet and go event," she said. "There will be representatives there from around fifty resources to offer and help people get started processing benefits." Just a sampling of the representatives on hand will include local, and non-profit businesses, veteran health and wellness services, family support, claims assistance, and state-wide organizations. To help speed-up on-site eligibility processing, it's a good idea to bring a government photo ID and a DD21 but that's just a suggestion, not a requirement.
In addition, there will be a series of mini-classes on topics such as simple tax filing information, finances, IT classes, and calming techniques.
Nowlen reflected on the 2023 event, which was a smash hit, and shared this year's goals.
"Last year, our efforts were fruitful, and we connected almost 200 veterans with over 50 resources, demonstrating the effectiveness of the event," she said. "Building on our past achievements, we are determined to make an even bigger impact this year and we need the community's help. The number one way is to share and overshare this event throughout the county such as word of mouth or on social media."
The Cleveland County Board of Commissioners was actively involved in the original event's inception. The idea came about after they saw a film on the challenges veterans face, "Veteran's Battlefield", at the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) 2023 Annual Conference in Raleigh. The film highlights North Carolina's veterans who need help and the veteran service officers in the state who are devoted to doing what they can to make life after the military the best it can be for veterans
In addition to Nowlen, commissioners who attended the conference included Kevin Gordon, Johnny Hutchins, Ronnie Whetstine, and Doug Bridges. Subsequent conversations led to the idea of having a day when veterans could avail themselves of needed services.
Hutchins shared his thoughts on the upcoming Nov. 20, 2024 occasion.
"This program is the biggest and best one of its kind in the state," he said. "We are proud of our veterans and try to support them as well as their caregivers and families who also have challenges of their own. The event is not only for veterans that have faced combat, but also for those who were used to the structured military life. The program shows them there is help in the transition to civilian life."
The Nov. 20 event is open to all veterans, not just those who reside in Cleveland County. There will also be an American Red Cross bloodmobile on site that day. Also, Sports Clips from Hickory will be offering free haircuts. For more information including a list of representatives and agencies that will be on hand, visit https://www.clevelandcounty.com/main/news_detail_T12_R295.php.