McCrory Administration’s Veterans Department and NCSERVES Commemorate Important Milestone
Organizations have served over 1,200 veterans and their families within their first year.
Charlotte - August 4, 2016
Governor McCrory’s Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and NCServes – Metrolina held a “Year in Review” event today to commemorate their one-year anniversary and the service of over 1,200 Charlotte-area veterans. The event was held at Charlotte’s Goodwill Opportunity Campus with other partners that included the Charlotte Bridge Home, Walmart Foundation, Leon Levine Foundation, Accenture, and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University (IVMF). Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary, Major General Cornell Wilson, gave remarks recognizing veterans’ service and Governor McCrory’s success in making veterans’ issues a top priority in his administration.
“Governor McCrory has made veterans a central focus of his administration. He has cut veteran unemployment in half, reduced veteran homelessness and increased federal compensation to veterans and military retirees by over $1 billion,” said Secretary Wilson.
North Carolina is home to over 775,000 veterans and has the fourth largest active military contingent in the United States. To give active duty personnel and veterans the benefits they deserve, the McCrory Administration elevated the former Division of Veterans Affairs to a full cabinet-level department in 2015 – the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Through Governor McCrory’s leadership, North Carolina offers specialized military and veterans employment programs, in-state tuition for students using the G.I. Bill, and a guarantee that specialized military licenses and certifications will be credited towards similar licenses in civilian life. Coordinating the availability of such benefits and services to military personnel and veterans is aided on the federal, state and local levels by organizations like NCSERVES-Metrolina and others who attended the August 4 event.
For more information about the organizations who participated in this important effort, please see their descriptions and contact information below.
ABOUT CHARLOTTE BRIDGE HOME
Founded in 2011, the Charlotte Bridge Home helps Charlotte veterans successfully transition home after military service by identifying their education, employment, and healthcare needs and then connecting them to available community, state and federal resources. Read more at, www.charlottebridgehome.org. Contact: Blake Bourne, 704-332-8802, bbourne@charlottebridgehome.org.
ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS
Under the leadership of Secretary Cornell Wilson, the newly created Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (2015) focuses on protecting North Carolina’s military installations, working with the communities around military bases, helping military families and veterans get the support and services they need, and helping connect veterans with jobs. Read more at, www.milvets.nc.gov. Contact: Jeff Smith (844) NC4-VETS, jeff.smith@doa.nc.gov.
ABOUT THE LEON LEVINE FOUNDATION
The Leon Levine Foundation’s mission is to improve the human condition by creating permanent, measurable and life-changing impact. The organization invests in nonprofits with a successful track record and a focus on sustainability in the areas of healthcare, education, Jewish values and/or human services. Started by Leon Levine, the creator of the first Family Dollar Store in Charlotte, N.C., in 1980, the foundation has grown into one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations. For more information, please visit www.leonlevinefoundation.org. Contact: Arrington Mixon, 704-817-6508, amixon@leonlevinefoundation.org.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES
The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is the first interdisciplinary national institute in higher education focused on the social, economic, education and policy issues impacting veterans and their families post-service. Supported by a world-class advisory board and public and private partners committed to advancing the post-service lives of America’s service members, veterans and their families, the IVMF and its professional staff deliver class-leading programs in career, vocations, and entrepreneurship education and training. The IVMF also provides actionable and national impacting research, policy analysis and program evaluation; coordinates comprehensive collective impact strategies; and works with communities and non-profits to enhance service delivery for veterans and their families. Read more at http://vets.syr.edu/. Ilario Pantano, 910-616- 9961, igpantan@syr.edu.
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