All Women AMVETS Post - Farmington, New Mexico LVER and NVTI graduate Beverly Charley is the Commander of the newly organized all-female AMVETS Post #1912, "Lady Warriors." The post will serve veterans of the four corners area and Beverly said that they are currently sponsoring another AMVETS chapter for an all-male post, #9-11, "Mud Puppies." Beverly is an Army veteran who was deployed to Somalia, Haiti, Iraq and Kuwait. When she left the service, she said, "I've served in the military most of my life and am used to teamwork among soldiers. Now that I am back home I'd like to be involved with my community, and part of that community is veterans. I want to assist my comrades." AMVETS is one of the largest veterans' service organizations in the nation, and along with the VFW, The American Legion, DAV and others, advocate on behalf of the country's veteran population. Beverly said, "Our goal is to be a part of the community, get involved, assist our veterans in the community and each other in the organization." We're certain she is on the right track. Best wishes to the Lady Warriors and Mud Puppies and big kudos to Beverly for caring enough to make a difference!

TAP Facilitator's Manual for Guard & Reserve - To better serve the National Guard and Reserve component, NVTI provides support materials specifically aimed at those service members. Download the G&R manual and supporting G&R PowerPoint slides at the TAP Facilitator site. These documents are also found under the "Facilitator" section heading. [In other TAP manual news, we've had lots of inquiries about when the newest TAP manual will be out. We know an update is in the works, but have not yet received word from VETS that a manual is ready for release. We'll keep you informed.]

Veterans Job Fair in Baton Rouge - The Veterans Unit at the Baton Rouge Career & Job Center held a veterans-only job fair earlier this month. Over 55 employers interviewed, collected resumes and hired veterans at the fair. Another job fair was also held in September '06 and was equally successful. Applause to the Veterans Unit at the Baton Rouge Career Center for their hard work on behalf of deserving veterans!

Operation Holiday Smiles - The holiday season may be a distant memory, but it's never too late to tell the story of good deeds! When members of the Installation Support Group (ISG) of the California State Military Reserve (SMR) learned that the 1st of the 160th Infantry Battalion of the California Army National Guard would be deploying overseas in March of 2007, they decided to bring some holiday smiles to the more than 500 children of their soldiers and their spouses. Steve Sterry, a programs support assistant for California Employment Development Department’s LA-Ventura Job Service Division, a former LVER and DVOP, and a Captain in the SMR, enlisted the support of the Cabrillo Del Rio Chapter of the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP) to collect toys for these children. With the assistance of Val Moeller, District XV Representative, toys were collected from various JS and UI locations and were delivered to the Battalion Family Services Coordinator. With help from EDD, the SMR was able to collect more than 700 toys, and received more than $5,000 in donations, which was used to provide food baskets for needy families of the Battalion. The State Military Reserve is a volunteer military organization that serves under the Governor of California to support the California National Guard in its intrastate missions of disaster response and homeland security. Excellent, excellent news!

DOL Grant for Entrepreneurship - DOL recently announced a $3.3 million grant to the Denver-based National Business Information Clearinghouse (NBIC) to assist minority entrepreneurs in overcoming barriers to starting and maintaining a small business. NBIC, working with partners throughout the country, will provide entrepreneurial services to low-wage and displaced workers. Services will include in-person support, co-location at Entrepreneurial Development Centers and One-Stop Career Centers and computer-based training to help entrepreneurs apply business concepts and access local resources.

DOL/VETS Announces HVRP Grant Competition - DOL/VETS has announced a grant competition or the Homeless veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). Both urban and non-urban areas will be considered for funding. HVRP grants address two objectives: 1) providing services to assist in reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment with the labor force and; 2) to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems to address the problems facing homeless veterans. DOL/VETS anticipates that up to $8.2 million will be available, with a maximum award of $300,000 for grants that serve urban areas and $200,000 for grants to serve non-urban areas. The full solicitation for grant applications is published in the April 13, 2007 Federal Register at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-7024.htm.

Wounded Veterans Hired - Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine recently announced that two former U.S. Marines who served during Operation Iraqi Freedom have been hired as part of the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) Wounded Veteran Internship Program. The program is open primarily to veterans of U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans who cannot or do not wish to return to jobs they had before serving in these conflicts may apply for the internships, which can last up to two years.

Purple Heart recipient and former Sergeant Chad C. Ellinger has a new position as a security and technology specialist in VDOT's Staunton District. Ellinger's responsibilities include information technology, security, telecommunications, and records management. Former Corporal Jason L. Weaver began as an engineer technician in the Fredericksburg District where he will assist in all phases of asphalt, soil, aggregate, and concrete materials testing and sampling.

"We are proud to welcome our returning veterans home from war with new opportunities in the Commonwealth of Virginia," said Governor Kaine. "This program is the first of its kind for a state department of transportation, and serves as a model to other DOTs throughout the country." Additional information on the Wounded Vet program can be found on at: www.woundedwarriors.org/index.htm.

HelpAmerica Provides Stand Down Grants - Nonprofit organization, HelpAmerica Foundation, will provide grants ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 to organizations conducting Stand Down programs in 2007. For more information, go to www.helpamericafoundation.org.

What's the Latest in Veterans' Legislation? - What's happening on Capitol Hill concerning veterans' issues? Check out the press releases from The House Committee on Veterans Affairs and U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs for the latest news.

Office Updates! Did you recently change offices or job positions? Do you know that a co-worker left or retired? We want to know too! We'll update our database and make sure the DVOP/LVER Locator is made current. We don't know unless you let us know. Update here.

And what's YOUR good news? Tell us about it at vetsnet@nvti.cudenver.edu.