EAST TAWAS – Iosco County has a plethora of programs and services dedicated to enriching the lives of veterans who have served their country honorably. However, it can be difficult for an individual to track down all of the information on their own and many may not know just what benefits they are eligible to receive.
The Veterans Benefit Fair was created in order to remedy this by bringing all of the available resources and knowledge into one room for a “one-stop shopping” experience that makes it easy for veterans to learn about everything the organizations within the county offer.
The fair took place on May 18 at Rushman Hall in East Tawas and ran for four hours; during which, veterans and their families were provided information on pursuing housing, education, employment and more. Veterans were also able to attain copies of their DD-214 at the event, an essential document for veterans which lists details of their military service, as well as the conditions of their discharge.
The benefit fair began in 2019 as a collaborative effort between Iosco County Veterans Services Officer Ron Whitney and Veterans Community Engagement Officer Ryan Sanderson, of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA). Although the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the fair from taking place the following years, the event returned in 2022 and is planned to continue each year with no end in sight.
Whitney and Sanderson say that this was another strong year and there were more than 150 people in attendance, including veterans, family members and surviving spouses.
Sanderson says that although there are several avenues through which to spread the word about various services, one of the main reasons behind hosting the fair is that there is tremendous value in connecting people face-to-face with veteran resources.
There were many booths set up at this year’s fair, with representatives from organizations geared toward assisting veterans. The 2023 roster included the Iosco County Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Michigan VA, Northern Michigan Veterans Coalition, American Legion Audie Johnson Post 211, Oscoda Veterans Memorial Park, Military OneSource, Wurtsmith Air Museum, Pegasus Springs Therapeutic Riding Center and many more. Although there were some last-minute additions and cancellations, Whitney says there were 34 organizations involved with this year’s fair.
During the event, Oscoda Veterans Memorial Park was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by MVAA. Representatives for the park say that although unexpected, the recognition was honorably and gratefully accepted, and the certificate will be hung at the Oscoda Veterans Memorial Park Visitors Center with pride.
“The main purpose that I have every year is to try to link veterans to their federal, state and county benefits and to link them up with their Veterans Service Officer,” says Whitney. “This is our third year of providing this benefit fair and every year it has grown. Realizing the amount of veterans in this county alone (approximately 3,000) we keep trying to reach out to those that are not aware of what’s available to them. If any veteran has a question or concern about their benefits please reach out to me.”
Whitney can be contacted by phone, at 989-362-6571, or via e-mail at rwhitney@ioscocounty.org.
