A job fair, legal services and health screenings are all on the agenda when the second annual edition of an event designed to help women veterans transition back to civilian life is held next month in Tarrytown.
“Stand Up for Women Veterans of the United States Armed Forces,” also considered a daylong celebration of women veterans, will be held June 13 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Tarrytown.
Designed for veterans of all ages and all branches of service, Stand Up is sponsored by Family Services of Westchester, Westchester Community College and the Women”™s Research and Education Fund, in collaboration with the United States Department of Labor Women”™s Bureau. It is presented by the Lanza Family Investment in Veterans Empowerment.
The program grew out of a desire to address the specific needs of women returning from service, with last year”™s event at WCC offering everything from information on navigating the higher-education system to understanding credit scores to securing safe, affordable housing.
“We felt it went very well, in spite of the weather,” said Camille Murphy, the executive director of the Women”™s Research and Education Fund. She added that although last year”™s event was held on a day with a particularly rough storm, “We got a lot of good feedback.”
Exit surveys, Murphy said, helped the organizers tailor the programming for this edition. In response to suggestions, for example, the event is being held within one indoor site instead of in several buildings on the college campus.
Murphy noted that legal services proved the most popular offering, “the most attended and most needed.”
Other popular subjects included housing, employment, health and wellness and Veterans Affairs benefits.
“It really demonstrated that we hit needs that were not being met in the community,” she said.
This year”™s event, as it did last year, will go beyond the basics. While there will be a wide range of speakers and workshops, there will also be spa services, spiritual-wellness offerings, gift cards and plenty of opportunities for the veterans to bond with each other.
As Murphy said, the inaugural edition was particularly rewarding in the way that veterans from different wars and service branches came together.
“It was amazing to me,” Murphy said. “They were networking each other.”
Registration is required for the free event, which will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and also include complimentary breakfast and lunch, child care and transportation.
For more details or to register, call Natalie Edelhauser at 914-872-5242, email nedelhauser@fsw.org or visit standupforwomenveterans.com.
