LSVA is growing everyday and we need your help to tell your fellow veterans and their family members about joining us today!

Benefits of Joining LSVA:

-Camaradarie

-Employment, education, and benefits counseling

-Mentoring

-Networking

-Community service

-Advocacy

Join LSVA today by sending us your name, phone number, email address, service branch, date of separation and zip code to LoneStarVeterans@gmail.com!

     

We’ve all seen the national unemployment statistics rise and fall throughout the recession but rarely are the Department of Labor’s data on veterans unemployment observed.  If you want to see some of the most updated data, log onto the DOL’s website or read my blog from a couple of months ago (see Returning Veterans Unemployment Hits 21.1%) because we won’t be covering that again.  Today we need to discuss solutions.  This means you, hiring managers.

I recentlty visited with several members of the National Guard’s Job Connection Education Program (JCEP) who are helping to transition the recently returned soldiers of the 72nd Brigade to disucss these issues.  She stated simply that she needs help in connecting with local hiring managers ready to step up to the plate and hire our returning Iraq War veterans. 

Shouldn’t be too hard, right?  Wrong.  As patriotic as many of our large and small businesses are in the area, there still isn’t enough support for those making that transition from military to civilian life. 

Why?  Mostly because its difficult for service members to translate their military skills and experience into corporate speak.  This obvious creates a problem on the other side of the interview table for the hiring managers who are mostly civilian and don’t know what to make of a resume that smells like combat boots.

What is the solution?  We can start small.  If you are a hiring manager or business manager of any kind who has experience conducting interviews, we need your help.  The JCEP teams are working with our local military units like the 72nd Brigade to conduct mock interviews and resume workshops daily in their classrooms in west Houston. 

They need real managers who know exactly what they’re looking for in protential candidates to weigh in on what these soldiers need to do to re-enter the civilian workforce instead of contribute to the growing unemployment rate.  So even if you’re not hiring right now, you can do your part and volunteer once or twice during their seminars. 

If you’re ready to volunteer, contact our local JCEP coordinators at:

(817) 689-6555 or via e-mail at mary.weaver@jcep.info.

Think bigger.  If your company is hiring and you think you’d like to hire a soldier, we definitely need your help.  The Lone Star Veterans Association (LSVA) is a network of over 800 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans here in the Houston area that we send weekly job updates to via email.  If you have an open position, send the description and application procedure to LoneStarVeterans@gmail.com today!

Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Seminar
 
Who: Separating/retiring service members, transitioning veterans and family members
 
What: Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Seminars educate our local active duty, National Guard and Reserve service members about their federal and state benefits, available employment opportunities and provide direct access to Houston’s world-class educational institutions (TAP Seminar Agenda – August 2010)
 
When: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM Monday August 16, 2010 – Thursday August 19, 2010
 
Where: American Legion Post 416, located at 1216 W. Clay St. Houston, TX 77019
 
RSVP: http://www.houstontx.gov/contactus/vetaffairs.html

Lone Star Veterans Association 1^st Anniversary Celebration & Softball Tournament Agenda

9:30 AM                Softball Teams arrive and check-in

10:00 AM             Softball Tournament and event entertainment begins

10:15 AM             Game 1: LSVA v. The Damn Yankees

10:30 AM             Dominoes Tournament begins

11:15 AM             Game 2: Houston HardHitters v. TBD

11:30 AM             Presentation by Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia

11:45 AM             Presentation by Houston City Council Member Anne Clutterbuck

12:00 PM              Lunch served by Adopt a Hero for Christmas volunteers

12:15 PM              Game 3: The Damn Yankees  v. Houston HardHitters

12:30 PM              Washers Tournament begins

1:00 PM                Raffle drawing #1

1:15 PM                Game 4: LSVA v. Houston HardHitters

2:00 PM                Raffle drawing #2

2:15 PM                Game 5: TBD

2:30 PM                Houston Fire Department demonstration and kids entertainment

3:00 PM                Raffle drawing #3

3:15 PM                Game 5: TBD

4:00 PM                Raffle drawing #4

4:15 PM                Softball Tournament Final Game!

5:00 PM                Event ends

WHAT: The Lone Star Veterans Association (LSVA), a non-profit organization founded in May 2009, will host a Softball Tournament to celebrate its first anniversary and raise funds to establish a Veteran’s Emergency Assistance Fund for Post 9-11 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Teams must have at least 10 players, including a minimum of four female players. 

The celebration will include food, beverages, music, entertainment, and games for participants, family members and friends.

LSVA is a member-run organization that focuses on assisting Iraq and Afghanistan veterans make a successful transition from military to civilian life.  Members of the organization help returning veterans with job placement, assistance with Veterans Administration benefits, and mentoring.

When: June 19, 2010, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Levy Park, located at Richmond Ave. and Eastside Dr., Houston, TX 77098.

Cost: $150 plus $15 umpire fee for participating teams; FREE admission for family and friends of participants.

What Else:                 

• Special appearance by the Houston Fire Department
• For more information, visit www.LoneStarVeterans.org or email LoneStarVeterans@gmail.com

American Spirit Boat Parade on Clear Lake/ Galveston Bay Saturday, July 3, 2010.

 Honorees of the parade will be the newly formed Lone Star Veterans Association. Members of the association served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Parade participants will gather at the Nassau Bay Yacht Club and Swimming pool. The parade will travel east across Clear Lake, through the channel adjacent to the Kemah Boardwalk, briefly out into Galveston Bay and then returning via the same route to the Nassau Bay Yacht Club. Awards will be awarded to the best decorated boats. Prizes will also be given for the best patriotic swimwear.

“Lone Star Veterans and their families have been invited to ride on the boats that have pre-registered” said Jim Stoa of We Care Events.

“This is the 4th year for this patriot parade.  Last year several former military members and their families participated in the parade.  Many had never been on a pleasure boat before.  This is an excellent opportunity for boaters to say ‘thank you’ in a personal way.”

“The Nassau Bay Homes Association is a sponsor of the event again this year. Without their sponsorship and others we could not have an outstanding event like this happen” Says Stoa.