As military veterans are being honored across the nation next week, those in Cincinnati, Ohio will be able to celebrate a new local resource. The Klekamp Family Military and Veterans Center was opened by the Cincinnati area’s Easterseals Redwood (ESRW) organization last month.
AT&T Ohio proudly provided a $30,000 contribution to establish a computer lab at the new facility. ESRW Military and Veteran Services Job Developer Sean Rhorer described how his organization is connecting local veterans to greater possibility:
Q: Tell us about the work being done by ESRW’s Military and Veteran Services (MVS) team.
A: Our mission is to provide a variety of assistance to veterans in the Greater Cincinnati area, through workforce development and emergency financial assistance, as well as assisting them as they navigate local community services and the complicated Veterans Affairs system.
Q: What do you love most about the overall mission of your organization?
A: We help to create opportunities. We make a difference in the lives of our struggling veterans. I love that every day and every veteran is a chance to create a life changing event.
Q: How is your organization helping connect people to greater possibility?
A: We frequently work with veterans who lack basic social, economic, and occupational skills. In a world full of information, access to the internet is the key to making change. That access is not always easy and can be limited. Libraries get full; some access points can be unsafe or malicious. Commonly, our veterans can’t afford computers, or the services needed to operate them.
Q: Describe your organization’s collaboration with AT&T Ohio.
A: Historically, we have had to refer our veterans to an outside resource like the local library or a college computer lab to gain the digital skills they needed. Sometimes we had to expend large amounts of time and energy helping to accomplish tasks that could have otherwise been completed by a veteran. With the help of AT&T’s amazing contribution, we now have a private computer lab that our veterans can access. It allows us to create more educational opportunities while also allowing our veterans to become more independent. They can connect with health services, apply for benefits, become better educated, and create employment opportunities. And it gives us the chance to reach more veterans in our local community.
