[0]Welcome our vetrans and neighbors home.A coalition of community leaders has coordinated a summit to assist returning veterans with their reintegration back into their home towns. The "Our Veterans, Our Neighbors" summit is scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2007 from 7:30 a.m. to Noon at the World Trade Center, Building 2 in Portland, Oregon.
More than 18,000 Oregonians have served in both Iraq and Afghanistan in the last four years. Approximately 1,750 of these soldiers are from the Portland area. Many of these Oregonians are citizen-soldiers who left jobs, families, businesses and homes to serve their country and face medical, employment and family pressures when they return home. "It has been an honor for me to work in partnership with Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas Counties, along with the Oregon National Guard and the Portland Business Alliance, to convene this summit. Our shared purpose is based upon our mutual belief in acknowledging the sacrifice these veterans have made in serving our country. We want to be sure we say ‘Thank You' and ‘Welcome Home' to our Veterans in our words and actions." stated Commissioner Sam Adams.
The primary goal of the "Our Veterans, Our Neighbors" summit is to explore how businesses, higher education leaders, healthcare providers, civic leaders and citizens can come together to help veterans receive the resources they and their families need to return to their normal lives. "I am pleased that the summit will be bringing together business, government, military representatives and concerned citizens to listen first-hand from veterans about the issues facing them when they come home. In return, the veterans will have a commitment from these representatives to help make their reintegration successful." said Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen.
The summit participants will be welcomed by City Commissioner Sam Adams, Multnomah Commissioner Jeff Cogen, Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader, Washington County Commissioner Desari Strader, Oregon National Guard Brigadier General Michael Caldwell and Portland Business Alliance Chair, Sam Brooks.
The summit will bring together education, jobs, healthcare and family support experts, many of whom are veterans, to describe what veterans face when they mainstream back into their former lives, as well as identify some of the new issues being faced by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Participants will work in each session to identify how their respective companies or organizations can provide resources and services to local veterans. Community leaders are hopeful that there will be firm commitments for additional veterans' resources at the end of the summit.