by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
This week I had the opportunity to attend the annual conference of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA). At Tuesday morning’s general session (which featured Carol Bellamy), the 9,000 conference attenders seated in Chicago’s Arie Crown Theater were introduced to Hire Heroes USA. The entire presentation lasted perhaps four minutes, but it was inspiring.
I didn’t catch the names of the two young men who spoke to us about Hire Heroes USA, a 501(c)3 non-profit whose mission is to help American veterans get jobs when their tours of duty are over. These two men are veterans themselves, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both have jobs now because someone Stateside recognized not only their skill but also their character and their potential. Hire Heroes USA wants to give that same opportunity to other veterans.
The reason they were at the AAHSA conference was to let member organizations know that not only will they serve us by posting our job openings on their website and including them in regular eblasts to their lists, they will also work to match candidates with each job description they receive. In other words, they keep track of all the veterans enrolled in their program, and they know the skill set of each, so they can make qualified recommendations to any company who sends a detailed position description.
The closing point these two men made was this:
“We will give you candidates with the characteristics you can’t train for—courage, character, and commitment. We guarantee that whatever tasks you assign to these workers will not be more difficult than what they have already endured. All they need is an opportunity to serve.”
The crowd applauded and cheered.
To further affirm the value of their program, the men then introduced five heroes recently hired by AAHSA member organizations. These five men had been seated together in a row near the front of the auditorium. When they stood up and acknowledged the crowd, the crowd responded with a spontaneous standing ovation. It was touching.
Their presentation made me think of one of the "Gems of Providence" whose story was shared at Providence's Torchlight celebration last week. Ron Peters, former Marine, is one of the gems we serve at Holland Home. He still has the bearing of a military man, and he engages in hearty discussion about topics as varied as history, politics, banking, and travel. You can read more about this vibrant veteran on the new "Providence Life" section of our website.
Let's celebrate Veterans Day all week this year. In fact, let's celebrate Veterans Day all year! Take advantage of an opportunity to thank a veteran. He or she may make light of the services rendered, may shrug off the attention or even be embarrassed by the acknowledgement. But don’t let that stop you.
There's more you can do, too. You can accept a "tour of duty" as a volunteer at a Providence community. We're always looking for "a few good men" and women to join our team. We've made it easy to indicate your interest with an online form.
Even better, if you are in a position to hire someone, I hope you’ll look at Hire Heroes USA as a source for “courageous, committed candidates with character.” What better way to say thanks than to provide a workplace where those qualities can shine!
And feel free to post a comment below as a way to pay tribute to one or more of the veterans in your life. I'd love to hear your stories!
