Community event in Bullhead City features Mobile Service Units bringing care to Veterans, a traveling storytelling exhibition honoring local heroes, and honored advocates making a difference for Veterans.
Bullhead City, AZ — (October 18, 2023) Veterans’ advocates and community leaders joined together at the Veteran’s Memorial Eternal Flame Park today to raise awareness about programs and services to help Veterans in need. The community awareness program has been part of a year-long celebration of Nation’s Finest’s 50th Anniversary, which has honored individuals who have helped Veterans above and beyond the call of duty. The Bullhead City event today was one of several awareness events taking place in three states and in Washington DC as part of Nation’s Finest’s Anniversary celebrations.
The effort by Nation’s Finest aims to highlight alarming statistics impacting Veterans – including mental health issues, high suicide rates, homelessness, and unemployment—-and help connect Veterans and their families to vital resources that ensure their care and success.
“The suicide rate among Veterans remains high, with approximately 17 Veterans committing suicide each day, and on any given night, over 40,000 Veterans don’t have a place to call home in our country,” said Chris Johnson, CEO, Nation’s Finest. “As a nation, we can and should do better to honor those who have sacrificed and served, which is why we are promoting this program to raise greater awareness and help connect Veterans to the services they need.
Through Veteran’s Day, Nation’s Finest is hosting a series of community awareness events that bring together community leaders, Veterans’ advocates, and community partners to ensure Veterans and their families have access to services and programs. Each event features a Nation’s Finest mobile service unit staffed by trained professionals to assist Veterans, as well as community partner booths to provide educational information. On display is a powerful storytelling exhibition honoring heroes for making a difference in the lives of Veterans. At each event, Nation’s Finest is presenting special awards to local Veterans organization leaders who have gone above and beyond to help Veterans and their families in their communities.
During the ceremony, six local heroes from Arizona were honored for their service to Veterans, including: Justin Chavez, Stacy Lee, Dorn “Pat” Farrell, Cindy Frizelle, Judge Jeffrey Singer, and Judge Mitchell Kalauli. Legislative leaders Mayor Steve D’Amico and Counsel person Dan Alfonzo were among several community leaders who joined Nation’s Finest to present special medallions for their work. The awardees’ personal stories, along with other Nation’s Finest awardees, were featured in the exhibition and on the Nation’s Finest website at www.NationsFinest.org.
The Nation’s Finest Community Outreach Program is funded through the support of many community partners, including Verizon (presenting partner), U.S. Veterans Affairs, Safeway, the Land of the Free Foundation, Comcast, Turton Commercial Real Estate, Enterprise Community Partners, and the Charles M. Schulz Museum, among others.
This year marks 50 years since Nation’s Finest was founded to support Veterans returning from the Vietnam War by providing critical housing, health, and employment support to ensure Veterans reach their full potential. During the past five decades, the programs and impact of Nation’s Finest have continued to grow, serving more than 150,000 Veterans and providing $275 million in direct services across 31 locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, and nationally. Additionally, through its mobile service unit program, Nation’s Finest can reach thousands more Veterans each year who lack access to care by bringing resources directly to them, particularly those living in rural areas.
CONTACTS:
McKinzie Burrows
Phone: 813.495.9709
Email: mburrows@nationsfinest.org
