The Roswell Rotary Club is well known for its Honor Air Flights. For ten years the club chartered a plane and took World War II, Korean, and Vietnam veterans to Washington DC for a day to visit the monuments honoring them. For eight years, Roswell Rotarians packed an average of 900 pounds of supplies and shipped them to a deployed troop.

This year, Roswell Rotary launched a new project to support vets. Roswell Rotarian Dave Wash eagerly took on the role of chairing the club’s new veterans project…serving the VEO (Veterans Empowerment Organization). Dave explained, “I have always admired veterans. My father served and my uncle died at Normandy. These men and women made many sacrifices every day. Our Rotary Club shares and embraces the same passion to serve our heroes. When Roswell Rotary President Becky Stone asked me to get involved with the VEO, I felt honored. What a way to give back! My hope is that we can touch the lives of these men and women. If we can make some small difference to assure them how much we appreciate what they have done for us and that they are not forgotten, it would be such a blessing!”

The VEO has provided housing, supportive services, job training and placement to over 400 homeless veterans and their families since 2008.Their mission is "to enhance the quality of life for homeless veterans on their road to self-sufficiency." “When we first visited VEO, we realized that this was a true lifesaving facility and program. Roswell Rotary is proud to help VEO with their mission,” said President Stone. “Their program identifies and treats mental health issues, reunites families, secures stable housing, secures employment, helps increase income, and reviews veteran benefits.” Their website includes remarkable and touching success stories.

Tyler Bowser, former U.S. Air Force vet and VEO Veteran Community Ambassador, visited the Roswell Rotary Club in October and gave his compelling story of recovery. Tyler recalled, “I remember very vividly, sitting on a wall down by Georgia State, drinking beer out of a bag, and I was indistinguishable from any other bum.” The VEO provided the help Tyler needed during the lowest point of his life. In 2018, life was very different for Tyler, thanks to the VEO ... “This year, I was having a root beer with Arthur and Angela Blank at their ranch in Montana,” Tyler says.

Roswell Rotarians jumped at the chance to support the VEO. In November, they helped carry the VEO banner in the Atlanta Veterans Day parade. They brought supplies and worked the barbeque afterwards. President Stone recalled “it was a wonderful day of building relationships with our American Heroes!We heard great stories from these men and women and how the VEO has given them hope and a place to call home.”

Roswell Rotary collected and delivered a truckload of supplies (t-shirts, socks, toiletries, paper plates, napkins, utensils, etc.) to the VEO. At Christmas, they collected over 100 hoodie sweatshirts for the veterans, which made it possible for every veteran to have a Christmas gift. In March, Roswell Rotary plans to have a maintenance day to handle repairs at the VEO facilities.

February 23rd is the 4 ^th Annual VEO Gala at the Georgia Aquarium. Roswell Rotarians will be in attendance. The VEO invites you to attend the gala and offer your support too!Visit their website at https://www.veohero.org/ for more information about the VEO and the gala.