GREENSBORO, N.C. — "Stronger communities -- one veteran at a time" -- is the battle cry of a North Carolina-based veterans non-profit working to bridge the challenging transitional gap between military and civilian life.
"We see 250,000 men and women come out of military services to come into our communities. We want to engage them in our communities. We want them to be here. Making that transition, sometimes, can be difficult," said Veterans Bridge Home (VBH) general counsel & VP of strategy Jim Hoffman.
Charlotte-based Veterans Bridge Home, which merged with the Triad's American Heroes for North Carolina this year, connects veterans and their families, in any state of transition, with the community they now call home.
"We want to create an environment in the communities where we serve, where a veteran will show up, and the fact they have a community behind them, it's almost transparent to them. The communities understand what veterans and their families need to thrive, not just survive," said VBH vice-president Steve Cole.
VBH hosted its annual Veterans Recognition Event Wednesday, celebrating the deserving heroes whose humility often shadows their astounding accomplishments.
"It's wonderful to be in that audience and see the faces and the pride of people who are like, 'Look what we're doing in our community, and look at what these veterans are bringing to our community after they leave service,'" Cole explained.
The ceremony entailed three prestigious awards for individuals and businesses doing great work to support and hire veterans.
Patriot Award
The Patriot Award, given to an individual who served honorably and made a significant contribution to our community, went to VADM John Ryan, USN, Ret., who served as president and CEO at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro.
Liberty Award
The Liberty Award, given to a company that hires veterans and has Veteran-friendly policies, went to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
Freedom Award
The Freedom Award, an entrepreneur who served honorably, started his or her own company, and ran it successfully at least five years, went to Bill Harmon, Co-Founder of Horizon Strategies, based in Winston-Salem.
