Veterans Resource Fair At CCC's VET Center This Month

OREGON CITY, OR — The award-winning Veterans Education and Training Center at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City will host a free information and resource-sharing event this month.

Recognized by Military Times Magazine as the second best two-year college in the U.S. for veterans in 2017, CCC offers a wide variety of services for veterans and their families — including an endowment made available by the CCC Foundation to help vets pay for their continued education.

To share details about those available services and resources, CCC's veteran's affairs coordinators invite vets and their families to the VET Center Fun Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Bill Brod Community Center at 19600 Molalla Ave. in Oregon City.

Several veteran-focused nonprofits — such as Operation Enduring Warrior, Liftforthe22, and Tools4Troops — will be on hand to provide resources as well as educate and direct attendees; the college will provide food and entertainment, which will include a barbecue and watermelon-eating contest.

“During my time at CCC, especially coming from another college, I realized pretty quickly that veterans weren’t just supported; they were valued," CCC staff member and U.S. Air Force veteran Will Burkhalter told Patch in an email. "Today, seven years later as a full time staff member I can see that CCC’s commitment to veterans is stronger than ever.”

The mission to provide quality service to veterans at CCC is carried out by every CCC employee, from the president to the staff and faculty, Veterans Outreach and Rentention Specialist Casey Curry said, noting the school's work to ensure veterans are well taken care of has made CCC a nationally recognized institution.

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"Because CCC is known for our support of the veteran community, those members have added peace of mind knowing that they will be able to receive all resources possible while attending our campuses," Curry said. "CCC works diligently to ensure that from enrollment and attendance to advising and graduation are fully supported by our faculty, staff, and administration.

"This is a population that has given so much. They volunteer to do a job that is not for everyone, it is a job where a simple 'Thank you' is not enough, nor do they want it," she continued. "Giving these service members and veterans a place where they can feel as though they can succeed, without a lot of hassles, is the very least we can do."

For more information about the VET Center or the event, visit Clackamas.edu/Veterans.

Image via Clackamas Community College