Operation College Promise Newsletter

www.operationcollegepromise.com

Operation College Promise is funded in part through a grant from the American Council on Education & the Wal-Mart Foundation

Operation College Promise

A NJ Association of State Colleges & Universities Initiative

150 West State Street

Trenton, New Jersey 08608

609-989-1100

Director of Programs and Policy Analysis – Wendy Lang

December 2009—Issue No. 4
Text Box: Student Veterans and Supporters: On December 1, 2009 Operation College Promise (OCP) participated in the G.I. Go Fund’s job/career fair at the Teaneck Armory. Approximately 100 vendors and 500 veterans or dependents enjoyed a great day of networking and information gathering. As usual, Jack, Alex and Nick put on a great show and OCP enjoyed participating. For those of you who didn’t make it, these are wonderful events to meet representatives from organizations committed to assisting veterans and their families. Check back to www.operationcollegepromise.com frequently for notification of events like these around the state. Legislative Update: A resolution encouraging institutions of higher education to become members of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium (SOC), SCR-124/ACR-191 (Beach/Adler/Girgenti/Conners/Cruz-Perez), passed the Senate Education Committee on November 23, 2009. Michael Klein, Esq., Director of Government and Legal Affairs for NJASCU, along with representatives from Veterans for Education, testified in favor of the measure. Three OCP consortium institutions—Kean University, Thomas Edison State College and Ramapo College of New Jersey—are currently members of the SOC consortium. Several other NJASCU institutions are in the planning stages for membership and expected to join in 2010. Call for articles . . . OCP is always looking to highlight people and programs serving our veterans in our monthly newsletter. Have an idea? Send your suggestions to walang@njascu.org. 150th Aviation Battalion NJ Army National Guard Donation/Card Drive . . . The OCP “Thank a Veteran” 2009 holiday care packages and cards on on the way . . . thanks to everyone for their support. Survey Says . . . Don’t forget to send in your surveys from the November 10, 2009 event at Kean University. We need your feedback to design our 2010 events! To complete survey, click here. OCP would like to thank our partners for their support and contributions in 2009 and wishes all a happy and safe holiday season! Reminder, the next OCP event is February 5, 2009 at Montclair State University. Register here. See you in the New Year!

You may be interested to know that these wreaths—some 5,000—are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine.  The owner, Merrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well.  He’s done this since 1992.  A wonderful guy.  Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out.  Making this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is one of the poorest parts of the state.  Read more here.

Holidays

 

Something cool that Xerox is doing.

 

If you go to the website, Let’s Say Thanks—www.letssaythanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq.  You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

 

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!  This is a great site.

 

Please send a card.  It is FREE and it only takes a second.

 

Thank you.

On Campus

Montclair State University—Veteran and Military Student Recognition—November 18, 2009

A Brief Visit from My Soldier Son—New York Times, November 8, 2009

NJCU Veterans Club Held first Fundraiser—October 27, 2009

 

National Issues

 

Department of Defense Releases 2010 Housing Rates—December 16, 2009

Back from Combat, Women Struggle for Acceptance—December 14, 2009

HUD—Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing—December 14, 2009

Stop-loss Pay Starts Flowing in December—Stars and Stripes, December 9, 2009

Advances for Women Veterans Move Forward—Veterans of Foreign War, December 8, 2009

VFW National Home for Children Helps Active-Duty Military Families— November 20, 2009

 

 

State Issues

New Jersey Veteran Speaks to Students, Establishes Monuments to Remember Pearl Harbor Attack— Star Ledger article featuring OCP “Thank a Veteran” recipient and former Kean employee, Tom Mahoney.  Star Ledger, December 7, 2009

Veterans Assistance Project Offers Aid in New Jersey—Philadelphia Inquirer, November 19, 2009

 

Other News

National Guard Responds to Storm in Seven States—December, 21, 2009
Text Box: Check out some photos of state college/university campus Veterans Day activities, here.

Partner

Spotlight

 

T. Nulty Post 471

The American Legion

Blue Star Family Group

Holy Spirit senior is VFW District Essay Winner!

“Does America Still Have Heroes”

 

Learn more

Operation Santa

 

New York Air Guardsmen Track Santa’s Arrival, read story here.

 

Families can watch Santa’s progress around the World December 24 by signing onto the NORAD Tracks Santa website:  www.noradsanta.org