Eastern Oklahoma Veterans attend Veteran Resource Fair

Veterans traveled from all over eastern Oklahoma on May 25 to attend the latest Veteran Resource Fair hosted by Eastern Oklahoma VA in collaboration with community partners. 

Veterans, caregivers, families and members of the community were greeted with warm smiles and the opportunity to learn about different programs, services and resources available to them at VA and many other community organizations.  

Daphne Hillhouse and Andrea Jones, suicide prevention coordinators, were excited to see such a great turn out in their new location. They facilitate the event each year in collaboration with the Caregiver Support team and other VA services.

“This is the first time we have held the resource fair at this location and it has gone really well,” said Hillhouse. “Being in a more exposed location allows those who may have missed the announcement to see the event and stop in and learn about valuable resources available to them.”  

Information on numerous programs and services

Representatives from a variety of programs and departments were available to Veterans during the fair, including suicide prevention, Caregiver Support Services, human resources, Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program, telehealth, Whole Health, Volunteer Services, community residential care, Outpatient Palliative Care, eligibility & enrollment, post-9/11 services, various Social Work programs and more.

The first 100 Veterans to arrive were treated to a free burger from JJ’s Burgers and Dawgs food truck sponsored by TCCU Federal Credit Union. Air Force Veteran Howard Hill was enjoying his burger while talking to the Human Resources team.  

“All of the people here have been so friendly and helpful, and the burger tasted good!” 

Rose Hodges attended the fair with her husband Army Veteran Steve. The couple traveled many miles to attend the event for a special reason: Hodges recently participated in the Virtual Caregiver Support Class and found such value in it that she wanted to meet the team that facilitated the class.  

“We drove 50 miles to meet the girls with Caregiver Support. The virtual group I did with them was so helpful and convenient for me with our hectic schedule. During the class I learned that I wasn’t alone and there were others out there like me who are going through some of the same experiences we are. It’s so nice to have additional support and I wanted to talk to them in person.”