Latest news with #veterans
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Trump's military parade will displace annual Vietnam veterans event
Donald Trump's upcoming military parade in Washington, D.C. will displace an annual event for Vietnam veterans, Jen Psaki reports.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Memorial Day draws attention to veteran sacrifice
Varied ways to lift up the memory of veterans who provided the ultimate sacrifice occurred in different places in different ways Monday as area communities found ways to commemorate Memorial Day. The ceremonies varied as much as the communities that sponsored them. Many continued traditions started decades ago and are repeated each year as a reminder of the abiding care for veterans. The village of Rock Creek showed up in force and marched south on Route 45 from High Street to Union Cemetery complete with the Jefferson Area High School Marching Band providing music. Ceremonies took place throughout the county, including Evergreen Cemetery in Geneva, Conneaut's War Memorial and Ashtabula's War Memorial as well as many small townships in between.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida seniors shouldn't have to deal with homelessness. They need our support.
When most people hear the name 'Goodwill,' they picture the retail stores. But Gulfstream Goodwill Industries (GGI) is much more than that. We are the largest provider of homeless services across five counties—Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee. In Palm Beach County alone, we operate four shelters and provide over 150 units of temporary and permanent housing. Each year, nearly 100,000 nights of safe shelter are offered to individuals and families in crisis. Most recently, we've also taken on the responsibility of feeding every person in our shelters. But now, a heartbreaking trend is emerging. Over the past year, we've seen a troubling increase in seniors — men and women in their 70s, 80s and even 90s —seeking emergency shelter. These are not strangers. They are our parents, grandparents, former teachers, veterans and neighbors. They have worked, raised families, contributed to their communities—and now, in the final chapters of their lives, they find themselves on the street, without safe shelter, without food and nowhere to lay their heads at night. This is not just sad—it's unacceptable. Opinion: Silence fuels suffering: Speak up to save social services From 2017 to 2022, the number of seniors experiencing homelessness grew by a staggering 65%. There are several interconnected challenges are fueling this crisis, starting with a shortage of affordable housing. A 36.7% increase in one-bedroom apartment rents in 2021 has priced out many seniors living on fixed incomes. Inadequate financial support is also a problem. Florida's maximum Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit is $637 per month — far below what is needed to afford even basic housing. Many seniors also face chronic health conditions and lack access to affordable care and transportation, making it nearly impossible to maintain stable housing. In response, Palm Beach County has implemented several important initiatives, including the Division of Senior and Veteran Services providing over $106,000 in aid to 22 older adults at risk of losing their homes. The county also developed a new 74-bed housing center and 17 cottage homes to offer more permanent housing solutions, and it expanded medical respite care and eviction prevention services that are helping address critical needs. Opinion: As Florida criminalizes homelessness, she sought refuge in my storage facility While these are important steps, they are not enough. To address this growing crisis, Gulfstream Goodwill has launched Out and About, a mobile outreach initiative that brings essential resources directly to where seniors live. The program offers emergency food, hosts mobile farmers markets and connects seniors with vital financial, health, and wellness services to help them stay safely housed and independent. We are also actively working to expand our affordable housing efforts, because aging should come with dignity, not despair. No one deserves to age into homelessness. Every senior deserves a safe, stable place to call home. Devorah Kermisch is director of Community Relations with Gulfstream Goodwill Industries. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Many FL seniors are homeless. They deserve community support | Opinion
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Armed Forces Day marked with family event
A parade, music and funfair will all feature in a family fun day to celebrate the work of the armed forces in Wolverhampton. The festivities at West Park to mark Armed Forces Day run from noon to 16:00 BST on Saturday 28 June. Serving personnel, cadets and veterans from the city's Freedom Units will march in a parade on the day. Craig Collingswood, Wolverhampton's mayor, said the city has a "special relationship" with the armed forces, "as do I with my son serving in the British Army". Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: Family event to mark Armed Forces Day Veterans receive badges at Armed Forces Day event Armed forces family day returns for another year Veterans encouraged to access home assistance scheme Armed Forces Wolves
SBS Australia
18 hours ago
- General
- SBS Australia
'A call to remember': First Nations Veterans honoured at ceremony in Sydney
A warning this story contains the name of a First Nations person who has died. At the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park – a ceremony to remember First Nations veterans. Welcoming those in attendance, is Gadigal Elder, Allan Madden. 'Once again, on behalf of the land council and of the Gadigal mob, welcome, welcome, welcome.' A welcome dance is followed by a guard of honour, a smoking ceremony, and an opening prayer. The Ode, accompanied by a digeridoo. The service shining a light on veterans' stories. Squadron Leader Coen Henry, is a Royal Australian Air Force and Barkindji/Wiradjuri Man. 'The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who served in the First and Second World Wars varies greatly. As ethnicity was not noted on enlistment documents an accurate figure will never be known, it has been suggested that more than 3,500 Indigenous people served in these conflicts.' This year's key address was from Lieutenant Colonel Joseph West, an Australian Army and Murrawari Man, whose ancestors died in Kokoda. He joined the military when he was 18. Lieutenant West reflects on the meaning of 'lest we forget'. 'It is more than recalling names and dates, it is a call to remember truthfully, completely and with respect. But in the past we failed this promise with Indigenous soldiers." The heritage of many First Nations service personnel was previously not even recorded. "People from non-European descent were not permitted to join the defence force, in accordance of the Defence Act of 1903. This meant that even though Indigenous soldiers volunteered and fought, they did so without formal recognition." The story of Lieutenants West's great-Uncle, Private Harold West was also told in the 1942 poem 'The Coloured Digger', by H E 'Bert' Beros. Lieutenant Commander Robert Valler is with the Royal Australian Navy. At the service, he read an excerpt from The Coloured Digger. "He'd heard us talk Democracy – They preach it to his face – Yet knows that in our Federal House there's no one of his race. One day he'll leave the Army, Then join the League he shall, And he hopes we'll give a better deal to the Aboriginal." The service was also an opportunity to educate younger Australians about the contributions of First Nations veterans in Defence. Hundreds of school students lined the Pool of Remembrance in front of the Anzac Memorial, and at the end of the service laid wreaths. Attendees of all ages engaged in the event, including multiple local school groups; invited to listen, commemorate, combine tradition, and help right historical wrongs.
