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Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, announced 30 employers as finalists for the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the DoD’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of Guard and Reserve employees. A review board comprised of military and civilian leaders selected the 30 employers from the 3,236 nominations received earlier this year from Guard and Reserve service members, or family members acting on their behalf.

The 2012 finalists’ supportive initiatives include establishing a military relations council to internally advocate for Guard and Reserve employees, adjusting work schedules to accommodate military training days, and even driving the pregnant spouse of a deployed service member to the hospital when she went into labor and setting up a computer connection so the service member could see his newborn child.

The DoD will announce the 15 recipients of the 2012 Freedom Award early this summer following completion of a national selection board comprised of senior DoD officials, business leaders and prior awardees. The 2012 recipients will be honored with the 17th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in Washington, D.C. in September. Past recipients of the Freedom Award have met privately with the President and Vice President of the United States, and the Secretary of Defense.

Read the full release, including a list of finalists, at the FreedomAward.mil Website.

Are you a Veteran? Looking for a job? Need benefits?

Veterans Register Now:
VAforVets.VA.gov/Detroit
More than a typical Hiring Fair: Onsite interviews with federal agencies and private sector employers Training in federal resume building and successful interview techniques Career coaching All experience levels and career types welcome.

Call 1-855-VA4Vets to start working with a coach today! This event is FREE for Veterans seeking jobs.

JUNE 26 – 28, 2012
10:00AM to 7:00PM
Detroit’s COBO Center
One Washington Boulevard
Detroit, MI 48226

More than a Typical Open House: This VA hosted event will showcase: Wide variety of innovative services provided to Veterans, including Federal benefits (both financial and health), state, local and faith-based organizations Onsite medical exams will be available for eligible Veterans Electronic access to benefits and medical record via eBenefits and MyHealtheVet Find out about Virtual Care (access to medical care through telephonic means) and other cutting edge services Get your questions answered…face to face. This event is FREE for attendees. Come see what YOUR VA has to offer!

The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 is being implemented, and with that, starting today, unemployed veterans ages 35-60 can apply for retraining under the Montgomery GI Bill for in-demand jobs. Learn more about the program, eligibility, and important dates, through the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Be sure to spread the word to other veterans!

And for some quick highlights on eligibility, check out our last blog post on the VOW to Hire Heroes Act!

Jane Watrel, a news reporter and military spouse with NBC4, covered the MOAA Military Career Fair, was a panelist on the military spouse networking panel during lunch. She advised attendees on knowing the value of effectively marketing oneself  as the key to finding the right job in this tough economy.

Career fair attendees learned how to do just that, met with military-friendly employers, received résumé critiques by MOAA transition specialists, and more!

Even for those not used to the new, online networking techniques, MOAA’s Director of Transition Services, Capt. Jim Carman, USN-Ret., had some good news, “We can educate job seekers on the fundamentals of self-promoting!”

For more information on this and other MOAA transition events visit moaa.org/careerfair.

As part of a nationwide effort to help veterans find meaningful employment, More Space Place, a national leader in revolutionary space-saving furniture, is proud to announce its Veteran’s Transition Plan, providing honorably discharged veterans a $15,000 discount toward opening a More Space Place retail franchise.

“These individuals have risked their lives to defend our country and many soldiers, after returning to civilian life, are coming home to a tough employment outlook and very limited career opportunities,” said Marty Juarez, chief operating officer of More Space Place. “This program offers these heroes a tangible, exciting, long-term business opportunity, and our hope is that it will help secure a future for their families for many years to come.”

As a top-ranked franchise for veterans since 2010, More Space Place offers its franchise owners everything from site selection and showroom design to accounting and on-going product knowledge to get their store off the ground. Today, veterans make up 30 percent of More Space Place owners, currently operating retail stores from the Rockies to the East Coast, and now expanding throughout the United States.

“Store owners do not need to have a history in furniture design, cabinetry or prior business ownership – through training and support, we will help them develop those skills,” said Bob Schmidt, national director of installations and new owner trainer of More Space Place.

To boost employment overall, More Space Place offers a $10,000 initial store discount for qualified, displaced managers who would like to own and operate a retail store.

“Most of our store owners have come from a management career completely unrelated to furniture design or construction, creating a melting pot of knowledge and talent. We created a Displaced Managers Plan to further grow our retail stores and build on our existing diverse group of owners,” said Clark Williams, president of More Space Place.

For more information about the Veterans Transition Plan, the Displaced Manager’s Program or franchise ownership please visit: www.Top100Franchise.com. For information on More Space Place products and services, please visit: www.morespaceplace.com.

Military veterans looking for work in a tough economy have a new champion in America Wants You (AWY), a unique private sector initiative that is teaming up with corporate America to find job opportunities for those men and women who have served in our country’s military.

Basketball legend Jerry West, veteran sportscasters Vin Scully and Al Michaels and actors Joe Mantegna and Thomas Gibson, both stars of “Criminal Minds” are featured in new videos for America Wants You!, urging corporate America to jump in and help veterans in this job market.

CareerBuilder has a dedicated job site on AmericaWantsYou.net, and over 200 corporations including Southwestern Energy, Walgreens and Lands’ End have pledged their support.

There are now over 46,000 job opportunities on the America Wants You! job site.

The effort is also supported by veterans’ organizations, including the Vet Voice Foundation, Vets Rock, The Mission Continues and Hire Heroes USA.
“America Wants You and its supporters are calling out to the corner offices to stand up and do their duty,” said the group’s chairman and CEO, John S. Pike, a veteran and former president at Paramount Network Television.

Pike’s principals are Dallas Marvil and Cliff Allman, who were both top publishing industry leaders.

“With over 800,000 veterans out of work, it is imperative that companies step up and help those who have been helping us,” Pike said. “It’s a corporate call to arms. There is no employer too big or too small to aid in this American effort.”

“America Wants You is coming at the right time. Right now, the unemployment rate among the youngest veterans, ages 18-24, is upwards of 30 percent. Efforts like these are desperately needed, and we’re proud to support their efforts,” said Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, and Chairman of the Vet Voice Foundation.

A provision in the VOW to Hire Heroes Act ‘opens for business’ this summer. It would allow up to 45,000 “older” veterans to re-enter with the Montgomery G.I. Bill benefit program for job training leading to work in a needed field.

The VRAP offers 12 months of training assistance to unemployed Veterans. To qualify, a Veteran must:

• Be at least 35 but no more than 60 years old
• Be unemployed (as determined by DoL)
• Have an other than dishonorable discharge
• Not be eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g.: the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance)
• Not be in receipt of VA compensation due to unemployability
• Not be enrolled in a federal or state job training program

Find more info on the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program online.

Congratulations to all the nominees:

3,236 Guard and Reserve members nominate employers for highest honor!

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, received 3,236 nominations for the 2012 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the Department of Defense’s highest recognition for employers supporting members of the Guard and Reserve. Up to 15 recipients will be announced this summer and honored in Washington, D.C. on September 20 at the 17th annual Freedom Award Ceremony.

Guard and Reserve members, or family members acting on their behalf, nominated their civilian employers for the Freedom Award during the 12-week nomination season. Guard and Reserve members, who stand ready to serve whenever our Nation needs them, often put their civilian lives on hold when they answer the call to duty. Supportive employers provide a tremendous amount of stability and peace of mind to these Citizen Warriors and their families, enabling them to continue their dedicated service to our country.

“Guardsmen and Reservists continue to receive outstanding support from their employers,” said ESGR National Chair James G. Rebholz. “America’s employers have not wavered in their commitment to these Citizen Warriors.”

Almost one-half of the U.S. military is comprised of the Guard and Reserve, and while most employers proudly support their military employees, Freedom Award recipients go above and beyond what is required by law. Last year’s recipients were nominated for superior acts of support including driving a deployed employee’s children to school, replacing a military employee’s broken family refrigerator while he was serving abroad, and working overtime to cover a service member’s shifts so they could take part in military training.

A list of nominations from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia are available at www.FreedomAward.mil. Semifinalists for the 2012 Freedom Award will be announced later next month.

A message from the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs:

Today, in response to unanimous passage by the Maryland Senate and House of Delegates of legislation (SB 276/HB 358), introduced by Senator James N. Mathias, Jr. (District 38) and Delegate Norman H. Conway (District 38B), that allows notation of ‘veteran’ status on drivers’ licenses and identification cards, Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown issued the following statement:

“I applaud the Maryland General Assembly for their unanimous support of this important step forward for Maryland’s Veterans. Creating a ‘Veteran’ status on Maryland drivers’ licenses is a simple way to help us connect Veterans to numerous State programs and initiatives by better identifying those who are eligible. It will also make it easier for Veterans to identify themselves when accessing the various benefits, discounts and services they have earned. I would like to thank Senator Mathias and Delegate Conway for their leadership on this effort to help us better serve those who have bravely served our country.”

The bill passed the Maryland Senate today by a vote of 46-0 and the House of Delegates by a vote of 136-0 on March 8th. Lt. Governor Brown testified in favor of the bill before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee last month. Creating a ‘veteran’ status on Maryland drivers’ licenses was also a recommendation made last year by the Veterans Behavioral Health Advisory Board, which was chaired by the Lt. Governor.

Lt. Governor Brown, a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and the nation’s highest-ranking elected official to have served a tour of duty in Iraq, leads the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s efforts to provide veterans with better services and resources. Since taking office in 2007, Lt. Governor Brown has championed successful efforts to pass the Veterans Behavioral Health Act, protect veterans’ business loans programs and fully fund the Iraq and Afghanistan Scholarship Program. Last year, the Lt. Governor launched the Mil2FedsJobs web portal, located on the Maryland Workforce Exchange (MWEjobs.maryland.gov), the first of its kind in any state to directly match transitioning service members with careers in the Federal Government.

Adam Burke is an OIF/OEF combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient. In 2004, when he returned from a 15 month tour in Iraq, he noticed that many of his fellow veterans were finding it tougher to come home from combat than it was to leave for combat.

Veterans returning home are now experiencing difficulty transitioning back into civilian life and careers. This is what prompted Burke to come up with the idea to start Veteran’s Farm. Their mission is to help disabled combat veterans get back into society through the use of horticulture therapy. Veterans work on the farm and develop skills to help them overcome their physical, mental, and employment issues. They grow datil peppers and blueberries that carry the Veteran’s Farm label.

Here’s where you come in:

Walmart is having a “Get on the Shelf” contest, where every day people can text or Facebook in their vote for the cause or product of their choice.

You can vote online for Veteran’s Farm! If they win, Veteran’s Farm products will be on Walmart shelves all over the country. The more products they sell, the more veterans who will be helped!

You can vote once a day, every day, until April 3rd.