Established 1936 – John A. Collins, President

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON, GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN

Big E's Sports Grille

710 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2024 – 7:15 AM

Veterans face challenges when attempting to transition successfully from military to civilian life. A significant number of them struggle with unemployment, homelessness, disabilities, and undiagnosed physical and mental health conditions. Many veterans – especially women – need support and assistance when making this transition. Without the critical intervention services they need, they are more likely to isolate, suffer, and disappear into the corners of our society that many of us do not travel.

There are over 634,000 veterans in Michigan and over 43,000 of them are women. Women make up 1% of the veterans in the United States with 14.4% of them actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Our speaker is Sgt. Stephanie Shannon (U.S. Army, Ret.). She is the founder and CEO of Michigan Women Veterans Empowerment — a faith-based 501c3 non-profit organization. Its mission is to identify, connect, educate, advocate, support, and empower Michigan's female military veterans, military service members, and their family members in the eight dimensions of wellness.

Invocation: Eric Nelson
Introduction: Jeff Kissinger

Struggling Veterans

1. "In 2020, there were 6,146 Veteran suicides. This was an average of 16.8 per day." — 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report
2. “Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.” — Fred Rogers
3. "...The military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that...we leave no veteran behind." — Dan Lipinski