Good morning neighbors,

I want to take a moment to acknowledge our active-duty service members in all branches of the military, and to the over 85,000 veterans in our county: Thank you for your service.

Veteran resources in Pierce County

When I started serving the 6^th District, which includes Joint Base Lewis-McChord, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the services we have for veterans. We have a goal to have a Veteran Service Center open by 2022 that would serve as a one-stop location for veterans to access services. We also have a mobile unit that travels across the county to provide resources to veterans. If you need services now, here is the link for more information.

In 2016 we created a new board called the Pierce County Veterans Advisory Board that works to advise the county on the needs of local indigent veterans, the resources available to local indigent veterans, and the programs that could benefit the needs of our local veterans and their families. This group meets once a month and reviews policy, programs, and projects.

Hidden Heroes Program comes to Pierce County

On Tuesday, I proposed and Council passed R2021-201, a resolution in support of Pierce County’s Military and Veteran Caregivers through the Hidden Heroes Program of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. I learned about this program while attending the National Association of Counties conference this July and was surprised that our county was not engaged in this work. We have thousands of veteran caregivers in our community.
Family members and friends of veterans often find they are supporting a loved one through some of the most challenging times, and that can be emotionally draining. This program helps these caregivers find support from peers facing similar challenges across the community and country.

The goals of the program are to:

• Raise awareness of the issues military caregivers confront every day.
• Inspire individuals, businesses, communities, and civic, faith and government leaders to act in supporting military caregivers in their communities.
• Establish a national registry, encouraging military caregivers to register with HiddenHereos.org to better connect them to helpful resources and support.
  

I believe joining this program will allow those members of our community that are doing this work on behalf of a veteran to access supports when things get hard, look for resources to support them in this work and to increase their own learning and awareness. If you are a caregiver of a veteran in our community, thank you and I look forward to working with our Veterans Assistance Programs division to grow this program and provide more resources.

Community Connections

• Reel Life 96 Film Festival: Registration opens on Nov. 15 for this free activity for all aspiring film makers. Learn more here.
• Museum of Flight Virtual Veterans Day Celebration: Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can join at the museum or virtually as they honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces, past and present.
• LeMay Car Museum provides Complimentary Military Admission on Veterans Day: Nov. 11, from 10 a.m. to 5  p.m. take a stroll through the vehicle history that can be found in this special local museum.

As the daughter, granddaughter, sister and widow of veterans that have served our country in many branches, I want to personally thank all who serve. Whether you are in for four years or 40, we all take time on the 11^th day, of the 11^th month to acknowledge and thank you for your service.

Respectfully,