To honor those who served in the U.S. military, a single day can barely be considered enough. A week? Better.
UW-Milwaukee’s Veterans Week commenced with the Fourth Annual Military & Veterans Ball on Friday, Nov. 3, to honor those who served.
“Each year it gets bigger and better with additional schools and community partners participating,” said Jayne Holland, interim director of UWM’s Military and Veterans Resource Center. “We have a broader section of Milwaukee corporate partners and sponsors attending this year. This helps give UWM student veterans an opportunity to engage with veterans from across the Milwaukee community, as well as corporate and community supporters.”
Hosted downtown at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, the event featured a “Titanic”-themed cocktail lounge, dinner, dancing and guest speakers, including Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Daniel Zimmerman, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Marcia Anderson and UWM Chancellor Mark Mone.
A silent auction benefited Healing Warrior Hearts‘ veteran programs and services.
“We’ve worked with them before for other events,” Holland said. “We always try to work with nonprofits that assist veterans.”
Healing Warrior Hearts coordinates weekend-long experiences that help veterans and their families transition to life after military service, among other things.
Following the ball, a week of special events from Nov. 6 to 10 will continue to honor veterans and military members leading up to Veterans Day on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Dear Veteran, a public art project held in the Union Concourse, offers civilians an opportunity to leave messages for veterans during each day of Veterans Week. The project includes a veteran photography exhibit where UWM student veterans share photos cataloging their military deployment.
The VA will have its Vet Center van parked outside the Union parking garage on Tuesday, Nov. 7, through Thursday, Nov. 9, where veterans from UWM and the community can meet with VA counselors and other medical providers.
On Nov. 9, community leaders, including Mone and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, will participate in the “Serving Those Who Serve” brunch in the Union Ballroom.
MAVRC will also be hosting events in its suite, Student Union room WG-99, throughout the week such as a VA Medical Center Pizza Luncheon and Women Veterans Evening of Chocolate on Nov. 8, and an open house on Nov. 10.
UWM has more than 1,000 veterans and members of the military on campus, making it a leader in the Midwest. UWM is one of just three universities in the U.S. to partner with all three major veteran support programs: The Pat Tillman Foundation Scholars program, Upward Bound and VetSuccess on Campus.
For more information on any of UWM’s Veterans Week events, contact MAVRC at 414-229-7211, email Jayne Holland or visit MAVRC online.
