Events

Aug
13
Mon
Veterans Career Hiring Expo @ Veterans Career Hiring Expo
Aug 13 @ 10:00 am – 4:30 pm

Veterans Career Hiring Expo

For Veterans who wish to participate and register with CareerBuilder, please click hereChicago Veterans Career Hiring Event

For Organizations and Companies who wish to participate, choose at which level you would like to participate and register, please click here.

In partnership with World Sport Chicago’s Valor Games Midwest 2012, the American Freedom Foundation and CareerBuilder will be holding the Veterans Career Hiring Expo at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 13. This event will bring together major companies from throughout the Midwest to profile their services and provide employment opportunities for our Veterans. Attending Veterans will have the chance to talk with employers, submit qualifications, and even participate in job interviews on the spot. Attendance at the Veterans Career Hiring Expo is free and open to Veterans and active duty military.

 

The CareerBuilder Professional Team will provide resources to attract Veterans who are interested in exploring new career opportunities.  They will also provide specific sourcing and screening services where Veterans will be paired with prospective employers based on profiles they are interested in hiring.  CareerBuilder will provide full management and facilitation at the Veterans Career Hiring Expo and an opportunity for 1 on 1 interviews on site.

World Sport Chicago, in partnership with U.S. Paralympics, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Chicago Park District, hosts the Valor Games Midwest in an effort to aid successful community reintegration through sport and healthy, active lifestyles. Over the course of three days, athletes will compete in the sports of field, cycling, archery, power lifting and indoor rowing. Participating athletes’ disabilities may include: amputation/limb loss, spinal cord injuries, stroke, traumatic brain injuries, visual disabilities or post traumatic stress disorder. Veterans with any disability rating from the VA are also eligible to compete. Please click here for more information about World Sport Chicago

To learn more about the events and see the commitment the American Freedom Foundation and CareerBuilder has made to hiring Veterans, please click here.

In advance, we thank you for participating and supporting our Veterans.

Nov
11
Tue
City of Chicago Veterans Day Ceremony 2014 @ Soldier Field
Nov 11 @ 10:00 am

The ceremony will once again take place just inside Gate 0 of Soldier Field in front of the Doughboy statue. Along the wall are benches to provide seating and moments of reflection. The benches contain notable quotations regarding the efforts of those who serve our country. Actual Military Medals of Honor representing the various branches of the armed forces are cast into the backrests.

Soldier Field was named as such at the request of Gold Star Mothers to honor those men lost in World War I. The Doughboy statue, originally placed in Garfield Park, was restored and installed in Soldier Field as part of the stadium renovation. Doughboy is an informal term for a member of the United States Army or Marine Corps, especially members of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.

Veterans Day is the one day set aside to thank and honor living veterans who have served honorably in the military in wartime and peacetime. Originally known as Armistice Day and so declared by President Woodrow Wilson, it was created to mark the signing of the Armistice which ended World War I. Following World War II, it was declared a day to honor all veterans and in 1954, renamed Veterans Day by Congress.

Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Time: 10 am
Location: Soldier Field, Gate 0, 1410 Museum Campus Drive Chicago, IL 60605
Admission: FREE
Accessibility: Fully accessible.
Parking; FREE parking is available at the Waldron Parking Deck; exit at 18th Street from Lake Shore Drive.

Aug
18
Tue
U.S. Veterans Resource Expo 2015 @ Soldier Field
Aug 18 @ 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

2015 U.S. Veterans Resource Expo
Tuesday, August 18, 11AM-3PM
Soldier Field, 1410 Museum Campus Dr.

+ Takes place during Opening Day of the 2015 Midwest Valor Games
+ The Resource Expo connects military veterans and their families and service members with over 40 community organizations, agencies and businesses offering assistance with veteran benefits in education, disabilities, housing, legal services, child and family services
+ While not a job fair, become aware of employment opportunities
+ FREE PARKING on Waldron at Soldier Field

Register for the Resource Expo HERE

Download the FLYER

Questions? Contact Special Recreation at special.recreation@chicagoparkdistrict or 312.742.5798

2015_us_resource_expo_soldier_field_flyer

Nov
11
Wed
City of Chicago Veterans Day Ceremony @ Soldier Field, Gate 0 1410 Museum
Nov 11 @ 11:00 am
Jul
1
Fri
Veteran Resource Picnic 2016 @ McKinley Park
Jul 1 @ 10:00 am

Flier-BBQ-7-1-16-v2_email

VETERANS ASSISTANCE COMMISSION Of Cook county
Please join us at our
Veteran Resource Picnic

Friday JULY 1, 2016
10:00 A.M.
McKinley Park
3900 S. Western
on pershing road

East of Swimming Pool & Basketball Court
Chicago, Illinois

We will provide LARGE BBQ grill
Hot dogs, Hamburgers & soda

Please bring your own Table & Chairs

Feel Free to bring your own BBQ Grill, food & drink

Donations Welcomed

Download (PDF, 334KB)

Sep
7
Thu
50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War 2017 @ Brookfield Zoo in the Swan Pavilion
Sep 7 @ 11:00 am – 1:30 pm

Download (PDF, 784KB)

The Cook County Department of Veterans Affairs, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA), Brookfield Zoo, and The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration will host The VIETNAM WAR 50TH COMMEMORATION ceremony on Thursday, September 7, 2017; and invites all eligible veterans to complete the enclosed application and return to Cook County Department of Veterans Affairs office no later than Friday, August 25, 2017.

ELIGIBILITY: Living United States veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the Vietnam War period of November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, are eligible to receive one Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin. The Lapel Pin, its shortened moniker, is used to help listeners and/or readers understand the weight of importance and symbolism represented in each element of this “lasting memento of the nation’s gratitude” presented to all Vietnam veterans.

The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration

50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War

Thursday, September 7th, 2017

Application is due to Cook County Department of Veterans Affairs by

August 25, 2017 11:00 A.M. – 1:30 P.M.

http://www.vietnamwar50th.com/

Brookfield Zoo in the Swan Pavilion

The Pavilions at Brookfield Zoo are located near the North Gate entrance

8400 31st Street (1st Avenue & 31st Street) | Brookfield, Illinois 60513

 

The Cook County Department of Veterans Affairs requests the honor of all veterans’ who served during the Vietnam War (from 11/1/1955 through 5/15/1975) participation at The 50TH COMMEMORATION OF THE VIETNAM WAR ceremony, which will be held at Brookfield Zoos’ Swan Pavilion. The Vietnam War 50th Commemoration ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 7, beginning at 11:00 A.M. until 1:30 P.M. The purpose of this program is to recognize, thank and honor United States military veterans who served during the Vietnam War. Vietnam Veterans participating in the 50th Commemoration ceremony will be recognized with one Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin, Presidential Proclamation (2012), Certificate of Appreciation, and Resolution from the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Any Vietnam Era veterans interested in participating must submit the attached application. The commemoration aims to thank and honor veterans of the Vietnam War, including personnel who were held as prisoners of war (POW), or listed as missing in action (MIA), for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States and to thank and honor the families of these veterans.

Dec
7
Thu
2017 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Commemoration @ SOLDIER FIELD
Dec 7 @ 9:30 am – 11:00 am

PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DAY COMMEMORATION
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

SOLDIER FIELD 1410 SOUTH MUSEUM CAMPUS DRIVE, GATE O CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60605
Coffee and Pastries 9:30 am to 10:00 am
Ceremony 10:00 am to 11:00 am

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND FREE PARKING FOR EVENT
MASTER OF CEREMONIES: Alderman James Balcer (Retired), 11th Ward
GUEST SPEAKERS: The Honorable Edward Burke, 14th Ward Alderman and Chairman of City Council’s Committee on Finance Army Major General James Mukoyama (Retired), former Commander 70th Training Division
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Navy Admiral Cecil Haney (Retired), former Pacific Fleet Commander and U.S. Strategic Command Commander
MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT: United States Navy Band, Great Lakes Aleece Baker, USO of Illinois Tom Day, Bugles Across America
COLOR GUARD AND RIFLE TEAM: Navy Junior ROTC Cadets, Hyman G. Rickover Naval Academy 2nd, 24th Marines

RSVP: Friday, December 1, 2017 jgray@chicagonavymemorial.org For questions, please contact Jeffrey S. Gray at (773) 679-7835

Download (PDF, 224KB)

Aug
30
Thu
Cook County Veterans Picnic and Outreach Forum 2018 @ Brookfield Zoo in the Swan Pavilion
Aug 30 @ 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Jul
30
Tue
Cook County Veterans Picnic and Outreach Forum 2019 @ Brookfield Zoo in the Swan Pavilion
Jul 30 @ 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Cook County Veterans Picnic and Outreach Forum 2019 @ Brookfield Zoo in the Swan Pavilion

The County Department of Veterans Affairs will host a Veterans Affairs Outreach Forum on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 at the Brookfield Zoo, Swan Pavilion. In addition to the Veterans Outreach forum, there will be a picnic for Veterans and their families. You must RSVP to be a part of the Veterans Picnic. Please share this information with other veterans and veteran organizations.

Please fill out the attached registration form and send back as soon as possible. The RSVP deadline date is July 19, 2019.

Download (PDF, 713KB)