Events

May
26
Sat
Chicago Memorial Day Parade 2012 @ Chicago Memorial Day Parade
May 26 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

CIA Director David H. Petraeus of the Central Intelligence Agency will lead this year’s Memorial Day Parade as its Grand Marshal and participate in the Wreath Laying Ceremony preceding the parade on Saturday, May 26, 2012.
General David H, Petraeus (U.S. Army, Retired) became the 20th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency on September 6, 2011.  Director Petraeus has dedicated his life to public service, retiring from the United States Army on August 30, 2011 after a distinguished 37-year career.
He last served as Commander, NATO International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces- Afghanistan from July 2010 until July 18, 2011. His other four-star commands include assignments as the 10th Commander, United States Central Command, and as Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq during the surge.
This year, parade will commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Taps with a special tribute.  In 1862, Oliver Wilcox Norton wrote what he called “the hardest 24 notes to play”.  The all too familiar cadence of notes first played by Wilcox during the Civil War and will be played by a group of from Bugles Across America to mark the anniversary.
Included in the day’s events will be a special recognition of the Illinois Gold Star Families at the Wreath Laying Ceremony at 11:00 am on Daley Plaza and at the Parade.  The parade steps off at noon at State and Lake Streets proceeding south on State to Van Buren.
The Chicago Memorial Day Parade honors all men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.  This year’s parade will be dedicated to all soldiers who fought and died in our country’s recent conflicts. The City of Chicago is proud to have post 911veterans represented in our parade this year.

Aug
9
Thu
Illinois Warrior Summit 2012 @ University of Illinois at Chicago
Aug 9 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

The US Department of Veterans Affairs, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Edward Hines VA Hospital, James Lovell Federal Health Care Center and Illinois Supporting All Veterans Equally (ISAVE) will be hosting the Illinois Warrior Summit and 5th Annual Welcome Home Celebration for 4,000 military, veterans and families on Thursday, August 9th, 2012 from 10a-3p at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Forum – (725 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago).

The Illinois Warrior Summit and 5th Annual Welcome Home Celebration connects military, veterans and families to services and programs with benefits, education, employment, housing, legal, disability, mental health, family and children services.

Illinois Supporting All Veterans Equally (ISAVE) Mission: To connect military, veterans and families with services and programs to benefits, employment, education, housing, legal, disabilities, mental health, family and children services.

About ISAVE: Many Active, Reserve and National Guard components return from service and have difficulty finding the proper direction and guidance for available programs and services. ISAVE is working to help unite the Illinois community to create an open referral network system, a standardized packet of information and a web based platform for everyone to use.

Illinois Supporting All Veterans Equally (ISAVE) is a registered 501 (c) 3 Not-for-Profit Organization and currently works with the Illinois community to host veteran one stop shop resource fairs called, the Illinois Warrior Summit and Welcome Home Celebration.

These one of a kind events promotes positive community relations and present military, veterans and families with many opportunities for future goals. The Illinois Warrior Summit and Welcome Home Celebration also advocates networking between different organizations which improves business to business relations; enhancing the quality of veteran support services, and in turn, helping thousands of military, veterans and families.

The Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Edward Hines VA Hospital, James Lovell Federal Health Care Center and Illinois Supporting All Veterans Equally (ISAVE) will have:

*FREE BENEFIT and RESOURCE FAIR at UIC FORUM for 4,000 Military, Veterans and Families

*FREE FOOD and REFRESHMENTS for 4000 Attendees

*FREE SPORTS TICKETS 5000 for Military Personnel or Veterans- Sox, Fire, Sky, Cubs

 

*FREE T-SHIRTS for first 1000 Veterans (1 per veteran)

*FREE RAFFLES and GIVEAWAYS for Military and Veterans ALL day

*FREE KID’S ENTERTAINMENT with JUMBO Moon Bounce, Reptile Show and Children’s Activities

*SPECIAL APPEARANCE of Chicago CUBS Trolley for Kids

*SPECIAL APPEARANCE by Jesse White Tumbling Team

* SPECIAL APPEARANCE by Miss Chicago 2012 and Miss Windy City 2012

 

*SPECIAL APPEARANCE by The Pipes and Drums of the Chicago Police Department

*SPECIAL APPEARANCE of the World Performance Team

*OPENING CEREMONY with Color Guard Presentation from 2-24 Marines

*NATIONAL ANTHEM Performance by Miss Chicago 2012

*MILITARY TAPS Performance by Bugles Across America

*VA Providing ON SITE Physicals and Registration for Health Care

*IDES Providing ON SITE Registration for Unemployment Benefits

*NATIONAL ABLE NETWORK Providing ON SITE Registration for Employment Opportunities

*80 NON-PROFIT Veteran Support Organizations Providing FREE Services and Programs

*40 EMPLOYERS Providing Job Opportunities

*30 VA PROGRAMS & SERVICE STATIONS Providing Assistance to Veterans

*20 UNIVERSITIES and COLLEGES Providing Education Opportunities

We Look Forward to Seeing You Soon!!!

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.

Aug
29
Wed
Veterans Resource Fair @ Cook County Building Auditorium
Aug 29 @ 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County are holding a Veterans Resource Fair on

August 29, 2012

9:00 AM to 2:00PM

Cook County Building Auditorium

1100 S. Hamilton Chicago IL

Roosevelt Road and Ogden Ave.

Please call to register in advance – (312) 433-6010

Dec
14
Fri
Chicago Welcomes Home the Heroes Parade 2012
Dec 14 – Dec 15 all-day

 

Chicago Welcomes Home The Heroes Event 2012

 

Chicago Welcomes Home The Heroes Event
December 14-15, 2012

The Chicago Welcomes Home the Heroes Event

The Chicago Welcomes Home the Heroes Event is an opportunity for
the community to come together and properly welcome home our Iraq
War Veterans while showing continued support for our troops in
Afghanistan.

The Reading of the Fallen Ceremony

For the Reading of the Fallen Ceremony, we will read the names
of all the fallen from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
(approximately 6,515) to commemorate those who have made
the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The reading is dedicated to
Gold Star Families and will begin at 9:11 am and continue until
all the names have been read.
* Date: Friday, December 14, 2012
* Start Time: 9:11 am
* Location: Thompson Center Outdoor Plaza

Chicago Welcomes Home the Heroes Parade

After every war in modern U.S. history, we as a nation have
honored our Veterans with parades, and now that the Iraq War
has concluded, we want to recognize and honor this current
group of Veterans and their families in the same manner. While
this parade will be dedicated to welcoming home those Veterans
who served during our Post-9/11 wars, we would like to invite
our entire military community to participate and be honored.
* Date: Saturday, December 15, 2012
* Start Time: 12:00 pm
* Parade Route: Columbus Drive between Balbo and Monroe

The Veterans Resource Reception

To help bridge the gap between Veterans and the resources
available to them, we will be hosting a Veterans Resource
Reception immediately following the parade. The objective of the
Veterans Resource Reception is to promote and facilitate
sustained support for Veterans and their families.
* Date: Saturday, December 15, 2012
* Start Time: Immediately following the parade
* Location: Grand Army of the Republic Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center

Feb
26
Tue
Presidents Day Veterans Employment and Resource Fair @ JESSE BROWN VA MEDICAL CENTER
Feb 26 @ 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

February 26, 2013
Tuesday, 9:00am—2:00pm

“Honored to serve … those who served”

The Illinois Department of Employment Security in partnership with
Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
invites you to participate in this event.

JESSE BROWN VA MEDICAL CENTER
820 S. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL 60612

2nd Floor Conference Center, Damen Pavilion

Veterans attending must be registered on IlliniosJobLink.com. Please bring resume and identification to verify proof of veteran status.

IDES VA Presidents Day Employment and Resource Fair 2013 Flyer

May
25
Sat
Chicago Memorial Day Parade 2013 @ Downtown Chicago
May 25 @ 11:00 am – 2:30 pm

We hope to see everyone at the Memorial Day Parade
on Saturday, May 25th. We are Number 91.

Meet up at 11 AM on Wacker Drive between Clark and LaSalle. Again, we are No. 91. Look for us, our signs and our vehicles there. View Map

Everyone is invited! Bring family and friends. You can walk or ride. The Parade is lots of fun and should be over by 2:30 PM or so.

Come out and have fun!!!

Oct
17
Thu
Chicago Job Fair @ Congress Plaza Hotel
Oct 17 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

More info here

Nov
19
Tue
5th Annual Veterans Job and Benefits Fair @ Northwest Middle School Gynasium
Nov 19 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

5th Annual Veterans Job and Benefits Fair

Date/Time

Tuesday, November 19, 2013
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Location:

Northwest Middle School Gynasium
5252 W. Palmer St., Chicago, IL 60639

Contact Information

Commissioner Edwin Reyes Office
3061 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL  60618
Office: (773) 588.1129
Fax: (773) 588.1267
lourdes.garcia@cookcountyil.gov or greateravondale@gmail.com

Details:

Hosted by: Cook County Commissioner Edwin Reyes, District 8
Supported by: The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) – Bureau of Personnel

Although this is a Veterans fair, it is also open to the general public. This resource fair will offer a variety of services from local to federal governments. Service providers and employers will be available to answer questions in the process of programs particular to their industry.

  • This event is free and open to the public
  • No registration is needed
  • Free parking is available at event location
  • For event details, click on: Event Flyer

The Illinois department of Central Management Services (CMS) supports this event. A representative from personnel will be available to distribute information on the process for doing business with the State.

Please visit the Coaltion of Veterans Organizations (CVO) table

Mar
26
Wed
Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Fair @ Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Forum
Mar 26 @ 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm

March 26, 2014 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a hiring fair for veteran job seekers, active duty military members, Guard and Reserve members, and military and veteran spouses at the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago, IL. This event will be a one-of-a-kind FREE hiring fair for both employers and job seekers.

This hiring event is being conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and other local partners.

March 26, 2014
Hiring fair: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Workshop: 8:30 a.m.
UIC Forum
725 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608

Registration


Job seekers click here.

Employers click here.