Join Half Acre and the American Legion as they host their Tattler Fest BBQ!

Where: American Legion Tattler Post 4355 N Western Ave, Chicago
When: Monday May 30th
Time: 3pm – Midnight

The next meeting of CVO will be on this Saturday, June 18th from 10 AM to 12:30 PM at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in the Conference Room on the 2nd Floor.

We will discuss the press conference we held on May 24th, organized by former alderman Jim Balcer and others. It outlined a veterans program for candidates in the 2016 elections. CVO had major input.

And more…

As always, coffee and donuts will be served and parking will be validated.

Come out and support CVO!

The next meeting of CVO will be on this Saturday, July 16th from 10 AM to 12:30 PM at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in the Conference Room on the 2nd Floor.

We will discuss the current state of the VA and veterans affairs.

As always, coffee and donuts will be served and parking will be validated.

Come out and support CVO!

2016 Symposium on Women and the Military, August 5th, 9:00am-1:pm, Malcolm X Community College, Chicago, IL

Connect. Network. Build Community!

• Build your network to expand your support system
• Connect with women who served and still serving
• Advocate for Female Servicemembers, Women Veterans, Military Spouses, Military Caregivers
• Leverage the collective voices of a unified military community

Keynote Speaker:

Brigadier General Alicia Tate-Nadeau

Executive Director, City of Chicago

Office of Emergency Management and Communications

Assistant Adjutant/ Director of the Joint Staff

Illinois National Guard

Saturday, August 6, 2016 from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Indian Boundary Park
2500 W. Lunt Ave., Chicago IL 60645
(773) 764.0338

Fee: Free

Age Range: 18 and up

For individuals that are U.S. Military Veterans. This event is one of three dance competitions for military couples to participate in to be invited to a grand finale. This event is in partnership with Veterans Upward Bound. One participant per couple must have a DD214 or other military verification to be eligible. To submit proof of service call Michelle Smith at 312-462-7533.

Register Here

CVO has a new meeting day and time: We’re meeting on Wednesday, August 17th from 7 to 9 PM at the Jesse Brown VA in the 2nd floor Conference Room. As usual, parking will be validated.

The agenda will include a CVO history by Bruce Parry, former CVO Chair and a thorough discussion of the future of CVO: New People, New Energy, A New Way Forward!

As always, coffee and donuts will be served, even though it’s at night.

Make sure you attend this important, CVO-changing meeting!

The Next meeting of CVO will be this coming Wednesday, September 21st at 7 PM in the 2nd Floor Conference Room of Jesse Brown VA (820 S Damen in Chicago). CVO is rebuilding; be part of it and come out to the meeting!

Coffee and Donuts — as usual — will be served!

We need help with the Newsletter. If you have Publisher, Illustrator, InDesign or even Pages, and can help lay out our Newsletter every other month, we need your help. Please let Bruce know at Bruce@CoalitionofVets.org that you’re willing to step up. He’ll give you all the details.

See you at the meeting!

Boots to Business Reboot: Aurora

Who: Open to veterans, service members (including members of the Guard and Reserve) and military spouses who run a business or are interested in learning about starting a small business.

What: Registration is now open for Boots to Business Reboot. This two-step entrepreneurial program begins with an in-person course instructed by a leading entrepreneurship professional, where participants learn the fundamentals of business ownership, including evaluating business concepts, legal and financial practices. Participants will meet local SBA partners who can assist them after the course.

When: October 3, 2016 at 8:00 am CDT – October 4, 2016 at 4:30 pm CDT

Where: Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora, IL 60506

How to Sign Up: To sign up for the Boots to Business Reboot course, interested participants must fill out the Boots to Business Reboot registration form for the Aurora course at  http://boots2business.org/rebootapply/.  Lunch is provided for all attendees.

Additional Details: Boots to Business Reboot is offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration through a public private partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, the Marcus Foundation and First Data Corporation. After completing the training, participants can register for “Foundations of Entrepreneurship,” an eight-week, online course led by instructors from Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

Facts about Veteran Entrepreneurs: Veterans are at least 45 percent more likely to take the plunge into entrepreneurship than people with no military experience. Veterans own approximately 2.4 million businesses, or 9 percent of all businesses nationwide, generating $1.2 trillion in receipts and employing nearly 5.8 million people. A recent SBA study of Boots to Business graduates found that they were 79 percent more likely to start a business after completing the training.