CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Montgomery County Veterans Coalition (MCVC) had its first fundraising dinner on March 24 at the Austin Peay State University Morgan Center.
Around 200 people from the veteran community came together to raise money for the MCVC. Joe Shakeenab, the event emcee and VP of the executive board, introduced the keynote speaker, CSM(R) Chris Fields. He shared his own challenges of transitioning out of the military and his choice to serve veterans through his work with Operation Restored Warrior (ORW).
Fields shared his experiences on the battlefield in hopes of helping other veterans. His words were an inspiration and gave hope to all present. For more on CSM(R) Chris Fields and ORW visit www.operationrestoredwarrior.com.
Photos: MCVC
Josh Vaughn of Josh Vaughn Photography was present to take artistic portraits of the veterans. Auction items were donated by Joe Shakeenab, Deborah Johnson, Nashville Predators, Rep. Jay Reddy, Debbie Fields, and veteran artist, Stephen Schlegal. There were many different organizations and businesses represented and Disabled Veterans of America Chapter #45 was the top ticket seller of the night with a total of 30 tickets.
“We would like thank the Clarksville/Montgomery County community for all of its support in everything we do,” Executive Director Sherry Pickering said.
The mission of the Montgomery County Veterans Coalition is to bring together the community to share information, knowledge, support and resources and to become a unified voice in advocating for veterans in our community by identifying issues and creating solutions, without the duplication of services. The Veterans Coalition has accomplished a great deal in the last four years, with little to no funding, and an all-volunteer staff.
If you would like to help the Coalition complete its mission, you can make a onetime donation or commit to a month donation, as small as $5 or $10 a month, at www.mcvcsolutions.com. If you would like to donate your time, please email the executive director at spickeringvtc@gmail.com. Current volunteer positions include a volunteer coordinator and an article writer for education and PR.