Clarksville, Tenn. – Clarksvillenow.com The Montgomery County Veterans Coalition monthly meeting was held on July 20, 2016 at the Montgomery County Veterans Plaza. The meeting was packed with members and guests that represented various organizations, agencies and businesses.
Special Guest for the month was Senator Mark Green. Senator Green addressed the Coalition concerning “Veterans Day on the Hill”, scheduled for February 8, 2017. Sen. Green addressed recently passed legislation including the elimination of the income cap on the property tax relief for disabled veterans and many other legislative efforts to improve the lives of veterans.
He discussed the important role Veterans Day on the Hill played in the change to the property tax. Two very important veteran issues discussed were challenges with the veteran’s choice card and the need for an accounting of how many 9/11 veterans are developing colon cancer at a young age. Members were also surprised by another guest, Rep. Jay Reedy. The Coalition and our community are blessed with legislators dedicated to fighting for the needs of veterans.
The Coalition was very pleased with the kindness received from the fireworks vendors in the area, who supported the PR/Education event initiated by the Coalition to make the surrounding community aware of the affects that fireworks have on many of our Soldiers and Veterans.
During the month of July the Coalition worked with community partners to help our members resource for their veterans’ needs. Hope for Dreams, through Ashley’s Furniture, donated and delivered a bed to a veteran in need. The USO referred an out of town donor to the Coalition that provided an electric wheelchair to a young veteran. A veteran in Stewart County graciously donated a prosthetic leg valued at least at $18,000. We are currently in search of a veteran that this donation would assist.
Although the Montgomery County Veterans Coalition remains an active force in the community, it needs the support of the community. At this time, the Coalition is in need of a donated small room to house donated equipment. We are often offered hard to find items but, lack storage for the items until we have a veteran in need. As always, the Coalition’s main focus is to make a difference for our Veterans in our local community, in our state, and eventually our country. For more information about the Coalition, please contact Sherry Pickering at spickeringvtc@gmail.com.