Veterans Advisory Commission - Regular Meeting

Alright. Good afternoon. Let's go ahead and call this officially to order. And if you please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Roll call, please. Sure.

Mr. Mikkelsen? Here. Mr. Sinopoli?

Here.

Mr. Seficule?

Here.

Mr. Hughes? Here. And Mr. Burgess?

Here.

Okay.

Alright. Did everybody get a chance to look at the minutes from the last meeting? Yes. Can I get approval on that? Motion to approve. Second. Everybody else approved, say Aye. Aye. Alright. We got some citizens that would like to make some comments. So, Val, if you would like to step up.

Day, everyone. I'm Valerie Valeria Wolford, communications manager for the City of Green. And I just wanted to let everybody here know and help us promote. We are now selling veterans banners for the Veterans Park. We have 16 banners that we sell.

This is the third year where family members if you live in Green, you can nominate or you can have somebody's photo put on the banner, or somebody that lived in Green. So if, say, my parents were not Green residents, but my father was a veteran, I could buy a banner and put him on it because I am a Green resident. And if the reverse was I didn't live in the city and my parents lived in the city, I could put my father on the banner because he lived in the city of Green or lives in the city of Green. So, they're $100 each for the banners. We put them up before Memorial Day, and they stay up through Veterans Day.

And they are on the walking path around the park. So, we are also this is also the time of year that we sell the bricks, because we put them in. If you get your bricks ordered by March 31, they'll be installed for Memorial Day. If you get them in by September 30, they're installed by Veterans Day. So, we just want to remind people that a variety are available also for a fee. All of this is on our website, and you can purchase them through the website. So, any questions? If you could help us promote. Last year, we had we only sold 11 of the banners, so it would be nice if we could sell all of them. Thank you.

Valerie? Yes. Sorry.

Is there a way to, I guess, put a link on the Veterans Advisory Commission page to that, basically Absolutely. Taking it Just as in case somebody scrambles Yeah. Upon Excellent. Thank you.

All right. Thank you.

Any other citizens have anything they'd like to say? Okay. Unfinished business. The Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame nomination. I believe we have a nominee. That person's name will be kept with us. If anybody would like to approve this person, say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Okay. That veteran friendly business project, has anybody had a chance to reach Chamber of Commerce or talk to any businesses in the city to try and get this going? I'd like to have it up and possibly rolling before Memorial Day.

Didn't we talk to Mike at the City of Green?

We talked to Mike briefly, but it's going to be legwork on us. It's not going be the Chamber of Commerce. Okay. But what

is it that you want us to do or we're supposed to do?

We're going to have to go out and promote to the individuals, and we have to come up with what we want to for the businesses to be displayed as a veteran friendly business for the city.

Okay. So we'd like to need a decal or a plaque or or something like that.

Yeah. That's a A window's a decal. Your daughter's

Yeah. She she is she is working on that. So she's hoping to have something here for everybody to look over here in the next couple of weeks. She's gonna try and give us a few designs

to choose from. K. Will it go on the Internet? I mean, on the website? Or

how The do we idea was won't meet

till next month. Yeah.

The idea was that she would get something together, get it sent to all of us so we can talk

it over.

Yep. You

were going to do three designs for us to look over, right?

The five.

Okay. What I'm a little behind on this. What are we offering the businesses to become part of the Veterans Project?

So essentially, the idea was that we would work with local businesses to try and identify ones that are veteran friendly, whether that's they offer a discount around Veterans Day, whether they offer a regular discount, something in terms of that or even possibly that they donate to veterans' charities. And the payoff would be, you know, if they meet whatever standard we set for that, that we would offer them a window decal. If you've been to like Aurora Farms, they've got those window decals for veteran friendly businesses there. We would essentially create one from the Veterans Commission of the City of Green Okay. For businesses within the city so they could display it, people in the city would know that they were Right. A veteran friendly business.

Yeah. I'd like to try and get this. We've been talking about it for almost a year now. If we can try and make this happen in the next couple of months to try to get this rolling. Military release for Memorial Day. I know you were talking about that. Yeah. I, before I had

to run out of our our impromptu meeting. When I had met with Dan Barry and the boosters to talk about the raider run for this year, they brought up the fact that they had intended to donate money to the commission off of helping support them last year. So the idea that I had was rather than trying to deal with the donation coming to the commission for something like that, we work with the Air Force JROTC boosters and get them to take the money that they were going to donate and put that towards purchasing those reusable wreaths for Memorial Day. Is that something everybody here thinks would be a good way to use the money and an easy way to keep the accounting from getting goofy? Yes.

I think it's an excellent idea. Yes. I think it's a We

don't have any discussions or questions on where this all happens. Yes.

Perfect. I will work with Dan on that one and try and get the boosters to purchase those for us for Memorial Day.

Super. Okay.

Okay. Any new business?

Mike, can I go back to the Veterans Hall of Fame real quick?

You

don't mind. A quick question for the commission. I have the nomination form in front of me, the guidelines, for nominating, a veteran who lives in Green to be considered for the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. I just wanna make a few comments regarding eligibility. This veteran must have been recognized for post military achievements, must be a past or current Ohio resident, must have received an honorable discharge, must be of good moral character, and must have either made significant contributions at the local, state, or national level by achieving excellence in their selected field or professions, or made significant contributions through volunteer work, donations, or other philanthropic means.

It is also important that if our veteran is selected to be voted into the Veterans Hall of Fame, that they would be available, for the ceremony in November. One of the reasons we don't disclose the name of the veteran that the Commission has selected is because that individual, if selected, will be notified by the Governor's Office. If the individual is not selected to be, into the Hall of Fame, the nominating committee or the nominating person would be notified by the Governor's Office that they were not selected. So that's why we don't announce that name at this time.

Okay. That works.

So, I guess, who would be point person, on the nominating to complete the nomination form?

I'll take it. I'm

happy to work with you, Mike, on this, okay? We can schedule a time we can meet and go over all the criteria and, start putting together her nomination Absolutely. Well, I just reduced it to 50%, didn't I? Just said her.

That's all. Justin, if you can help us with that too, that'd be great. Absolutely. I appreciate it. As far as new business goes, the veterans outreach that we discussed, when we met a couple weeks ago, Kittles reached out to me yesterday, and they would love to host it.

They would like to know a date, and they would like to know a time that we can sit down and talk to them and kind of share what our ideas are and what we're trying to get with this and what the what we're expecting the response to be back with the community. Obviously, we don't want this to be something that is going to make the city look bad. By any means, we need to make sure that it's professional at all levels. But we need to be able to let people know that we're there for them too, and it helps put it out that we do have the Veterans Advisory Commission for the city because there's still a lot of people that don't know that we have this. So if there's resources that people think that would help, I know, talking with them that they would love to have different representatives similar to how we had the donuts and coffee.

They would let us do something similar to that. They just don't have the same space that we had using over here. But, I think if we do something in the evening hours, I think we'd probably get a better draw if it's on a Thursday, Friday night

Yep.

And try to get some of these different programs that are out there to come and kind of give their spiel and just let, the veterans in the community know that we're here. If people need something, give them resources that are available.

Would it be better in

the right place, at least. Yes.

Would it be better if we we went and had a meeting with them? So Absolutely. I think we should do that, obviously, first. Absolutely. And then say, you know, here's what do you want from us and get what we want, you know, want to do for you. But we should probably get that moving. Yep.

So I will be in contact with them, and I'll set up a meeting with them.

That would be good because I think that that that kinda pushes it.

Yep. Okay. Any other new business? No? Anything?

Mister Hughes, sorry to bring this up. Valerie, do you know if the city is doing tables at the Battle of the Slice? And would it possible for the Veterans Advisory Commission to squeeze a spot on a table?

Or we can give them a table. So, what he's talking about, the Battle of the Slice is a fundraiser community event for the Green Schools Foundation. And, it's going to be over it's a new event. You've probably heard of the celebration of education. This is kind of a new version of that. So, there'll be tabling of businesses. The city will have a bunch of businesses at the middle school and the core, where it's being held at. Families can buy tickets, and individuals can buy tickets, you get to try a bunch of different pizza, hence battle of the slice. Anyhow, it's from eleven to six on February 28. That's Saturday, right?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay. Got the right date. The city is going to we have tables at the core. Our direct task force will have a table passing out information. So, if you guys would like to have a table, I will make that happen, if people are available to come and staff it for that day. You can I'm do is sorry?

What date was that? February what?

February 28. Saturday, the twenty eighth.

We're calling Would you

be a battle of the what? Battle of the slates. Nice.

Would your office be able to do more of our brochures that you had done for us previously for that?

Yes. And I was looking at them the other day and noticed we do have to update it. I think I'm going to pull the names out of it.

Okay.

Just so there's more longevity to the piece.

That makes sense.

Yep. We can do that.

Appreciate it.

Historically, the celebration of education, very well attended event. We're expecting the same for the Battle of the Slice. I think this past year, Veterans Advisory Commission, had a spot there,

and I

think it was well received. Just people learning about the commissions, good face time in front of the community. It's a matter of manning the table, though, the whole time.

I think we should do that.

Guess I'm sure we can get us there? Yes. I said we didn't have any trouble getting people at the table

for celebration education. No. Should be able to.

And now we got that pretty new table cloth, too.

Well, there you go. We Might as well use it.

Right? We can get pizza on that easy.

There's also ice cream, I hear, so. Gotcha. Yeah.

It also sounds like great volunteer opportunity for some high schoolies.

Absolutely.

So how do we how do we connect with this? So

If you guys are interested Yes. So, Valerie, if you can make sure they get a table, and then we I can share the information about Yeah.

Set up time to we can figure out who's who's gonna be there and what we wanna do.

Yeah. Okay.

It is actually two different waves of people. So the place will be open the entire time, but they're serving lunch at, I think, eleven to two and then three to six. But we should probably have somebody at the table the entire time.

Makes sense.

Well, that yeah, that makes sense. Any

other new business?

I was talking with our service director, Valerie Wax Carr, and we were talking a little bit about Memorial Day this year, and wanted to run this past and just get your feedback and thoughts on it. Because it is Celebration two fifty for America this year, we have three events throughout the summer that are going to be the city celebration events. But it doesn't make sense to kind of theme the parade this year as Celebration two fifty that's meant to celebrate the you know, our nation. So, I just didn't know how that your thoughts on that. I mean, it's already a patriotic thing.

So, I'm not sure two fifty is gonna make it any more patriotic, other than it is the anniversary of our country. So, any thoughts on that?

I don't We did a pretty good job the way it was when we've done it. I don't unless you had more flags that say two fifty on it.

I mean, we have a two fifty flag,

but Yeah. Yeah. I think because Memorial Day, we leave it Memorial Day. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean Yeah. Ultimately, it's the service member that you're reflecting, you know, that it's in memory of. Yeah. And it's their heroic is what we're celebrating. So

Okay. That's why we wanted to ask.

So So we we need to work getting flags. Last year, we had 500. Yeah. We definitely need to We need three to

four times that amount because we were out we were pretty much out by the time we hit the YMCA, and that was even with us trying to be careful about it.

Yes.

So, yeah.

How many did you have?

500 last year.

Yes. That was it. So,

yeah, I'd say we need to order four times as much this year.

I agree. And then also volunteers to help walk and hand out flags. And last year, we tried to coordinate using a Humvee, and it just didn't pan out. But if anybody has connections to a classic car or any type of connection with the guard or anything like that or anybody that knows, anybody that has an old military vehicle that we could all ride in that would support the city, try to put something in action now because next meeting's March. So Yep.

True. Okay. Anything else? Motion to adjourn? I have a motion. Motion to adjourn. Second? Second. All right. All in favor, aye.