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Mid-Atlantic Programs Are Heating Up!
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Greetings friends and supporters,
Veterans Green Jobs has been making great inroads in the Mid-Atlantic region, where we have spearheaded energy efficiency training and education programs in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and begun providing weatherization services to military families.
I am pleased to share some highlights of our programs led by our team in Washington, D.C. Please read below for details.
Zack Bazzi
Mid-Atlantic Programs Director
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Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship with Solar PV Basics Training Program: January 2011
Veterans Green Jobs and the Bucks County Community College Green Jobs Academy are pleased to announce that applications are currently being accepted for Cohort 2 of the Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship with Solar PV Basics Training. This is an exciting opportunity for U.S. military veterans interested in electrical and solar training.
This program, in association with the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC-Chesapeake), will prepare 16 veterans to take advantage of career pathways through programs focused on Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship with an introduction to Solar PV basics.
Training begins January 10, 2011.
Hurry, the application deadline is December 3! Learn more at http://veteransgreenjobs.org/bucks. |
Military Housing Energy Efficiency Project (MHEEP)
MHEEP, which launched on July 26 with the training of nine veterans, has started phase two of the program: Weatherizing homes in the Virginia area. The project is generously funded by the Sierra Club and supported by the DC Project. Training is provided by Laborers' International Union of North America, and students are placed into an internship program with Ardently Green, a Virginia-based home performance firm.
We have received more than 130 applications for home weatherization! So far, the students have completed 55 residential audits and 37 weatherizations, with seven more weatherizations scheduled. The program recently received glowing coverage from local a paper after the military spouses contacted a local reporter to tell him about the great work the veterans are doing. Read this article.
 | | Instructor teaching weatherization techniques to the veterans. |
One of the students in MHEEP, Samuel Mengesha, has found employment as an energy auditor. He will be working with Community Housing Partners, a low-income weatherization program in Virginia.
Sam told us: "I am very excited to have found permanent employment in the weatherization industry, and I am grateful to Veterans Green Jobs for the opportunities they have provided." |
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Bucks County Graduation
On September 7, 2010, nine veterans graduated from the Mid-Atlantic Programs' Solar and Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship training program in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The 12-week program, made possible by partnerships with Bucks County Community College's Green Jobs Academy and Independent Electrical Contractors - Chesapeake, prepares students to enter green careers.
 | | Veterans from Bucks County program with Congressman Patrick Murphy. |
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Community Service
The Mid-Atlantic Programs joined forces with Sierra Club to complete a community service project on the National Mall for the 9/11 National Day of Service. Several veterans from MHEEP participated. Carl Reeverts of Canopy Productions, a strong supporter of our work in Virginia, created a heartwarming video documenting the veterans' service - we encourage you to check it out: http://vimeo.com/15507927
 | | Aja Holliday, Zack Bazzi and Samuel Mengesha at the 9/11 service event at the Vinson Hall Retirement Community for Veterans in McLean, Virginia. |
The Mid-Atlantic Programs also partnered with Mission Serve to complete a community service project in Virginia for the 9/11 National Day of Service. Our veterans participated and the event was attended by First Lady Michelle Obama. Click to see video about the event: The First Lady Serves with Veterans.
In honor of Veterans Day, Veterans Green Jobs in the Mid-Atlantic collaborated with Service Nation: Mission Serve and Habitat for Humanity to help build a home in a low-income Washington, D.C., neighborhood. The Second Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, participated - we were very honored to have her. To learn more about this event, read "Volunteers Bring Service Ethic to Veterans Day" on the Department of Defense's web site. |
Partner Events
In September, the Mid-Atlantic Programs partnered with Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) to host a veteran-only employment open house. Several veterans attended the event and left resumes with LIUNA in hopes of being connected with employment.
Also in September, the Mid-Atlantic Programs were represented in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at The American Legion's annual conference. This article highlights our involvement there.
Additionally, we are collaborating with the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) on a project called Resume Companion. In this program, foreigh policy professionals mentor veterans by helping them to create resumes that translate military training into civilian job skills.
 | | Sean Spurr demonstrates weatherization techniques. |
To show the success of MHEEP, we joined forces with LIUNA, Sierra Club, The D.C. Project and Ardently Green to hold an event demonstrating the weatherization process. Representatives from each organization spoke about the partnership and local media were on hand to capture the event.
Finally, the Mid-Atlantic Programs have also supported several events sponsored by Operation Free, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes veterans around the U.S. to push for clean energy policies. In May, Veterans Green Jobs partnered with Operation Free and mobilized more than 60 veterans from 12 targeted states around the country to come to Washington, D.C., and push for energy independence. More recently, we joined Operation Free at several NASCAR races at the Kansas Speedway to help introduce the message of energy security to a new audience of Americans: 75 million NASCAR fans.
We are proud of the relationships we've forged with these organizations. With these collaborations, we are able to consistently offer quality programs and opportunities for military veterans. Thank you, partners! |
Stay Tuned for More!
Stay tuned to more innovative work from Veterans Green Jobs' Mid-Atlantic team. If you have any questions or have innovative ideas to share, please contact me, Zack Bazzi, Director of Mid-Atlantic Programs, at Zack@veteransgreenjobs.org. |
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