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Remember Pearl Harbor, Honor Veterans
Colorado Gives Day is Dec. 6
 
 December 1, 2011
In This Issue
Remember Pearl Harbor
Your Gift Goes Further
Jade Claybrook
Veterans Day Breakfast
Celebrity Driver Program
Walmart Foundation Grant
Previous Issue Focus
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Remember Pearl Harbor, Honor Veterans

 

Seventy years ago on Dec. 7, the United States entered World War II after an unprovoked attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor. It will forever be known as "a date which will live in infamy."

 

On this historic anniversary, remember Pearl Harbor and the veterans who lost their lives that day with an end-of-year gift to Veterans Green Jobs. Make your contribution in memory or in honor of a serviceman or woman and Veterans Green Jobs will proudly acknowledge the service member on our website (no dollar amounts will be revealed). Your gift will be a tribute to those who have served and who continue to serve our nation. Your donations will go twice as far thanks to an anonymous donor, who has issued a challenge grant for up to $10,000 in matching funds for donations to Veterans Green Jobs received by Dec. 16.

 

Consider making your end-of-year-contribution through GivingFirst on Colorado Gives Day, Dec. 6. Colorado Gives Day brings the community together to support local non-profits and gifts made that day go further thanks to corporate incentive funds from FirstBank. Donations made on Dec. 6 will also be matched by our generous anonymous donor, so it's the perfect day to make a meaningful donation. Go to www.GivingFirst.org and type Veterans Green Jobs in the box to indicate your charity of choice. As always, 100 percent of your donation comes to us when you give through GivingFirst.org. 

 

Veterans Green Jobs makes it easy to give year-round through the Combined Federal Campaign and Colorado Combined Campaign, which offer federal and state employees the opportunity to donate through workplace giving. Contributions can be made by payroll deduction, cash, check or credit card. Donations are voluntary, confidential and tax deductible.

 

An end-of-year gift can be a smart financial decision. Veterans Green Jobs is an approved Enterprise Zone charity. Donors who contribute $500 or more may receive a 25% state tax credit for cash gifts and a 12.5% tax credit for in-kind gifts such as goods and services.

 

Donations to Veterans Green Jobs help us to connect veterans with meaningful employment opportunities in the green sector. Thank you for your support!

 

In Service to Veterans,

 

Dr. Bill Doe

CEO and U.S. Army Veteran

Your Gift Goes Further - Two Ways!
 
Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, gifts to Veterans Green Jobs received by Dec. 16 will be matched up to $10,000!
 
Make your gift on Dec. 6 through GivingFirst.org and a portion will be matched thanks to a Colorado Gives Day challenge grant by FirstBank.
Boots On The Ground

A Career in Going Green: Jade Claybrook

 

Jade Claybrook

Serving in the Army Military Police Corps - including a tour in Iraq - did more than give Jade Claybrook a life experience. It affected his career perspective. With an original desire to become a police officer, he wanted to consider other options; with six weeks left in the military, he started looking for a job. Like thousands of other veterans, he looked on Craigslist and Monster.com, and put his resume on job sites. He came across a position at the Go Green Warehouse, and something struck a chord.

 

"It was the first organization that helps veterans, 'green,' and families. I was pretty blown away," he says. He had two other job offers, but took this opening because, "This was the only one where I could have a job, be able to provide for my family, and help other veterans do the same. That's really cool." At 25 years old, Jade and his wife are raising two children - with a third on the way.

 

Since accepting the position of warehouse driver, Jade has been promoted to floor manager of operations for the Go Green Warehouse. And his eyes have been opened to subjects that take on a whole new meaning. READ MORE.

Eye On Events

Veterans Day Breakfast 2011

 

How many VIPS does it take to make a special event a success? If you're thinking in large numbers, then you're also thinking of Veterans Green Jobs' 2nd annual Veterans Day Breakfast. We were proud that this year's benefit was highlighted by the presence of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Denver Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy, Denver FBI's Special Agent in Charge Jim Yacone and many more elected officials, active service members and veterans from all eras. Their participation was a testament to the fact that in today's climate of high veteran unemployment, Americans agree that addressing this issue as a community is a number one priority.

 

More than 260 guests attended our largest fundraiser of the year, featuring military honorees, veterans and active servicemen and women, politicians, local luminaries, and event sponsors.

 

We were privileged to welcome our keynote speaker, James F. Yacone, Special 
Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for Colorado and Wyoming. Yacone spoke of the many sacrifices our servicemen and women make every day, and of the common experiences they share in making our communities stronger.

 

On behalf of the Mayor of the City of Denver, Deputy Mayor Cary Kennedy presented our Board Chairman with a proclamation that named November

Gov. John Hickenlooper

11, 2011, "Veterans Green Jobs Day." And Governor Hickenlooper graciously spoke on behalf of all veterans when he addressed the need for business owners, government entities, nonprofits and individuals to work together to provide good employment opportunities for veterans. "We have to come together as a community to make sure our veterans get what they deserve: jobs to protect our environment and jobs that promote energy efficiency. Who better do to this work than veterans?" he asked.

 

 

Recognizing Our Founding Sponsor - Walmart

 

This year's benefit provided the perfect venue for announcing a very special gift to Veterans Green Jobs from our founding sponsor, Walmart -- a $750,000 grant to help more veterans reach for employment opportunities in the green economy. Josh Phair of Walmart accepted our award recognizing Walmart as a key ingredient to Veterans Green Jobs success. Phair took the podium and told our guests, "We don't often give such a large grant to an organization that is so young, and we certainly don't often do it twice. We're very proud and privileged to enjoy this partnership with VGJ." We are deeply indebted to Walmart for its continued commitment to putting veterans back to work!

 

A special thanks goes to our event sponsors, including Walmart, Comfort Air Distributing, R-factor, Summit Utilities, Inc., Tendril, Weston Solutions, Inc., Eagle Rock Supply Co., People* Leadership* Process* Solutions, Inc., and The Learning Source. For a complete list of sponsors please visit our website. Thank you for your generosity and ongoing support of our country's servicemen and women!

 

View event photos on Google and on Blacktie Colorado.

 
Celebrity Drivers Raise Awareness, 
Score Big for Go Green Warehouse

 

Former Denver Broncos took to the streets this fall, gathering donations for the Go Green Warehouse. The four-day Celebrity Driver campaign launched Nov. 10 and featured Bronco alumni including former running back Reggie Rivers, former tackle Ken Lanier, former defensive back Kevin Clark, former defensive end Willie Oshodin, and former tight end Ron Egloff.

 

Bronco Alum Reggie Rivers with Jade Claybrook of the Go Green Warehouse

These celebrity drivers generated excitement and a spike in donations for the warehouse. The media was abuzz with the news of these high-profile sports stars lending some muscle to a great cause and Go Green Warehouse saw an immediate increase in phone calls and donations following the announcement of the program. People with items to donate were thrilled to have those items collected by high-profile sports stars. Thank you Denver Bronco alumni!

 

We hope to have more celebrity drivers in the future. If you know a local or national celebrity who would be willing to help collect donations for this great program, contact Veronica Collin, ([email protected]). You can help us recruit the celebrities who will help our country's true stars - veterans.

Thank You!

Walmart Foundation Announces Grant for Veterans 

The Walmart Foundation recently announced a two-year $750,000 grant to Veterans Green Jobs. Funds will be used to connect with 1,000 veterans through training and employment programs and to place many of those veterans into full-time jobs in the green sector. The grant is part of a five-year, $20 million Walmart Foundation initiative aimed at combating the high veteran unemployment rate. Since 2009, Walmart has donated more than $1 million to Veterans' Green Jobs. Read the complete news release on the Veterans Green Jobs website, and learn more about Walmart's commitment to veterans on its corporate website.