Vets for Vets receives national honor

Student Veterans of America recently honored Vets for Vets, a registered student organization at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, as the 2011 Chapter of the Year for 2011 at its national conference. 

Vets for Vets was selected from among 525 active chapters in all 50 states and two countries for its dedication to issues affecting student veterans. 

Vets for Vets offers a wide range of programs and events offered to all students of the UW–Madison, regardless of veteran status, designed to aid in the reintegration of veterans and applying their experiences to enrich the campus community.

“I believe the award is well-deserved, and recognizes the valuable contributions Vets for Vets makes to the UW–Madison campus, community, and state as a whole,” says John Bechtol, an assistant dean of students who specializes in student-veterans issues and supports Vets for Vets.

Vets for Vets is one of the five original chapters of Student Veterans of America (SVA) which formed in 2008 to address the educational needs of this newest generation of our nations veterans. 

SVA, as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization strives to support the needs of student veterans and ensure that student veterans are afforded the opportunity to continue to serve after they have left the military.  As an SVA chapter, Vets for Vets continues its traditions of leadership and service that has been its hallmark being founded at UW–Madison in 1972.

Through partnerships with government, campus, and community organizations Vets for Vets has filled 2011 with events such as:

• Veterans’ oral histories in partnership with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum;
• The Veterans Print Project in partnership with local artists;
• Hosted the SVA National Leadership Summit last June;

• A lecture series involving authors and filmmakers that work to bring the veteran experience into the public dialogue;
• Programs to aid students and faculty bring firsthand accounts of veterans into the classroom.

Vets for Vets highlights the accomplishments of student veterans and integrates first-hand military experiences into the education of the student body at large. Vets for Vets conducts a comprehensive program of services and events designed to spark discussion.

All Vets for Vets events are open to all UW students and are offered free of charge.