Veterans Council Reenlists as Mission United
Forty-plus years is a long tour of duty, and the Veterans Council of Indian River County just signed up for another one. The Council has joined forces with United Way of Indian River County and has a new name to go with it: Mission United. It took more than a year to put together, and the programs, staff and services are all coming along for this next chapter.
If you've never seen the Veterans Council at work, picture an army of passionate volunteers who get up in the morning to drive veterans to their VA appointments, help them sort out their paperwork, and occasionally pitch in with financial assistance on a bad month. They've been at it for four decades. Now they get some much-needed muscle, courtesy of CEO Meredith Egan and her team at United Way. They're already working across the county on housing, healthcare, jobs, education, legal help and financial stability, and a veteran can reach all of it with a single call.
And we have a lot of veterans to do right by. Roughly 16,000 live in Indian River County, and about one in four is stretched on basics like housing, food and getting to the doctor.
The people who built the Council aren't going anywhere, either. Dr. Michael Fortunato joins United Way's board, and Veterans Council board members will serve on a new Mission United Advisory Council alongside other local veteran service groups.
Know a veteran who could use a hand? Call 772-410-5820. For a ride to a VA appointment, it's 772-226-1695.
