The Las Vegas Mayor’s Challenge team is committed to helping service members transitioning from uniformed service into civilian life. The challenges facing service members in transition to Veteran status have placed them at a higher risk for suicide. Reducing these risk factors by addressing the challenges of employment, financial, educational, health care, and social disconnect were a priority for our community partners when organizing our recent Veterans Expo.
The Las Vegas Veteran’s, service members and their families who joined us in October experienced a new and all-inclusive event highlighting the whole veteran. The focus from our community partners was to not only employ but to Empower Veterans by increasing their overall quality of life.
Expanding to include our local Veteran Service Organizations allowed for participants to learn about the support agencies, programs, health care, mental health services and faith-based organizations available in the local community. Commitments from VSO’s including our local VA Benefits Services Department and the Veterans Community Outreach from Goodwill Services are just a few examples of how we are hoping to fill the gaps, address the challenges and strengthen our transitioning service members.