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By Cathy Yates (Statewide, NV) – The volunteers with the Nevada Veterans Advocate (NVA) program are passionate about helping veterans. They’ve not only completed a 20-hour online course and received certification through the Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS), but many made it clear they wanted to do even more! So, NDVS is now involving NVA’s in community events. This participation expands outreach to veterans connecting them and their families to earned benefits. Some of the events NVAs participated in over the past several months include: Nevada Women’s Expo, Office of Military Legal Aid Resource Fairs in Las Vegas, Reno and Winnemucca, Veterans Housing Summit, Reno Earth Day, Armed Forces Day events and the Sixth Annual Summer Salute Car Show. Several of our NVAs in northern Nevada have participated in three or more events including, Larry Osborne, Ed Kaatz, Seth Welman, Graham Stafford and Cynthia Donahe. When asked why they volunteer for NDVS, Larry said “Being a veteran, from a veteran family that served in WWI, WWII, and Korea, I believe our country owes all of our veterans a sacred promise to provide benefits as well as care and assistance to them for their service and sacrifice. I also believe Nevada and NDVS are doing a great job of fulfilling that promise. I’m honored to play a small role in that effort, as an NVA, helping veterans to learn about and to access those programs.” Graham had this to say about why he became an NVA, “Becoming an NVA has allowed me to give back to my fellow veterans. It is one of the most heartfelt things I’ve done in my life. Helping veterans battle the red tape of benefits and answering questions about what the USA and Nevada can do for veterans gives my life wonderful purpose. I am very grateful to be an NVA for our Nevada veterans.” Cynthia stated, “I have served in public service and volunteered in the community for most of my life, so for me to be a NVA is an extension of this calling and living out my purpose. I love serving our fellow veterans!” We could not participate in as many outreach activities as we are able to without our NVA volunteers. We are in great need of more NVAs in our rural areas so that we can reach veterans throughout Nevada. We invite you to become an NVA and join in the fun. The Nevada Veterans Advocate program provides the education necessary for volunteers to be able to conduct outreach to veterans and veteran families about the benefits and services available in Nevada. We are planning a free two-day workshop in Elko in October. We will be sharing the dates and location with you in the weeks ahead. The goal is to recruit and train 1,000 NVAs to serve veterans throughout Nevada and we currently have 353 trained NVAs s. As NDVS ramps up their outreach program, NVAs are a crucial component of that program. With the number of estimated veterans living in Nevada to be close to 300,000 thousand, many may be unaware of all of the benefits and resources available to them, particularly in the rural areas of the state. For more information on how to become a Nevada Veterans Advocate, contact McKensie King, the NVA Program Coordinator at (775)321-4708 or go to our website: http://veterans.nv.gov/page/veterans-advocacy