First Annual PECO/Project HOME Veteran Gathering
On the eve of Veterans’ Day, Employment Services hosted a gathering of alumni from the 2009 – 2014 PECO/Project HOME Veteran Employment Training programs as well as the current class of veteran interns who will be graduated in 2015. The gathering was accommodated in the beautiful Community Room at JBJ Soul Homes.
It was obvious that the alumni were delighted to be reunited with the members of their individual classes. The current class was in full attendance. While seated around a large dining table, a representative from each class spoke of the life experiences which had brought him to the program, the value of his training, his internship work assignment and his relationship with those who managed the program.
Among those in attendance were Ed Speedling who initiated the Veteran Internship program in Project HOME and Fred Kirchbaum of PECO who has been engaged in the PECO sponsorship of the program since its inception.
The most moving portion of the proceedings was the spontaneous outpouring of advice and fellowship shown to the new members of their brotherhood, our current class. Each speaker was eloquent in the sincerity and simplicity of his message.
Employment Services plans to keep this feeling of kinship alive for the mutual benefit of all these veterans. We would also like to ensure that the benefits received in their internships continue to sustain them in their future endeavors.
