Yellow Ribbon America

This American Female Space Pioneer inspired millions of women to study #STEM, and she even has a U.S. Navy research vessel named after her. This evening, we salute Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space. https://go.usa.gov/xXrBn #WomensHistoryMonth

 DoD News

Orange County Veterans Initiative (OCVI) was launched in 2011 and then expanded in 2015 based on new findings from The State of the American Veteran: The Orange County Veterans Study, a report commissioned by OCCF to bring much needed attention to the challenges facing Orange County veterans. The first-ever comprehensive report on the needs of local veterans, it confirmed that many servicemen and women coming home to Orange County are significantly under-prepared for civilian life, – experiencing significant challenges ranging from not knowing where to find services, to lacking secure employment, to unmet physical and mental health needs.

OCVI aligns donors, businesses and community leaders to focus on three critical areas of need:

• Transitioning to civilian life
• Employment readiness and job skills
• Health services, with an emphasis on mental health needs – in October 2015, with support from our generous donors, OCCF delivered $500,000 to seven nonprofits to support programs that provide a focused approach for transitioning veterans and their families.

The initiative’s key goal is to improve critical and fundamental services so that veterans:

• Know where to go in Orange County to get the services they need
• Develop trusting relationships with community providers
• Are connecting early and proactively to services they and their families need
• Obtain employment in career-oriented opportunities and positions
• The funding allows high-performing nonprofit veteran service organizations to build their capacity to serve a broader audience.

See the full publication of the Orange County Veterans Study here: https://www.oc-cf.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Publications/ OC-Veterans-Study_USC-CIR_Feb-2015.pdf

Newsletter from Supervisor Todd Spitzer, OC District Three, Vol. 5 Issue VI