Connections for veterans at first Veterans Resource Fair

Over the Veteran’s Day weekend, the Mat-Su Health Foundation held its first Veterans Resource Fair at the Menard Sports Complex in Wasilla.

While there was no one theme to the event, it was clear that fair organizers, the vendors, and the visitors shared a theme — connection.

The free event provided veterans and their families connections to resources for education, employment, and recreation. Some organizations, like the Department of Labor, have been providing opportunities for veterans for years. While other non-profits, such as Outreach22, are new to the Borough, and the Veterans Resource Fair provided them an opportunity to reach out to more veterans.

“We’ve been swamped with people stopping by and learning about this. So this is just fantastic to connect with veterans and let them know we’re here,” said Joshua Robbins, founder of Outreach22 in Willow.

For some, the fair provided a connection, whether to other brothers and sisters who served side-by-side or from different eras and conflicts. Veterans of all ages could be seen applying for Quilts of Valor, which will not be presenting any more quilts for the rest of the year, but will resume distributing quilts in January.

“We are so happy to host this event. It’s connection, camaraderie, meeting other people and learn about organizations serving the Mat-Su Borough,” said Kathryn Schwartz from the MSHF.

There are already plans for the next Veterans Resource Fair next year.