UAMS Honors Veterans with Care Packages, Appreciation Event

By ChaseYavondaC

More than 50 current and former members of all five branches of the military — Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard — attended the annual Veterans Appreciation Celebration.

They enjoyed heavy appetizers, trivia and door prizes. Members of the Cabot High School Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) presented the colors to begin the ceremony and Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin was the event’s speaker.

Griffin, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve with more than 20 years of service, thanked the UAMS employees and veterans for their time in the military and recalled fond personal memories of his service.

Tim Griffin UAMS

Griffin, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, accepts a medallion from the UAMS Veterans Awareness Committee.

“The thing that stands out to me is the people I’ve met along the way,” said Griffin. “I can think back to different places I’ve served and can tell you funny stories, tell you about dear friends I’ve made, things we went through that you would only understand if you were there.”

Griffin said it was important to teach young people to thank veterans and honor their service, as well as never letting those acknowledgments become routine or ordinary.

“As an elected official, I go to a lot of events to honor veterans,” he said. “I try to make sure it doesn’t become just another event where I go through the motions and check it off my list. We all have to guard against that.”

Following the ceremony, UAMS veterans were invited to stay for popcorn and a viewing of “Hacksaw Ridge.”

On Nov. 9 and 10, UAMS delivered 450 care packages to veterans at Fort Roots in the Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center in North Little Rock and St. Francis House in Little Rock. All of the care packages included Thank You cards signed by UAMS employees, students and guests. The care packages, assembled by UAMS Project Search interns, were made possible by donations from UAMS employees and students who gave approximately $1,800 and many items.

UAMS volunteers served lunch to veterans at St. Francis House, a Little Rock shelter that provides transitional housing to homeless veterans. Members of the UAMS Veterans Awareness Committee visited veteran patients at the UAMS Medical Center on Nov. 11.

UAMS Project Search

UAMS Project Search interns assemble care packages for local veterans.

Events to honor and support UAMS veterans will continue throughout the month. On Nov. 15, veterans groups and agencies will be on the ground floor concourse of the Education II building for a Veterans Fair to address questions regarding benefits, counseling and education.

On Nov. 29, the committee will host a seminar on post-traumatic stress disorder. Lunch will be provided to the first 75 attendees.

The UAMS Veterans Awareness Committee is made up of veteran employees, employees who are spouses of veterans, and other employees passionate about veteran-related issues. Because of its work and dedication, UAMS was named the 2016 Large Employer of the Year by the Arkansas Disabled American Veteran Association.

UAMS employs more than 670 veteran, active duty, reserve and guard employees and 87 students.