November 10, 2011

Story by Sophia Kecskes

Tomorrow morning at 9:30, Nick will be walking alongside Cub Scout Pack 47 in the 37th Annual Veterans Day Parade in the Hollywood neighborhood. Nick is proud to participate in this annual tradition in honor of veterans in our community. We'd love to see you there!

There are a number of other events around Portland tomorrow. Here are some highlights:

Noon - 2 pm: Portland State University hosts keynote speaker Darlene Hooley at the Smith Memorial Student Union. Representatives from DAV, VA Medical Center, WorkSource Oregon will be on hand to assist veterans. The event is free, open to the public and all local military veterans are encouraged to attend. Food and refreshments will be provided.

10 am - 5 pm: Veterans are invited to visit the Oregon History Museum at the Oregon Historical Society for free!

11 am: Brigadier General David Enyeart will speak at the University of Portland's annual Veterans Day ceremony on the University's campus, 5000 N. Willamette Blvd.

11 am: The University of Portland's AFROTC and AROTC will present a Veterans Day ceremony at the Praying Hands Memorial, located next to Christie Hall and Howard Hall on campus, 5000 N. Willamette Blvd. A reception will follow the ceremony.

All Day: The public is invited to a day of free admission to federal recreation sites to honor U.S. veterans, members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. This includes all lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation.

At a time when the jobless rate for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars stands at 12%, more than 850,000 veterans are unemployed, and over 130,000 don’t have a place to call home, please consider what you can do to help.

Call your congressional representative and ask them to fully fund the VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) Voucher Program; contribute to Central City Concern, Transition Projects, or JOIN; or visit tomorrow's parade and contribute to the blanket drive - A-Boy will also be collecting blankets through the 20th if you can't make it tomorrow.

Click here to see some great pictures from last year's Veterans Day Parade.