Making lakefront property in Clarksville, Virginia handicap accessible with Vets on a Roll
Provide accessible recreation for veterans
In Q3FY18, Vets on a Roll received an award of $20,000 from the Microsoft Community Empowerment Fund. This will provide assistance in making lakefront property handicap accessible by installing a gangway for veterans to enjoy recreational therapy. This is great PR for Microsoft in a county with a multitude of veterans. This is a program that receives a lot of support from the community, as most people know a veteran and the toll that war has on our troops. This program also encourages involvement of those people who served our country.
Partner with local community groups to support veterans
This project engages multiple groups within the community such as American Legion, USMC, DAV, VETS, VFW who all contribute either time, labor, or other resources. Elderly and disabled veterans are at the heart of this organization, providing all of the leadership and counsel. As most of them are disabled or elderly, they will contract the large majority of the gangway project.
The board is composed entirely of veterans and their input and experience is what brought this project to light. Vets on a Roll encourages people to come out to Buggs Island and see what they are doing. Collaboration with VETS or the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce might be able to appropriately promote a celebration. Most of the vets enjoying this opportunity have spent or do spend a considerable amount of time in medical facilities. They look forward to these trips to the island for fishing and being outdoors.
Explore further support and investment
If this program scales, it would warrant soliciting specialized organizations to create more social opportunity. There may be vet-owned businesses that could be involved in promoting the project and getting word out to the community. The potential is being explored for a Veterans’ Day celebration at the lake. If something like that were of interest, other community groups could be involved in pulling it together. The project will be promoted through engagement with local publications to show project progress and involvement by Microsoft, possibly including tours. There have been numerous articles done by local publications on the island and the vets. This project can scale with increased investment and across different vet organizations in the US.