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Luncheon Held <strong>to</strong> Honor
Veteran Community at JCC
World War II veteran Fred Adderly (left) <strong>and</strong> Korean
War veteran Fred Lothrop (right) were special
guests at the JCC Veterans luncheon held on campus
November 9, 2015.
On November 9, Veterans Services at Jefferson
hosted a luncheon <strong>to</strong> honor veteran
students, JCC faculty, <strong>and</strong> staff. Seventyfive
veterans attended including special
guests Fred Adderly, a World War II veteran,
<strong>and</strong> Fred Lothrop, a Korean War veteran.
“Freedom isn’t free, <strong>and</strong> we pride ourselves
on serving those who served,” said Robert
Harding, (former) JCC Veterans Services Coordina<strong>to</strong>r.
“Anytime we can give something
back <strong>to</strong> veterans is a good day in my book.”
In addition <strong>to</strong> veteran camaraderie <strong>and</strong> a
scrumptious lunch, the day included an
overview of local services available <strong>to</strong> vets
provided by representatives of the Water<strong>to</strong>wn
Vet Center, the Water<strong>to</strong>wn chapter
of Feed Our Vets, <strong>and</strong> the American Legion
Post 61. During the gat<strong>her</strong>ing, JCC assistant
professor of English <strong>and</strong> military spouse,
Stacy Pratt, sang the National Anthem.
To keep these veterans going, each one
received a pound of coffee from Feed Our
Vets.
JCC Joint Recipient of Two
SUNY Awards
Programs aimed <strong>to</strong> increase veteran
student retention, Transitioning Veterans
from Boots <strong>to</strong> Books <strong>and</strong> Beyond (VB3)
at JCC <strong>and</strong> Jump Start at SUNY Can<strong>to</strong>n,
will be jointly funded by the State University
of New York (SUNY) Excels Grant
<strong>to</strong>taling more than $1 million. Research
states that one of the biggest obstacles
for degree completion among veterans is
the transition from the highly structured
military culture <strong>to</strong> a less structured, selfdriven
learning culture <strong>and</strong> this grant will
allow the veterans services offices at both
campuses <strong>to</strong> provide enhanced support
tailored specifically for veterans. Over 500
veterans are enrolled at Jefferson.
Additionally, Jefferson <strong>and</strong> SUNY Oswego
were jointly awarded a SUNY Excels grant
<strong>to</strong> formalize an existing initiative between
the partnering colleges called Start Now.
Piloted this year, Start Now provides a
structured pathway for students in New
York City <strong>to</strong> achieve their educational goals.
Students begin their studies at Jefferson
<strong>and</strong> then seamlessly transfer <strong>to</strong> SUNY Oswego
for bachelor’s degree completion.
For more information about JCC awarded
SUNY grants, visit www.sunyjefferson.edu.
JCC Awarded $500K
Community Schools Grant
Jefferson is one of only three community
colleges <strong>to</strong> be awarded a Community
College Community Schools Grant of
$500,000 over the course of three years.
The Jefferson Community School (JCS) will
provide centralized, on-campus services <strong>to</strong>
support the unmet health needs <strong>and</strong> the financial
barriers faced by students <strong>and</strong> their
families. Services planned for in the grant
include mental health counseling, health
exams, financial counseling, a food pantry,
emergency child care, <strong>and</strong> assistance with
transportation <strong>and</strong> tax preparation. For a
list of community partners, or <strong>to</strong> learn more
about JCS, visit www.sunyjefferson.edu.
Jefferson Insider - Volume 14 • 7