Week of November 21
Wreaths Across America
The annual Wreaths Across America program is in mid-December, and fundraising to place a wreath on every veteran’s grave is now for both the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Fernley and the Churchill County Cemetery.
The Wreaths Across America remembrance ceremony is Dec. 16 at 9 a.m. at the NNVMC and noon in Fallon. Although the nation places wreaths at the same time worldwide, the delayed time at Fallon allows the Fernley participants to attend the local event.
Veterans will be recognized in all 50 states and territories and overseas cemeteries.
To order a wreath for Fernley’s NNVMC event, go to nnvc.org and click on Wreaths Across America for the pdf form, or mail your donation to Nevada Veterans Coalition; P.O. Box 415; Fernley, NV 89408.
To order for Fallon, go to http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.com. The group ID is NV0063, and the location ID is NVCHCC. Local organizers said entering the group and location IDs is essential to earmark the wreaths for Fallon.
Military mail deadlines
Holiday Overseas Mail Deadlines Approaching: The U.S. Postal Service is preparing for the holiday season as many families spend holidays apart due to military service. To ensure overseas packages arrive before Dec. 25, it has provided the following deadlines:
- Dec. 9 for all Air/Army Post Office (APO), Fleet Post Office (FPO), and Diplomatic Post Office (DPO) addresses with AE zip codes using Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
- Dec. 15 for APO/FPO/DPO addresses using USPS Priority Mail Express (excluding zip 093).
The Postal Service offers a free military care kit to ship items.
Holiday raffle
Veterans Guest House is hosting its annual holiday raffle. You could win the grand prize of $5,000 or a handful of smaller prizes. With only 500 tickets available at $100 each, the odds are in your favor—but only if you play.
Purchase tickets online on their Facebook page, Veterans Guest House, or stop by in person. The drawing is Dec. 9. Small bites, festive drinks and dessert will be offered from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Guest House, 880 Locust St., Reno.
Healthy Teaching Kitchen
Join the upcoming VA Women Veterans Healthy Teaching Kitchen classes. Making healthy food choices is the #1 thing you can do for your health. Learning how to cook can be one step toward getting more nutritious foods on your plate.
The Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) program at the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, 955 Kirman Ave., in Reno, provides veterans with nutrition knowledge, cooking skills, and guided practice to build confidence in cooking at home with healthy, minimally processed foods.
Classes occur the first Wednesday of every month from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. You can participate either in person at the VA or virtually from the comfort of your own home.
Veteran Support and Outreach Act
The bipartisan Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act, co-sponsored by Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, has passed the U.S. Senate.
This bipartisan bill would authorize $50 million annually for five years to expand and support state and local entities that work to inform veterans of their eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs and services; file pension and compensation claims; and help them enroll in job, housing, disability and education benefits.
“Despite the many services available to them, only a small fraction of veterans fully utilize the benefits they have earned,” Rosen said. “I’m glad that this bipartisan bill to help more veterans take advantage of their VA benefits has passed the Senate. I’ll keep working to improve outreach and support for Nevada veterans.”
Veterans Upward Bound
Veterans Upward Bound at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno welcomes veterans. TMCC can help with academic advisement, college applications, educational benefits, academic review and referrals to community resources. Veterans Upward Bound is a U.S. Department of Education program for veterans. For information, call 775-829-9007 or email [email protected]. The website is vub.tmcc.edu.
Nevada Guard monthly meetings
The Nevada Air Guard’s monthly breakfast is on the second Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. at the Reno Elks Club. The cost is $10. For information or to confirm, email [email protected]. There will be no breakfast in December.
The Nevada Army Guard’s breakfast is on the second Monday of the month at 8 a.m. at the Carson City Elks Club. Cost is $8. For information or to confirm, email [email protected]. There will be no breakfast in December.
Military articles and news briefs are compiled by the Nevada News Group. Questions may be directed to [email protected].
