February 15, 2008 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OUTREACH EVENT SEEKS TO EDUCATE VETERANS 

Charlotte, NC – A team approach will help to get out needed information about employment, financial, health, educational and other opportunities available to Mecklenburg County military veterans and their families. 

The collaboration is between the Veterans Services Office of Mecklenburg County Community Support Services, and Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) at Central Piedmont Community College. The event is “VOICE – Veterans Opportunities Information Communication Expo,” and is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008. The site for the services information expo is Taylor Hall Building on the college’s central campus at 1228 Elizabeth Avenue in Charlotte. 

More than 55,000 veterans live in Mecklenburg County, and the Community Support Services VOICE event will include information about benefits provided by the federal Department of Veteran Affairs, employment, health and nutrition, small business opportunities, personal finance, education, and various community civic organizations. 

“We are uniting resources to assist veterans and their families in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area,” Joseph Rapley, a VSO veterans service specialist said. “Our efforts have produced an event we hope will assist them in maintaining a better quality of life.” 

For more information about the free event, call the County VSO at 704-432-SAFE (7233). 

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Media contact: Joseph Rapley at 704-336-6072, or Suzanne Jeffries at 704-353-0774, or Suzanne.Jeffries@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov