NYS Legislators, Heroes at Home, Team Rubicon Among Participants

Albany, NY – New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. (NYSID) will host its quarterly Veterans' Summit on Wednesday, June 3 from 9:30am – noon at its office at 11 Columbia Circle Drive in Albany. Members of the media are invited to attend.

 

Summit participants include New York State government agencies, not-for-profits, veterans' service organizations, Wounded Warriors, institutions of higher learning, and rehabilitation organizations, including NYSID members. The Summit takes place one day after the presentation of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, to Sgt. Henry Johnson, the African-American World War I hero from Albany who died in 1929.

 

Among those invited to attend are: NYS Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-111, member of the Assembly Committee on Veterans' Affairs; NYS Senator George Amedore, R/C-46, member of the NYS Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs; NYS Senator Kathy Marchione, R/C-43, member of the NYS Senate Committe on Labor; NYS Assemblyman Michael DenDekker, D-34, new chairman to the Assembly Committee on Veterans' Affairs; and NYS Assemblyman Michael Benedetto (D/WFP-82), former chairman to the Assembly Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

 

Presenters include:

• Amy Molloy, acting administrative director and founding member, and Chris Vejvoda, peer support mentor, Heroes at Home: PFC Joseph Dwyer Peer Support Program for Veterans and Military Families.This New York State-funded project is dedicated to ensuring a healthy and successful reintegration for all members of the military and their loved ones by addressing issues related to post traumatic stress; building resiliency, fostering hope and encouraging connectedness; and reducing stigma and preventing suicide. In addition to providing one-to-one peer support, Heroes at Home organizes social and recreational activities, and service projects for veterans and military families. Heroes at Home operates three drop-in centers throughout Rensselaer County and works actively to engage veterans with community partners.
• Marc Denofio, NYS Communications coordinator, Team Rubicon USA, Region II, a disaster response organization that unites the skills of veterans and civilians, and aids in bridging the gap for returning veterans. Team Rubicon seeks to provide veterans with three ideals they seek after leaving the military: a purpose, gained through disaster relief; community, built by serving with others; and self-worth, from recognizing the impact one individual can make. Region II covers New York and New Jersey. Denofio also serves the United States Marine Corps as the upstate regional liasion for the Marine for Life Program. He is a member of the Marine Corps League, Electric City Detachment, the Marine Corps Association, the Marine Corps Aviation Association, and the NYS Troopers Marine Corps Association. Denofio is a Semper Fi Fund Team Athlete and participates in local athletic events to represent the Semper Fi Fund for wounded Marines and their families.

"NYSID conducts its quarterly Veterans' Summits to provide an in-person clearinghouse for individuals and organizations supporting veterans with disabilities in New York State," said Ron Romano, NYSID president & CEO. "Through this information exchange, we foster collaboration and networking and advance the cause of identifying jobs for veterans with disabilities, particularly as the number of returning veterans with disabilities increases."

 

Established in 1975, NYSID is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation which creates employment opportunities for more than 6,800 New Yorkers with disabilities annually. NYSID supports job creation efforts for a diverse group of New Yorkers with disabilities through a statewide network of 166 community rehabilitation agencies and private sector business partners and assists with veterans' support programs, promoting quality of life for veterans as they reconnect to the New York State workforce. For more information, visit: http://www.nysid.org.