On Monday, November 11th, nearly 90 community members gathered together at the Chrysler Museum of Art for our annual Mission United Veterans Breakfast. Together, we honored the service of our veterans, and informed them of resources in the South Hampton Roads area for military members, veterans, and their families.
To begin the program, our Mission United Manager, Tiffany Holloway, led the breakfast off with remarks about recent celebrations and anniversaries of service. We were then joined by our Macon F. Brock, Jr. Endowed Director of Mission United, Kim Dodson, who shared remarks about the progress of our program, and where we’re headed, emphasizing the connection of our military community to resources, and helping them build an overall sense of financial security.
Kim’s remarks served as a tribute to Mr. Macon and Mrs. Joan Brock. This endowment was established by Joan in memory of her husband, Macon, who served as the co-founder of Dollar Tree, and as a proud Marin Corps Captain who served in Vietnam. Kim shared pieces from his book, “One Buck at a Time”, a testament to his journey, his difficult decision to leave, and his transition back to a civilian life.
Throughout the morning, attendees got to hear from a panel of individuals involved in serving the military community:
- Sultan Camp, Director, Hampton Roads Veteran Employment Center
- Tanisha Davis, Chief Programs Officer, Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation
- Tanetta Hassell, LCSW, Clinic Director, Cohen Military Family Clinic
- Kenneth Miller, MBA, RBLP-T, Senior Area Operations Manager, USO Southern Virginia
- David Skipper, State of Virginia Department of Veteran Services
The panel reflected a spirit of collaboration – full of individuals who understand that life after service brings both opportunities and challenges. We thank them for sharing their time, insights, and impactful work they, and their teams, do every day in the community.
The work of Mission United only happens when people and partners come together, and there’s a place for everyone in this mission. United is the way.