Nearly one-third of Virginia Peninsula Community College’s students have an affiliation to the military. With numerous campus events related to the military scheduled for November, it might appear the month is just for them.
The highlights are a Military Family Wellness conference and the Color of Freedom Military Women’s Memorial traveling exhibit. The conference is scheduled for the Peninsula Workforce Development Center on Butler Farm Road in Hampton on Nov.1 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. The traveling exhibit will be displayed on VPCC’s Hampton Campus from Nov.1-30.
The five-hour conference kicking off the month is being presented in partnership with the Newport News (VA) chapter of The Links, Incorporated, an international non-profit volunteer service organization established in 1946.
Dr. Adrienne E. Cosby, as the director of Business Solutions, Corporate Training and Professional Development at VPCC, identifies community organizations that share the College’s mission of serving others.
“The Links and the Military Family Wellness conference complement each other by supporting veterans and their families,” Cosby said. “The College equips participants with career readiness and technical skills, which align with The Links’ community engagement, addressing critical areas such as benefits claims, trauma recovery, and mental health, reinforcing our shared commitment to strengthening communities through programs focused on education, health, and wellness.”
All those topics will be discussed in a general session at the conference. The event will feature speakers and panelists from VPCC, the Virginia Department of Veteran Services, Hampton Roads Veterans Employment Center, Sentara, Thru the Eyez of Color, and Zel Technologies, as well as a therapist and psychiatrist.
“These efforts create a comprehensive support system that empowers veterans and their families to thrive personally and professionally, inspiring them to reach their full potential,” Cosby said.
The Military & Family Wellness event is open to everyone in the community, not just those associated with the military.
“We look forward to seeing all community members share resources and support for one another and promote wellness,” Cosby added.
The Military Women’s Memorial, just outside Arlington National Cemetery’s ceremonial entrance, includes a standing exhibit called Color of Freedom. The memorial also has a traveling exhibit, which is what will be displayed at VPCC for the month of November.
“It is dedicated to the diversity of women who have served in the military since the Revolutionary War on up through present day,” said Amy Anderson, a VPCC legal professor, veteran and an ambassador to the Military Women’s Memorial. “And that can be diversity of experience, national origin, racial or ethnic background, and religion.”
Anderson, also the chair of the Legal Studies program at VPCC, used a VPCC Innovators grant to secure the exhibit.
“I thought it would be a good fit for reaching out to and touching a variety of our constituencies and our students,” she said. “We have a fair number of faculty members and staff members who have served as well, including female veterans.”
Anderson said since there are numerous military bases in Hampton Roads, the connection makes sense.
“I thought it’d be kind of a neat way to bring some of those different folks together to sort of just celebrate that and to make our students and our external stakeholders feel welcome too,” she said.
Also during November, Anderson received permission to show three complementary films related to women in the military. Two are documentaries – “Unsung Heroes” and “The Six Triple Eight: No Mail, Low Morale.” The third is Tyler Perry’s movie “The Six Triple Eight.” All are about the role women played in World War II.
“We’ve got so many veterans and folks who have family that are connected to that in the community, so I was just trying to create a win-win scenario where we could all have an excuse to celebrate,” Anderson said.
Other highlights for the month are:
- The second installment of the “Tea with Dr. B” series, Nov. 6 from 3-4:30 p.m. at PWDC. The theme is Breaking the Cycle of Negative Body Image.
- The Veterans Art Show. It is open to military affiliated students, staff and alumni. Accepted works are photography, fiber arts, mixed media, glass art and graphic design. Entries can be submitted Nov. 3-7 to the Military & Veteran Services offices (Hampton Campus, Kecoughtan Hall, Room 253; and Historic Triangle Campus, Suite 117.) All entries should be ready to hang, display or stand alone. For more information, contact David Lannon at (757) 825-2750 or lannond@vpcc.edu, email mvs@vpcc.edu or call (757) 825-3442.
Here is a list of events for November:
Nov. 1-30: Color of Freedom Military Women’s Memorial traveling exhibit, Templin Hall
Nov. 1: Military Family Wellness Expo, Peninsula Workforce Development Center, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Nov. 4: Color of Freedom documentary “The Six Triple Eight: No Mail, Low Morale” documentary, Kecoughtan Hall, Gators Cafe, 1 p.m.
Nov. 5: Color of Freedom documentary “The Six Triple Eight: No Mail, Low Morale” documentary, Historic Triangle Campus, Room 110, 1 p.m.
Nov. 6: “Tea with Dr. B”, Peninsula Workforce Development Center, 3-4:30 p.m.
Nov. 11: Color of Freedom documentary “Unsung Heroes,” Kecoughtan Hall, Gators Cafe, 1 p.m.
Nov.12: Color of Freedom documentary “Unsung Heroes,” Historic Triangle Campus, Room 110, 1 p.m.
Nov. 18: Color of Freedom feature film by Tyler Perry, “The Six Triple Eight,” Templin Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 19: Color of Freedom feature film by Tyler Perry, “The Six Triple Eight,” Historic Triangle Campus, Room 110, 1 p.m.