In 2009, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan met up one night, and the discussion turned to how there was no veteran organization in Houston to meet the needs of this generation’s warriors. They decided to pool their resources and found the Lone Star Veterans Association. The main goal was to connect military veterans who served after 9/11, not only with each other but with the hundreds of resources available to them in the greater Houston area.
Starting off with social events and mixers, the organization began utilizing its network to connect veterans to housing, financial assistance, benefits, and careers. As each connection was built, referrals and emails turned into full-fledged programs.
When veterans started asking each other, “Is your company hiring?” the Lone Star Veterans staff started emailing job notices to members. When the emails started getting too long, they created a bulletin board and forum on the website for veterans to post open positions at their companies. Companies in Houston heard about this website and wanted to know how they could become directly involved. The Lone Star Veterans Association answered with VetsList, a fully functional career website where companies can post open job positions for free and veterans can create profiles and post resumes.
An organization called Marine For Life, which works with Marines who are transitioning to the civilian world, partnered up with the Lone Star Veterans Association to create Warrior For Life, a monthly networking luncheon for employers and veterans. Now the virtual connection turns into a real world connection, where a veteran can sit across the table and talk directly to a hiring manager or a CEO about how to gain employment in their company or industry.
Veterans at the Lone Star Veterans Association also wanted to find a place to socialize. Through the private social network they created, veterans post information about running events, fishing excursions, dinner parties and sporting events that other veterans can come out and enjoy. While some of these events are directly organized by the staff at the Lone Star Veterans Association, some of the events are also “grass roots,” where a veteran may simply post about a bike ride he is going to do over the weekend if he wants a fellow veteran to go with him.
Through these simple networks, the Lone Star Veterans Association has connected more than 5,000 veterans across the greater Houston area. Because of this, they have helped veterans gain employment; helped them access benefits; connected them to veteran service officers at local colleges; and mentored veterans living with post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression. This organization is about having the veterans who served together come together and pool their resources, connections and ideas to create a city, a community, that supports our veterans and their families in succeeding.
By Brian Wilson
About the Author
Brian Wilson is a former US Army combat medic, having served in Iraq with the 205th Area Support Medical Company in 2006. After returning home, he served with the Texas Army National Guard and working at a local hospital as an Emergency Room Technician. In 2011, Brian started working with the City of Houston Office of Veterans Affairs and volunteering at the Lone Star Veterans Association, and was awarded a Fellowship with The Mission Continues.
Brian currently is working in veteran services and lives in Houston with his lovely wife Jennifer and his awesome kid Cameron.
