The Veterans Welcome Resource Center will serve vets, and their families
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ed Taylor, Director of Marketing & Communications, Edgewood College
608-663-2333
Madison, Wis. (March 21, 2012) – As more and more Wisconsin families reunite with returning servicemen and women, there remains an urgent need to better serve these veterans who have served their country so well. That need lies at the heart of a new community partnership that supports and enhances our service to Wisconsin veterans, a partnership that’s unique in our state.
Today, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, DryHootch, The Gialamas Company, Edgewood College, and the Edgewood College Family Center have come together to create the Veterans Welcome Resource Center.
The Center will provide a community-based resource with a blend of programs and services to support Wisconsin’s veterans and their families. By housing these agencies in one space, our goal is to create seamless access to services that can help veterans through a range of transitional periods, including returning home from deployment, starting or returning to college, and finding employment.
The Center, which is expected to be ready in late May, is located at 8025 Excelsior Drive on Madison’s west side, in the Old Sauk Trails Business Park. The Gialamas Company is supporting this partnership by providing the space for the Center at this location.
The Center is funded through a combination of contributions, grants, Dryhootch coffee sales and volunteers. The Center, expected to be ready to serve veterans in late May, will be open Monday-Saturday from 7:30 am – 8:00 pm, and on Sundays from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm. The Center provides opportunities for community members to volunteer. More information about volunteering at the new Veterans Welcome Resource Center is available at www.dryhootchmadison.org, or by calling 608-234-5208.
About Dryhootch
Dryhootch is a nonprofit organization that helps veterans and their families with a variety of reintegration issues, including PTSD, drug/alcohol addiction, and family support. Dryhootch was started in 2008 by a group of Vietnam veterans who wanted to help the Iraq/Afghanistan generation of vets with reintegration issues, in addition to helping vets from all eras. They started by selling coffee out of a tent at “Reclaiming Our Heritage” in Milwaukee. In 2010, they found a permanent location for a coffee house and support group center in Milwaukee. 8025 Excelsior Drive is their first home in Madison and outside of Milwaukee. Dryhootch offers peer-to-peer support to veterans of all eras to be able to safely and confidentially talk about issues such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use issues, family issues, jobs, and benefits. Dryhootch also provides Veteran Peers who can assist those with legal or criminal issues. They have a wide range of resources that can assist vets facing housing issues, homelessness, jobs, or educational needs.
About The Gialamas Company
Companies seeking Class A commercial real estate in the Madison area turn to The Gialamas Company, Inc. Since its founding by George and Candy Gialamas in 1975, this full service development, leasing, brokerage and management company has been instrumental in a number of commercial developments in south central Wisconsin, earning a well-deserved reputation for the quality of its properties and its commitment to service. Old Sauk Trails Park, the premier development in the company’s extensive portfolio, was created in 1986 on Madison’s west side. Located on 446 acres, it’s peaceful, campus-like design preserves much of the native terrain, and offers an enriched working environment combined with the latest technology & amenities. More than 300 of the area’s elite companies and organizations have taken up residence in this state-of-the-art Business and Research Park since its formation. For more information, visit www.gialamas.com
About the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs
The mission of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is to work on behalf of Wisconsin’s veterans community – – veterans, their families and their survivors – – in recognition of their service and sacrifice to our state and nation.
About Edgewood College and The Family Center
Located in Madison, WI, Edgewood College is a liberal arts Catholic college in the Dominican tradition, with 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. It offers more than 40 academic and professional programs, including master’s degrees in business, education, nursing, and other fields, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership. The Family Center provides low-cost personal, marriage and family systems counseling to Dane County clients on a wide variety of issues or concerns. The Family Center is the first of the agencies to have moved into 8025 Excelsior Drive, and offers an accessible, affordable, and confidential space for veterans and their families. For more information about Edgewood College, please visit www.edgewood.edu
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