Local effort to highlight veterans enters new phase

FINDLAY — The Hancock County Veterans Service Office is introducing the next phase of "Our Veterans, Our Stories," a campaign that will focus on local veterans and how the community can positively impact their lives. The campaign began in 2023 with the release of the "Our Veterans, Our Stories" podcast, which is available to view on YouTube. This year's campaign focuses on four pillars. The first will begin this month and will identify and highlight veteran-owned, veteran-operated and veteran-managed businesses. The next pillar will be to collaborate with local businesses that offer discounts to veterans. The veterans service office would like to identify those businesses and their discounts and then recognize and highlight them on its website and social media. The third pillar will be to educate and empower local employers about issues that military veterans face and the talents and skills they bring to the community. The final pillar is to provide veteran welcome home signs at local retail establishments and eateries that would like to offer a reserved parking spot for veterans. The Findlay community is veteran friendly and many people want to honor veterans and thank them for their service. Our Veterans, Our Stories campaign provides that opportunity and gives the veteran a chance to share their story. There are many advantages to hiring veterans and the service office wants to highlight the success stories in hopes that more organizations will see the benefits. The office would like to know about a business that is owned, operated or managed by a veteran. HR managers who have worked to employ and train veterans are also asked to reach out, as are businesses that offer discounts which can be advertised to the veteran population. For more information, contact the Hancock County Veteran Service office at 419-424-7036 or visit www.hancockveterans.com