Published: November 18, 2009 10:35 pm      

Veterans open house to be held

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — As a way to honor Illinois veterans and their families, as well as provide assistance, a community gathering will be held Saturday at the Mt. Vernon American Legion.

The Helping Hometown Heroes open house, sponsored by the Mt. Vernon Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs office, will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to educate and assist veterans and their families about available resources, services and benefits.

Though similar open houses have been held in previous years, this is the first year for the Helping Hometown Heroes event, according to Veterans Service Officer Jeff Lewis, and is one of many open houses for veterans that will be held throughout the state. The events are held to assist those who may not realize they may be eligible for assistance, he said.

“It’s an event where we’ll have agencies who will have booths set up and veterans can come to the booths and talk one-on-one and learn more about benefits and resources available,” Lewis said. “It’s not veteran-specific, but there are things available out there that many might be eligible for.”

About 15 agencies are expected to be on hand during the open house, including, but not limited to the Social Security Admin-istration, Crosswalk Com-munity Action Agency, the Mt. Vernon Veterans’ Affairs Clinic, and the American Red Cross. A nurse from the Mt. Vernon VA Clinic will also be available to provide free blood pressure readings, Lewis said.

Sen. John O. Jones (R-Mt. Vernon) is also scheduled to provide opening remarks at 9:15 a.m. Saturday.

For more information about the Helping Home-town Heroes event, you may contact Lewis at 246-2910, Ext. 73404.