24 Jul Serving Veterans in Shelby County

I’m sure we’ve all been inspired by the quiet hero that is the American soldier. Perhaps it was your grandfather, who was a stalwart example throughout your life in the way he lived with integrity, but refused to talk about the war. Or your father who served, doing what few chose to do, yet joining a team who’d sworn to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed.” You may have a daughter or son who has recently enlisted, adding their name to a legacy of America’s finest. If you have a solider in your life, you understand in a unique way the challenges and sacrifices it takes to be a military family. But you don’t have to navigate these decisions alone.

Every number has a story.

Shelby County is home to over 2,500 veterans, according to last year’s census population estimates. That number isn’t just a number, though. Every number represents a person who has a story to tell. It’s an honor that many heroes call Shelby County home.

American soldiers have done so much to protect our country, yet in Kentucky alone, 11% of homeless people are veterans, and 70% of those homeless vets have substance abuse issues (The Healing Place). There are many reasons why this could be; some of those are difficulty finding affordable housing, livable income, and access to health care (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans).

They stood in the gap for us to defend our freedom. It’s time we do something for them so they can live out theirs.

Come to the library for assistance.

That’s why the Kentucky Department of Veteran’s Affairs (KDVA) will be at the Carnegie Library Center each month, beginning the first Monday in August. KDVA offers professional help completely free to veterans. Benefits counselor Tom Hanner will be at the library to help guide vets “make successful claims for benefits such as access to veterans nursing homes, burial with honors in veterans cemeteries, benefits counseling, and specific assistance for homeless and women veterans.” (KDVA)

If you are interested in meeting with Tom, please schedule an appointment with him by calling (502) 229-6070 or emailing thomas.hanner@ky.gov.

He is available to meet at the library in the Carnegie Library Center on the first Monday of every month from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Whitney Wooters is the IT & Circulation Manager at the Shelby County Public Library. She’s been here since 2012, where she began in the children’s department working as a page. Meeting so many people and maintaining the website are her two favorite things about working at the library. Whitney is a graduate of Leadership Shelby (2018). When she’s not at work, she’s spending time with her husband and family, hoping that includes a fishing excursion or campfire.