CHICAGO HEIGHTS–(ENEWSPF)–November 10, 2016.In honor of Veterans Day, Prairie State College (PSC) will be celebrating veterans throughout the month of November with several activities. All activities will be held at the college’s main campus, at 202 S. Halsted Street in Chicago Heights.
A Missing Man Table will be displayed, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 10, in the atrium. The purpose is to honor missing comrades in arms. The empty table will be left up for the remainder of the month. The table is to represent the five services: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Nov. 10, a Veterans Day celebration will be held in the in the Barnes & Noble College Auditorium. The keynote speaker for the event is Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Senior Program Manager Nicole Mandeville, a Desert Storm Veteran. During the ceremony, PSC Professor Andrew Schott and PSC student Kyle Brodnick will be recognized for the ongoing support of student veterans.
At 2 p.m. on Nov. 10, as a Commemorative Partner, PSC will partner with the City of Chicago Heights, the Village of Park Forest, and the Village of South Chicago Heights to honor Vietnam War veterans. The Welcome Home Vietnam War Commemorative Ceremony will be held in the Barnes & Noble College Auditorium. The commemoration will feature a keynote address by Congresswoman Robin Kelly from Illinois’ 2nd District, as well as a ceremony recognizing the veterans and their spouses with commemorative pins and certificates.
On Nov. 15, from 1 to 3 p.m., in the Barnes & Noble College Auditorium, there will be a screening of “The Invisible War.” The movie deals with the issue of the systemic cover-up of military sex crimes and conveys survivors’ struggles to rebuild their lives and fight for justice.
The PSC Athletics Department will have a Veterans Night program during its Women’s and Men’s Basketball Games versus South Suburban Community College on November 15. During halftime of each game, there will be programs honoring those that have served and currently serving in the military. The games start at 5 p.m.
From 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 16th, there will be a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Forum, a panel discussion led by PSC faculty members. CEUs and PDs are available.
Lastly, the college is conducting the seventh annual supply collection for the male and female veterans living at the Manteno Veterans Home through Dec. 15. All donations can be dropped off in the Student Veterans Center. The home needs t-shirts, underwear, socks, toothbrushes, tubes of toothpaste and other toiletry items. These are the items that the veterans are not supplied by the Veterans Administration. If the veteran does not have family that brings these items, they are forced to do without or recycle what they have.
“Prairie State College is proud of its commitment to veterans, and supports them throughout the year,” said PSC Board of Trustees Chair Jacqueline Agee. “It is our way of giving back to those who served our country.”
Student veterans are eligible for early registration, in-district tuition rates (regardless of where they live), and one-on-one assistance navigating college life. These services extend to all service members, regardless of when they served or whether it was active, reserve, or National Guard component. Whether an individual is a new student, returning student, or deployed on active duty, PSC offers assistance so veterans can achieve their academic goals. PSC also has a Student Veterans Center, which offers veterans a place to study and socialize with other veterans and find out information on services available to them both at PSC and in the community.
For more information on the Veterans Day celebrations being held on campus or for more information about the services PSC offers to veterans, contact Georges Sanon, coordinator, student veterans center, at 708-709-3567 or [email protected].
Source: http://prairiestate.edu
