GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – When it comes to offering support resources to veterans, LawnStarter has ranked Grand Rapids, Michigan at #15 out of 200 large U.S. cities that were ranked by an index of more than three dozen standards. They reported their findings on Veterans Day.
Their website says, “We looked for cities with high populations of veterans and access to support resources like VA facilities, nonprofits, and PTSD recovery programs. We also considered housing affordability, as well as employment and educational opportunities, among 37 total metrics.”
The methodology lists nine categories including community, support, medical health care, mental health care, housing, education and training, employment and volunteering, affordability and safety.
With more than 7,100 veterans living in Grand Rapids (4.6% of the city’s population), having a supportive community is key to veterans being able to maintain their health and homes. According to Center Square, “Grand Rapids’ highest-ranking category in the index is education and training, which includes the concentration of VA-approved schools and on-the-job training opportunities.”
One way that Grand Rapids is supporting veterans this holiday season is to ask the community to make (or buy) holiday cards for veterans this Christmas. According to WZZM-TV ABC13 the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans would like the community to send cards to their residents to lift their spirits for the “Make a Veteran Smile” campaign.
The veterans love the cards, especially when they are from children. One of the residents at Grand Rapids Home for Veterans said about the program, “The cards from the children come from their heart and that touches ours.”
To find out more about Make a Veteran Smile campaign and where you can send holiday cards to veterans in Michigan please click here.
MORE NEWS: Federal Government Report Finds Lake Sturgeon Not Endangered
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.