LINCOLN — The Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs (NDVA) is hosting its fifth annual Nebraska Women Veterans Symposium at the Holiday Inn in Kearney on Sept. 19-20.
The two-day event is free for attendees, with space for up to 200 women veterans to attend and participate in networking, listening sessions, presentations, special activities and more. It is open to women veterans, active duty, Reserves and National Guard members.
“I am so humbled to be in our fifth year of bringing together Nebraska’s women veterans and to see the continued success of this outreach event,” said NDVA Women Veterans Coordinator Erin Colson.
The symposium will include a wide range of presenters and topics, including an overview of benefits and services available to veterans and their families through the state of Nebraska and NDVA. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Nebraska Western-Iowa Healthcare System will present on healthcare and eligibility.
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Other VA presenters will include representatives from the VA Women Veterans Program, Veteran Readiness and Employment, and VA Whole Health. Other topics will include alcohol and substance abuse prevention, PTSD/Trauma, and suicide prevention.
Attendees will have opportunities to participate in activities hosted by New Century Art Guild, MOVE Program and more, and the Hanes Mobile Military Museum will have a display of military uniforms.
“We want to be there for every veteran in the state, and targeted outreach events like this ensure we’re meeting veterans where they are,” said NDVA Director John Hilgert. “With over 100 outreach events each year, our team has made incredible strides in seeking out Nebraska’s veterans and their families to ensure they know we’re here to serve them.”
Event attendees are also invited to participate in the “Landscapes of Service” art display. This art display, unique to this year’s symposium, is intended to allow artists within the women veteran community to meet up with each other while exploring the personal or abstract connection to the concept of service between themselves, others and country.
Anyone interested in submitting artwork must be able to attend this year’s symposium where it will be on display for the entire weekend. More information, including submission rules and guidelines, is available at veterans.nebraska.gov/womenveterans.
Registration for the Nebraska Women Veterans Symposium is available at veterans.nebraska.gov/womenveterans. Registration is open until the date of the event or when all 200 spots are filled.
For questions about the event, please contact NDVA Women Veterans Coordinator Erin Colson at erin.colson@va.gov or 402-420-4337.
Financial support for this year’s symposium has come from Overhouse, Right at Home, VFW Foundation, and Wounded Warriors Family Support.
NDVA’s mission is to honor Nebraska veterans and their families by providing excellent service, assistance, and care. Its state service office helps veterans identify and access federal benefits, such as disability compensation and healthcare through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and state benefits, such as Nebraska Veterans Aid, tuition waivers, and more. Its four state veterans’ homes offer high quality assisted living and skilled nursing care to veterans and eligible family members across the state. And its cemetery system ensures eligible veterans receive an honorable final resting place maintained to the highest national standards.
To learn more about NDVA and how it serves Nebraska’s veterans and their families, please visit veterans.nebraska.gov.
