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STEUBENVILLE -- You can sense the excitement in Scot Loveland’s voice when he talks about Operation Vital Crosswalk, and what it can do for veterans and those who are serving.
“The whole purpose of this event is to be able to connect Ohio veterans and military families directly with employers, small businesses that are often owned by veterans themselves and service providers,” Loveland said while discussing the Oct. 15 event planned at Youngstown State University-Steubenville.
Loveland is the director of the Ohio Apex Accelerator at Youngstown State. That’s one of the entities behind the event. His office receives funding from the Department of Defense and the Ohio Department of Development, with the university providing local funding.
“Our mission is to help small businesses engage the government marketplace,” he explained. “That includes veteran-owned businesses -- they’re a big element of what we do.”
Operation Vital Crosswalk is a project of the Warriors Art Project. The Canton-based 501(C)(3) nonprofit uses art to empower veterans while strengthening small businesses.
Doors to the free event will open at 4 p.m., with the program scheduled to run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Resource partners will be set up around the room, Loveland said. Everyone in the room will be asked to introduce themselves once the program begins, which is an important part of the gathering.
“That’s how we initiate conversations, because it’s all about the conversation,” Loveland said.
Delivering the keynote will be YSU President Bill Johnson. who served for 26 years in the Air Force before retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
Group sessions will follow, with Kristine Stanley, founder of the Warriors Art Project and an Air Force veteran, leading. The smaller groups will include a mix of business owners, veterans and resource partners. Information collected during those sessions will be used by Kent State University as part of its research efforts.
Engaging everyone is a big part of the program,
“It’s kind of an old-school approach,” Loveland said. “We really believe in that face-to-face connection and that facilitation. Operation Vital Crosswalk and the Warriors Art Project really want to help veterans as they are doing that transition to civilian life, which oftentimes can be a bit of a shock to the system.”
Community sessions that bring veterans, their families, employers and service providers together are vital, information from the Warriors Art Project said. Veterans often struggle to translate military skills into civilian careers and military spouses and family members can face employment gaps, the project said. Veterans looking to start businesses can lack access to resources, veteran-owned and service-disabled small businesses miss hiring opportunities because of fragmented support and employers in general can miss out on hiring skilled talent because they don’t have the right tools to help them convert military skills to the civilian workforce.
Also helping to present the event are Todd Packer and Associates, Axess Family Services, Syzygyst, the Professional Veteran and the Kent State University research faculty.
This will be the third presentation the Warriors Art Project and its partners have offered. The first was held in April at Youngstown and the second was held in July at Kent. While the date and exact location have not been determined, a fourth session has been slated for January, and will be held in Stark County. It’s a pilot project, and organizers hope it can continue, Loveland explained.
While there’s no charge to attend, registration is encouraged and can be completed by visiting eventbrite.com/e/1994629346068. Light refreshments will be included, and the event is open to all members of the community. To learn more about the Warriors Art Project and Operation Crosswalk, send an e-mail to connect@warriorsart.org. The Warriors Art Project can be contacted at (234) 258-0940.
Loveland and Stanley said there are numerous reasons to attend the Oct. 15 session.
“You can find out more about this unique opportunity to say, ‘Hey, if you are a veteran looking for a job or a business looking for employees, this is a great place for you.’ It’s a great place for connections, it’s a good chance to hear Johnson speak and for those who have not been down to the new campus, it’s a good opportunity to see it, because it’s a nice space,” Loveland said.
For Stanley, it’s very simple: “Operation Vital Crosswalk exists because service doesn’t end at discharge. Our job is to make sure the community shows up for veterans the way they showed up for us.”