Oceanside Chamber Helps Transitioning Marines To Look Their Best

OCEANSIDE, CA — The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes, and Portraits For PatriotsTM are collaborating to help local military families look their best as they transition to civilian life.

This Friday, Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce will convert its conference room into a portrait studio for service members, spouses and Gold Star families who are transitioning out of the service. Celebrated San Diego photographers Rich Soublet and Orange County’s Alex Kemp will convert the Oceanside Chamber’s conference room into a state-of-the-art portrait studio for our transitioning service members, spouses and Gold Star Families.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program, headquartered in Washington, D.C., encourages all area transitioning service members, spouses, and Gold Star families to elevate their ‘brand’ with a professional headshot as they apply for education and employment. Headshot "portraiteers" from Colorado Springs-based Portraits For PatriotsTM will be on hand with their mobile studio units for the expected 150 transitioning military personnel.

The Hiring Our Heroes Fellows Program is a best-in-class workforce development program that places highly skilled and educated transitioning service members, veterans, military spouses, and military caregivers with employers committed to hiring them.

Melinda Gomez, Fellowship Program Manager, Corporate Fellowship Program with Hiring Our Heroes, says the headshots are an important aspect of military transition. “It’s a way for our service members who are soon becoming veterans to make their first impression count and
feature their face in the best light possible with a professional headshot. Polishing one’s professional image in business and for employment is not only rewarding, but also a sure path to attaining one’s goals.”

Eric Stegall, Founder and President of Portraits For PatriotsTM says “I am truly grateful for our volunteer “portraiteers” and I could not be more proud of the impact our program is having on the transitioning military community. In today’s career marketplace, a professional headshot is an absolutely vital component when getting squared away for your transition."

The "Portraits For PatriotsTM mission is to empower those who have faithfully served our nation to feel confident in their personal brand during civilian transition. Their nationwide network of volunteer "portraiteers” are proud to be offering this valuable, personal gift that showcases the strength and determination of our service members, spouses and gold star families, free of charge.

Oceanside Chamber of Commerce’s CEO, Scott Ashton, says he is honored to partner with Hiring Our Heroes and Portraits For Patriots. “Our Chamber office is located a short walk away from Camp Pendleton. We have enjoyed a long-running relationship with our Camp Pendleton Marines and sailors, supporting them in any way we can. Whether it’s our Military Affairs committee, our annual Operation Appreciation event, or providing space to shoot these portraits, we will continue to be grateful to our service members for all they do for us.”

About the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce
Founded in 1896, the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to stimulate economic prosperity and foster a vibrant community. It is celebrating 125 years of serving the Oceanside business community, as well as its active-duty service members serving aboard the adjacent Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The Chamber recently launched a workforce development program to collaborate with regional training and education programs to ensure job seekers are receiving employer-driven job training that produces enriching employment experiences. For more information visit the Chamber website

About Hiring Our Heroes
Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) is a 501(c)3 organization under the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The non-profit launched in March 2011 as a nationwide initiative to help veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s vast network of state and local chambers and other strategic partners from the public, private and nonprofit sectors, Hiring Our Heroes has helped hundreds of thousands of veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment through its comprehensive training and hiring events, fellowship programs, and online tools. HOH programs and services are available in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and on military installations around the world. For more information on programming and initiatives: HiringOurHeroes.org;

About Portraits For PatriotsTM
Portraits For PatriotsTM is a national 501(c)(3) based in Colorado Springs, Colo. What began as a local program in 2017 has grown to over 100 participating photographers and studios nationwide and at US military installations abroad. The program produces some of the finest headshot portraiture anywhere, free of charge to military families making the transition to civilian life.

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