Women Veteran’s In Transition Resource Expo

National Veteran’s Transition Services Inc., NVTSI a.k.a. REBOOT Workshops, is hosting a Women Veteran’s In Transition Resource Expo Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, at Liberty Station Conference Center. NVTSI received $50,000 from Wells Fargo for the expo and a women veteran’s REBOOT Workshop. In addition to Wells Fargo’s sponsorship, NVTSI received more than $10,000 from supporting businesses for the expo.

“For years, Wells Fargo has demonstrated its belief that it is an honor to serve those who have so bravely served our country, and in San Diego, we continue this belief by increasing our support for active duty military and veterans,” said Brian Lee, Wells Fargo North San Diego area president and military advocate. “We are honored to sponsor the special REBOOT Workshop dedicated to help the unique needs of female veterans and transitioning service women.”

Navy Captain Gisele M. Bonitz, Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, is the keynote speaker for the event. The expo is designed to connect women transitioning from military service and female veterans with more than 52 employers, businesses, and organizations who desire to give back to those who served in the armed forces.  As part of the expo, a panel of successful women veterans from different services will share their experiences and participate in a question and answer session with attendees.

Women have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in larger numbers than any of the previous wars.  In addition, their service has had significant implications on their children and families.  According to the New York Times and a study released by Congress, more than 160,000 female soldiers have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF), compared with only 7,500 who served in Vietnam.  More than 150 women have died in both wars and 600 OIF/OEF female veterans have received purple hearts.  According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), post-traumatic stress disorder, hypertension, and depression were the top three diagnostic categories for women veterans in fiscal years 2009 and 2010. About one in five women seen at VA medical centers respond, "yes" when screened for military sexual trauma (MST). These combined issues could increase the risk of female veteran failure when transitioning from military service to civilian life.

“There are a lot of great resources out there for women veterans but a lot of them don’t know where to find the resources. The expo and workshop are designed to help them do that while empowering them to succeed,” said NVTSI President and Executive Director, Maurice Wilson.

In conjunction with the expo, a women veterans-only workshop will take place Oct. 7 – 25 in Mission Valley and will focus on the core curriculum of the very successful REBOOT Workshop. The workshop will emphasize connecting women veterans with resources that meet their specific needs. Wells Fargo funded the cost of sponsoring all 24 women veterans attending the workshop. A team from Wells Fargo will teach the newly launched “Hands on Banking for Military” program, which is designed to address military member’s unique financial needs at every stage of their career. The program presents 10 individual lesson topics ranging from the basics of banking to career transition and planning for retirement.

NVTSI, through REBOOT Workshops and other initiatives, help veterans make a successful transition from military service to civilian life including employment, education, personal outlook and well being. NVTSI has a proven 98% success rate of linking veterans with meaningful employment. For more information, visit www.nvtsi.org.