April 28 - NYSID to Dedicate Battle Buddy Center at RCC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 20, 2015
CONTACT: Maralin Roffino
845 -574-4244
mroffino@sunyrockland.edu

April 28 - NYSID to Dedicate Battle Buddy Center at RCC
student veterans appreciate new lounge

Ramapo- New York State Industries for the Disabled, Inc. (NYSID) will dedicate its newest Battle Buddy Center at Rockland Community College (RCC), in collaboration with Jawonio, Inc., on Tuesday, April 28 at 10 am.

The dedication will be held at the recently refurbished Veterans Lounge which is centrally located in Academic I on campus, in a space previously utilized as a greenhouse. Members of the media are invited to attend.

Scheduled participants include:

• Ron Romano, NYSID president & CEO
• Dr. Cliff L. Wood, RCC President
• Jonathan Barnwell, RCC’s Coordinator of Veterans Affairs
• Sheri Muth and Michele Curtis from Jawonio, a NYSID member agency
• RCC Student Veterans Association members

Battle Buddy Centers provide a safe haven for veterans to socialize with fellow veterans and receive services they need, based on the military “Battle Buddy,” concept, which partners soldiers to assist each other in and out of combat. Battle Buddy Centers offer activities to encourage camaraderie for mutual support.

Battle Buddy Centers are made possible through grant funding from NYSID and support from NYSID member agencies, and have collectively hosted more than 18,000 visits by veterans since September 2011. Ron Romano, NYSID president & CEO, said: “NYSID supports job creation efforts for a diverse group of New Yorkers with disabilities through our member agencies and assists with veterans’ support programs, promoting quality of life for veterans as they reconnect to the New York State workforce. We recognize that creating educational and employment opportunities for service-disabled veterans and other New Yorkers who face barriers to employment is not only the right thing to do, it also improves our state’s economy and strengthens our communities. NYSID supports Rockland Community College and its Student Veterans Association in assisting veterans achieve success personally, academically and professionally. Based upon the current veteran population and the anticipated growth of veterans’ programs and services, NYSID is pleased to partner with Rockland Community College and Jawonio, Inc. in this Battle Buddy Center.”

The new Battle Buddy Center will continue to enhance the student veteran experience at Rockland Community College by encouraging academic and personal achievement, providing information specific to their status as veterans, and creating a common ground for them to associate with one another. “The new Battle Buddy Center/Veterans Lounge is an on-campus home for our student veterans that allows them to interact with fellow vets, study, partake in social or recreational activities, or just relax in the sun-filled space,” said Jonathan Barnwell, Coordinator of Judicial and Veterans Affairs at RCC. “This repurposed room underscores RCC’s commitment as a military-friendly campus.”

NYSID has participated in opening Battle Buddy Centers at: John Jay College of Criminal Justice in NYC; SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury; Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson; SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge; Hudson Valley Community College in Troy; and Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango. Established in 1975, NYSID is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation which creates employment opportunities for nearly 6,800 New Yorkers with disabilities annually. NYSID supports job creation efforts for a diverse group of New Yorkers with disabilities through a statewide network of 166 community rehabilitation agencies and private sector business partners and assists with veterans’ support programs, promoting quality of life for veterans as they reconnect to the New York State workforce. For more information, visit: http://www.nysid.org.

RCC is a 2014 Military Friendly School with multiple services provided to students who have served in the military or who are eligible for survivor’s benefits. For more information, visit: www.sunyrockland.edu/go/veterans.

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Attachments:
SCENE w/cover article about veterans lounge, page 7 article about RCC Nursing student veteran who trains service dogs for other veterans.
Photo caption: RCC student veterans Ernest Vincent and Justin Santinelli enjoy the new veterans lounge.