VA Secretary Presents Excellence Coin to DVVC Leader Fern Billet
Long-time DVVC leader Fern Billet, Congressional Liaison and Community Relations specialist at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, got a surprise visit from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs last month when he saw "Congressional Liaison" on her door..
The Honorable Robert Wilkie took a moment out of his scheduled activities at the center in Philadelphia to thank Fern for the hard work she does in that position - a position he held himself earlier in his career.
Fern is an active member of the DVVC Executive Committee and the Marketing and Social Media Committee, and serves as the VA representative to DVVC in its role as the local VA Community Veteran Engagement Board (CVEB).
The Honorable Robert Wilkie took a moment out of his scheduled activities at the center in Philadelphia to thank Fern for the hard work she does in that position - a position he held himself earlier in his career.
Fern is an active member of the DVVC Executive Committee and the Marketing and Social Media Committee, and serves as the VA representative to DVVC in its role as the local VA Community Veteran Engagement Board (CVEB).
SJU Veterans Services Hosting “Vetrepreneurial Insights” Podcasts & Videos
Under a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Veterans Trust Fund, the St. Joseph’s University Office of Veterans Services has been capturing insights from a number of veteran entrepreneurs and leaders in the region. They recently posted an interview with Major General John Gronski, USA (Retired) about his leader development work and tips for staying resilient in the current environment. A craft brewer and a farmer are featured in other interviews..Take a look, at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClKVq-U75RMpZ5pnF8UR6Ww
SJU is an active DVVC member organization and has hosted three quarterly membership meetings in recent years. Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SJUVeteransServices/
SJU is an active DVVC member organization and has hosted three quarterly membership meetings in recent years. Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SJUVeteransServices/
DVVC sponsors second Virtual Town Hall highlighting resources for Vets
The Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium sponsored this second Virtual Town Hall in a series. This one focused on Veterans’ Mental Wellness During the Pandemic. Panelist and presenters included:
- Dr. Paul Kettl, MD, MHA, Crescenz VA Medical Center
- Steven Roll, Outreach Program Specialist, Bucks County Vet Center
- Dr. Asheigh Adams, PhD, Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic
- Susan Neumann Gordon, MBA, MSW, LMFT, Council for Relationships
- Joshua Jabin, COO, Travis Manion Foundation
The video can be viewed on our YouTube channel
The slides are posted on this website in the Partner Portal.
- Dr. Paul Kettl, MD, MHA, Crescenz VA Medical Center
- Steven Roll, Outreach Program Specialist, Bucks County Vet Center
- Dr. Asheigh Adams, PhD, Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic
- Susan Neumann Gordon, MBA, MSW, LMFT, Council for Relationships
- Joshua Jabin, COO, Travis Manion Foundation
The video can be viewed on our YouTube channel
The slides are posted on this website in the Partner Portal.
DVVC Member Organizations adapt to serve in time of COVID-19
In these difficult times, it is important to come together virtually as a community. Here at DVVC, we have been working to gather information about what services our member organizations are currently providing in order to share resources with our membership and others serving the veteran community.
To view a full list of veteran services being provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, please click here.
If your organization is not included in the list, please send us your information by clicking here. We will be updating this list as new information is received and will post the updates here on and also on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DVVCorg).
What services is your organization currently providing to people in the military and veteran communities? Onsite services? Online services? What support pertaining to COVID-19, if any, do you need from the community right now? Let us know!
Please keep in touch! Together, through following social distancing and other guidelines, we will continue working to serve the veteran community. Thank you for participating in our efforts to help military, veterans and families in these difficult times.
To view a full list of veteran services being provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, please click here.
If your organization is not included in the list, please send us your information by clicking here. We will be updating this list as new information is received and will post the updates here on and also on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DVVCorg).
What services is your organization currently providing to people in the military and veteran communities? Onsite services? Online services? What support pertaining to COVID-19, if any, do you need from the community right now? Let us know!
Please keep in touch! Together, through following social distancing and other guidelines, we will continue working to serve the veteran community. Thank you for participating in our efforts to help military, veterans and families in these difficult times.
Inspired in a Shark Tank - Veterans Compete to Succeed in Business
DVVC member organization GPVN (Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network) held their 6th awesome Veteran Shark Tank in December. The keynote speaker at the packed event was retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Justin Constantine. While in Iraq, Constantine suffered a gunshot wound to the head; today, he runs a successful business as an inspirational speaker and veteran employment expert.
The evening marked the kickoff to the region’s Army/Navy week, but this event is about much more than just winning a competition. The committee’s overriding mission is for veterans to succeed.
Top prize was awarded to Coast Guard veteran James Rolin, who also serves in the Montana Army National Guard. He is co-founder with wife – also a Coast Guard veteran – of Cowboy Cricket Farms. The Montana-based business employs sustainable farming using crickets to manufacture food products as well as nutritional supplements used in hospitals, including VA medical centers.
Read some great coverage of this event at https://jerseymanmagazine.com/greater-philadelphia-veteran-shark-tank/
The evening marked the kickoff to the region’s Army/Navy week, but this event is about much more than just winning a competition. The committee’s overriding mission is for veterans to succeed.
Top prize was awarded to Coast Guard veteran James Rolin, who also serves in the Montana Army National Guard. He is co-founder with wife – also a Coast Guard veteran – of Cowboy Cricket Farms. The Montana-based business employs sustainable farming using crickets to manufacture food products as well as nutritional supplements used in hospitals, including VA medical centers.
Read some great coverage of this event at https://jerseymanmagazine.com/greater-philadelphia-veteran-shark-tank/
Brick-Solid Support from Accountant and Army Veteran
Army Veteran Walter Melnyk, CPA, MST, PwC Director of Global Mobility, was proud to be recognized for his commitment to Veterans in our region at a recent FourBlock Networking and Information Sharing event. At the event, FourBlock Northeast Regional Director Eric Stetson highlighted Melnyk's personal support - including PwC's early commitment to hosting FourBlock students - with a brick to symbolize his work on the nation’s "wall of defense" in supporting Veterans. (Melnyk is shown here on the train home.)
Melnyk also contributed to the presentation at the July DVVC meeting. With Stetson as moderator, Melnyk and others shared insights on "The Keys to Record-Breaking Employment and Retention." Melnyk highlighted the importance of a veteran's "second level of service," such as his own service as co-lead of the PwC Veterans Affinity Network in Philadelphia.
Melnyk also contributed to the presentation at the July DVVC meeting. With Stetson as moderator, Melnyk and others shared insights on "The Keys to Record-Breaking Employment and Retention." Melnyk highlighted the importance of a veteran's "second level of service," such as his own service as co-lead of the PwC Veterans Affinity Network in Philadelphia.
DVVC Recognized by VA as Community Partnership Pioneer
DVVC was recently invited as one of nine Community Veteran Engagement Boards (CVEB) to participate in a meeting with Department of Veterans Affairs leadership to highlight community-based efforts to improve Veteran outcomes. The invitation was in recognition of what CVEBs are doing and how they make a community a Veteran-friendly site to live, work and raise a family. DVVC received the Veteran-Friendly Communities Appreciation Certificate, presented by VA Deputy Secretary Thomas Bowman.
For more information see https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/48916/va-thanks-nine-communities-across-country-veteran-friendly
For more information see https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/48916/va-thanks-nine-communities-across-country-veteran-friendly
Marine is Proud to be Medication-Free, Thanks to Rehab Scholarship
Serving with the First Battalion, 8th Marines Helo Company in Afghanistan, Justin Mattes sustained several injuries, including multiple concussions, which followed him after his discharge. Through a scholarship from the Fighting Back Veterans Program, he began a physical training regimen he credits for his fitness today. He is stronger mentally and physically, has lost weight, quit smoking, and is proud to say he no longer requires any medication.
Hear Justin tell his story at https://youtu.be/zaq7v5SoKdg
Learn more about the Fighting Back Veterans Program at https://www.fightingbacksp.org/veterans.html
Hear Justin tell his story at https://youtu.be/zaq7v5SoKdg
Learn more about the Fighting Back Veterans Program at https://www.fightingbacksp.org/veterans.html