West Michigan Veterans Coalition

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Rockford, MI
West Michigan Veterans Coalition

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We provide a comprehensive list of resources for Military-connected individuals and their Families.

The West Michigan Veterans Coalition is a collaboration between local military-friendly organizations that provide support, information, and resources to those that have served or are serving in the Armed Forces and their Families, employers, and other organizations throughout West Michigan.

11/02/2026

Back in Michigan and on eightWest this morning!

I had a wonderful time talking to Joanie and Pamela about "Boots on the Fence", an event honoring female veterans.

Learn more about how to see the boots here: https://healinginarts.org/boots-on-the-fence-women-veterans-art-workshop/

10/30/2026

Check this out!

We have partnered with the Grand Rapids Gold for its Salute to Veterans Night game on Sunday, November 8 at 3pm at Van Andel Arena

A limited number of FREE tickets to the game are available for veterans and their family members using this link: https://www.gofevo.com/event/Saluteto734

The tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This was made possible thanks to the following organizations:

Sanford Behavioral Health
West Michigan Veterans Coalition
American Legion Neal E. Fonger Post 179
Grand Rapids Elks Lodge No.48

During the game, the Gold will recognize Operation Green Light, being celebrated November 4-11, by illuminating the court in green.

Kent County has a long history of supporting Operation Green Light, which encourages community members and government buildings to shine a green light in honor of military veterans.

Free green light bulbs will be available at the game while supplies last.

10/14/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us today for the West Michigan Veterans Coalition Speaker Series luncheon, From Service to Strategy: Integrating Veteran Talent into the Modern Workforce.

Business leaders, HR professionals, nonprofit partners, and veterans came together in Grand Rapids to talk candidly about what it takes to hire, retain, and engage veteran talent. Our veteran and HR panelists shared practical insights, and the audience questions pushed the conversation further.

Thank you to our panelists, partners, and sponsors - Parker Hannifin & American Legion McDonald-Osmer Post 451 - and everyone who showed up for these discussions. Employment outcomes for veterans improve when employers and the community work on them together.

If you couldn’t be there and want to learn more, we’d welcome the conversation: https://westmichiganveterans.org/

10/12/2026

WMVC was proud to be part of the 75th Annual Kent County Veteran of the Year Banquet last Thursday, October 8!

Presented by the United Veterans Council of Kent County and Kent County Veterans Services, the evening recognized 14 outstanding nominees who continue going above and beyond to support fellow veterans and strengthen our community.

WMVC Chair Paul Ryan helped emcee the event, while Vice Chair Ryan Burke had the opportunity to address those in attendance.

Congratulations to Roger Haller on being named the 2026 Kent County Veteran of the Year and to all the nominees for their continued dedication to serving others!

Here are a few highlights from a great evening celebrating our local veteran community.

10/08/2026

Veterans leave the military with leadership, discipline, and real-world experience. Many still end up underemployed or struggling to translate that service into civilian career language.

On Wednesday, October 14, West Michigan Veterans Coalition is hosting From Service to Strategy: Integrating Veteran Talent into the Modern Workforce, a luncheon for employers, HR leaders, nonprofit professionals, and Veterans. The focus is an honest, practical conversation about what it takes to hire, retain, and unlock Veteran talent.

📅 Wednesday, October 14 | 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM
📍 Prince Conference Center, 1800 E Beltline Ave SE, Grand Rapids
🍽️ Lunch included
🎟️ $45 per ticket. Free for veterans and for nonprofit and government attendees.

HR professionals and hiring managers: you don't need an open role to get value from this conversation.
Veterans: this is a chance to connect with local employers face-to-face, at no cost.

Registration is required. Reserve your spot: https://shorturl.at/Ad7K7

10/05/2026

Calling women veterans in West Michigan!

You already know how to lead, manage risk, solve problems, adapt, and learn whenthings don’t go according to plan.

Let’s build on it.

Join us for Building on Your Strengths, the first session ofWomen Veterans Leadership Through Structured Problem Solving. This free, interactive two-hour session will bring women veterans together to explore leadership, risk, learning, and structured problem solving through practical training, conversation, and collaboration.

Come ready to learn, share your own experiences, meet other women veterans, and leave with some new ideas to take with you.

Monday, November 9 | 10:00 AM–12:00 PM | Grand Rapids

Free to attend. Registration is open!

We are excited to help offer this opportunity in partnership with Sarah Wrenn Consulting, a Navy Veteran, entrepreneur, and one of our five award recipients of this year's Women Veteran Program Grant Funding.

10/01/2026

What happens when the people serving veterans have more opportunities to connect, share, and work together?
We believe the entire veteran community becomes stronger.

That’s what the West Michigan Veterans Coalition Community Partner gatherings are about—and we’d love to have you at our October meeting.

📅 Tuesday, October 20
⏰ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
📍 In-person + Virtual via Microsoft Teams
📌 Location: Kent County Health Department, Cedar Springs, MI

Register via Eventbrite

These gatherings give the organizations, businesses, and individuals serving our military-connected community a chance to step outside of our individual organizations and see what we can accomplish together.

At our October gathering, we’ll be:
🤝 Connecting with others serving veterans and their families
💡 Sharing resources, programs, opportunities, and current needs
🔗 Discovering where connections and collaboration can make a difference
🌱 Building a stronger, more connected veteran-serving

Whether you’ve been part of these gatherings for years or this will be your first time, you have a place at the table.

Bring your resources. Bring your questions. Bring your ideas.
Most importantly, bring your willingness to connect.

Because the strength of a coalition isn’t just in the organizations around the table—it’s in the connections we create with one another.

We hope to see you there!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/west-michigan-veterans-coalition-community-partners-meeting-tickets-2002594298455?aff=oddtdtcreator

09/29/2026

🎖️ Welcome to the WMVC Board, Carol & Ryan!

Carol Helsel brings 30+ years of senior leadership experience in healthcare, hospitality, and nonprofit work, and currently leads Third Coast Test and Balance. She’s also a powerhouse in the West Michigan business community, serving as Board President of Elevate Real Estate Association and founder of Built by Women.

Ryan Grams has served Kent County veterans since 2010, starting as a work-study student and now serving as Director of Kent County Veterans Services. A U.S. Army veteran himself, Ryan is a certified Veterans Service Officer working toward his Veteran Advocate certification.

We’re honored to have their leadership guiding WMVC forward. 🙌

Learn more about WMVC → link in bio

09/27/2026

On Gold Star Mother and Family Day, we honor the mothers and families of service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.

Today is an opportunity to recognize their loss, their strength, and the enduring love they carry for those who served.

WMVC joins our community in remembering the fallen and honoring the families who keep their legacies alive.

09/26/2026

Veterans, we want to hear about your experience entering the civilian workforce.

What worked? Where did you run into challenges? What could employers do better?

WMVC is gathering feedback directly from veterans to better understand the transition from military service to civilian employment and help strengthen veteran employment efforts across West Michigan.

The survey is anonymous and takes about 5 minutes.

Take the survey and help us spread the word to other veterans:

https://tinyurl.com/ypnvzkj7

Address

Rockford, MI
49341

Telephone

+16162098563

Website

https://westmichiganveterans.org/

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