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Meeting Minutes

Hamilton County Veterans Corp Meeting

Sept 18th 2023, 6pm Fishers American Legion Post 470, 9091 E 126th St

  • Pledge of Allegiance / Silent Prayer
  • Welcome Guests
    • Tracy Huser & Rhonda Cree of Post 470 Auxiliary will present the HCVC a check from their euchre fundraiser in Honor of the HCVC
    • Tim Branyan, Coordination Manager Indiana Small Business Development Center will tell us how we might work together for our Military Veteran community
    • Introduction of new members – Kimo & Kelsey Anderson, Tammi & Jason Mathews
  • Financial Report – Lynn
    • Discussions on raising funds, tracking incoming and outgoing funds
    • Bill is working with IU Health, Hamilton County Community Foundation – CICF, Starbucks, Kroger Stores and Fishers Century Club and other contacts who are looking at helping us fund our events in the future through Grants plus IDI Manufacturing would like to help support the HCVC in future events. Bill met with ASPIRE and Jamee from IDI Composites to discuss financial support opportunities for upcoming resource fair in 2024.
  • Sick Call

Old Business

  • July 8th Military Veterans Celebration and Resource Fair – Bill
    • Our team put on a very successful event for Hamilton County. 55 resources who all said they want to be back next year. Hamilton County Commissioners and Noblesville Mayor were requesting that we do this again for 2024. Indy Honor Flight signed up 25 new Veterans, Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans and the DAR presented 28 free gifts to our Vietnam Veterans and the Roudebush VA created 65 new claims on site that day as well as entered many others into the VA system – plus after the event several more claims were filed online!! Great Day Hamilton County!! WE WILL DO THIS AGAIN in 2024. Bill has meetings setup where we plan to get more funding for the event and we need food next year. There will not be any speakers other than a short opening thanking everyone for coming and telling everyone what we have for them inside. Date to be determined, location might be the same or do we want to spread it around Hamilton County?
  • Coats, clothing, blankets, Bikes, medical equipment for our Military Veteran community, HVAF and Good Samaritan Network. Oct 15 we need coats so Ron can deliver them – Ron & Bill
  • MASH Ministries PTSD Group Meetings Fri 930am with Chaplain Paul Phelps – Ron
  • National Guard / Army Reserve update – Mark Fiddler
  • Coffee with a Veteran the last Saturday of the month at School House 7 Café 12125 Cyntheanne Rd, Fishers from 8-9am– Cliff Morlan
  • DON’T FORGET – Tell everyone you know to setup their Kroger shopping card online to the Hamilton County Veterans Corp as every time they shop and scan their card, the HCVC will get cash!!
  • Our HCVC Website updates – Bill
    • Brett Beck at NextFly Web Designs did a fantastic job of rebuilding our HCVC website for FREE!! Over $7,000.00 is what he saved us and it is so much easier to maintain now. We got him gifts cards for rounds of golf, Top Golf play and equipment at Golf Galaxy to say thank you!!
  • Stronger Veterans Stronger Communities Coalition to eliminate suicides in Hamilton County – Bill
  • Joining Community Forces Indiana meetings for Marion & Donut counties – Mark & Bill

New Business

  • The Military Veteran Coalition of Indiana (MVCI) – Ron Bill
    • The MVCI is already pushing to get more of our Military Veteran community to come to the State House Jan 16, 2024 to meet with our legislators to ensure our voices are heard. How do we, the HCVC, help to make this happen?
  • A book “The Depression Cure” is something we should all read – Ron
  • The HCVC needs to continue getting our American Legion and VFW posts to work together and with the HCVC so we can help promote their activities. As we attend our local Posts, be sure to always let them know of the HCVC, what we are doing and ask them to come to our meetings – we need to attend theirs as well. John (AL) and Rob (VFW) in Noblesville as well as Rick (AL) and Darin (VFW) in Carmel and Matt (AL) in Fishers are doing great things at their Posts but if we all attended the HCVC Meetings and shared with each other what projects or ideas we are working on, the better off our community would be. Keep the IDEAS on making this a reality coming!!
  • The HCVC needs to work closer to the Hamilton County VSO’s. We need to have the HCVSO on our team as a member of the HCVC so we can know more about where we might be able to assist in helping our Military, Veteran community. Bill met with Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt and Office Manager Dianna Lynch to discuss opportunities on Sept 20th. We are in the process of hiring a new fully trained CVSO applicant as our CVSO position is currently open. If you know of any trained CVSO Veterans who would like to take over in Hamilton County, send them to see Dianna Lynch at the Hamilton County Courthouse.
  • How do we get more members into the HCVC? – Bill, Cliff
    • We will be attending more local events to continue to get our name on the street but we need everyone to talk to their Veteran friends, neighbors etc so we can gain membership. We need more younger Veterans who can be here to carry out our mission when us old goats cannot. Speaking of local events, here are some Bill, Mark & Cliff are/were involved in………
  • Aug 17 10am is Buzz Smith’s JCFI online – Bill, Mark, Cliff
  • Aug 18 1pm-3pm is QPR Training at Ivy Tech 300 North 17th St Noblesville Rm 229 – Bill
    • Question, Persuade, Refer Gatekeeper Training to prevent suicide… It’s free, walk-ins accepted
  • Aug 24 12pm Stronger Veterans Stronger Communities online meeting – Bill
    • SVSC also has Pillar 1 and 2 meetings I try to attend as well….
  • Aug 29 11am JCFI Suicide Prevention Meeting online – Bill
  • Aug 31 – Matt Hall meets at Sun King Brewery at 4pm – Bill
    • Bill attends his monthly resource/Veteran networking sessions
  • Sept 7 12pm HVAF Standdown at the National Guard Armory 3912 Minnesota St – Mark
  • Sept 12 3:45pm Nancy Chance Good Sam Meeting – Bill
  • Sept 13 1130am Roche Ruck Challenge for HVAF with Hero Hut – Bill – I will be working with the Roche Veteran Business Resource Group to help them reach their Veteran employees and better care for them. Their next event will be Nov 7th for Veterans Day.
  • Sept 15 1pm JCFI Suicide meeting online – Bill
  • Sept 16, RISE Fest fundraiser for the HCVC from 1230-930pm – Bill, HCVC
    • Andy Binford, Executive Director of the Hamilton County RISE Fest has chosen the HCVC to be one of their Hamilton County non-profits to receive funds from this fundraiser!! RISE was started by local musicians during Covid and it has turned into an annual fundraising Music Festival for local non-profits.
    • The HCVC setup a table to get us better known to those who were there. We handed out flyers on who we are, what we do and membership forms to sign up new members.
  • Sept 18 6pm is the HCVC Monthly Meeting at the Fishers American Legion – All
  • Sept 21 10am JCFI Zoom meeting with Buzz Smith at Easterseals
  • Sept 22 11am Grissom AFB Resource Fair by Jacob Harkin at Mike Braun’s office
  • Sept 23 730pm Indy Honor Flight returns to Plainfield High School – Be there, it’s amazing
  • Oct 2 6pm HCVC Meeting at the Fishers Legion – Jennifer Hatcher of Pets Healing Vets from the Hamilton County Humane Society will be our speaker.
  • Oct 26-27 Purdue’s Battlemind to Home Summit– Mark & Bill
    • Bill has setup the HCVC as an exhibitor at this event – we were there last year – so we may continue reaching out to our community to be connected with everything that is going on in it that is Military, Veteran related. It’s also a great time to learn from the workshops and to network with other resources.
    • Dec 3 is the Hamilton County Bicentennial Bash – the HCVC will have a table at the event so everyone will know more about who we are and the good we do in Hamilton County.

Through the July 8th event, the JCFI and SVSC meetings, the HCVC has gotten its name out there and networked with many resources in Hamilton County and the state which has led to more Veterans and their families getting the aid they need to live a more fulfilled life here in Indiana. People know of us and have been calling to get help for their Veterans and Families and with our network of resources, we have been making a difference in our community!!

The HCVC has done a wonderful job so far in 2023 but we have so much more to accomplish in 2023, working together to GROW the HCVC team to make 2024 even better for our Military, Veterans and families.

The HCVC thanks you for doing all that you do to help our Veterans and their Families. Keep talking to your neighbors, friends and acquaintances to spread the word on the good of the HCVC.

Hamilton County Veterans,” Veterans Serving Veterans”, that’s what we do…..

Next meeting will be October 2nd, 6pm at the Fishers American Legion on E 126th St. We can setup to host our meeting online for those who cannot make it live, just let us know.

Meeting Adjourned

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