Many veterans in Pueblo County are not fully aware of the services available to them, and a common response from those who learn about them is, "I didn't know that was an option." A local annual event is trying to change that by focusing on education and connection.
The Veterans Community Update, now held every year in Pueblo, gathers a range of organizations in a single location. The goal is to give service members current information and new ways to reach the support they need.
Bob McLaughlin, Executive Director of Mount Carmel Veterans Service Center, described the purpose as bringing together "like-minded people" who want to help, with a main goal to "educate, inform, and motivate."
The gathering also serves as a forum for continuing conversation about what the community requires. Jacobo Varela, Director of Veterans Upward Bound, said that ongoing dialogue matters because "these things and the dynamics in the community change all the time."
Varela said many veterans struggle because they never tapped into the resources open to them. He pointed to a communication problem as one cause, noting that it is hard to spread the word about available help because people no longer consume media the way they once did. An in-person hub, he suggested, helps close that gap.
He used the event to present his own program, Veterans Upward Bound, which he said helps veterans go back to school. Attendees could also learn about career advancement options, grants and updates to claims services, all aimed at making daily life somewhat easier for those who served.
McLaughlin said the broader aim is to "make sure that nobody falls through the cracks." That includes veterans who need assistance and are able to get it, as well as veterans who want to offer help to others and can do so.
Varela said he has seen the impact of such connections firsthand. "I've seen people basically move from homelessness to having six-figure incomes and doing really well," he said, adding that much of the change comes from confidence and from lifting people's lives.
Organizers and participants framed the information shared at the event as valuable not only for helping veterans get ahead, but also as a fitting and well-deserved acknowledgment of their service.
