TOLEDO — Northwest Ohio veterans and their families will be the guests of honor on Veterans Day when The University of Toledo hosts its 22nd annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Savage Arena. The free event runs from 8 to 11 a.m. and is open to all current and former military members and their families, according to an announcement UToledo published on Nov. 6.
The morning pairs a free breakfast with direct access to help. The event is organized by the American Red Cross, The University of Toledo and the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission, and attendees will be able to connect with more than 35 military-focused community resources in one place, UToledo said — meeting the organizations that serve them face to face instead of calling offices one by one.
Local students will help welcome the guests. Members of the Rossford High School S.O.S. (Serving Our Soldiers) Club will greet participants and assist veterans through the breakfast line, fourth-grade students from Waterville Primary School will provide musical entertainment, and members of the Toledo Opera will perform the National Anthem, according to UToledo. Local DJ Jeff Mentel will provide background music.
The program itself blends ceremony, history and music. Longtime local television personality Dan Cummins will serve as master of ceremonies, and the guest speaker is Jeremiah Workman, an Ohio native and decorated Marine Corps veteran, UToledo said. Historical displays will include items from the Marine Corps Reserve Company and uniforms from the Northcoast Veterans Museum, and — in a nod to the country’s 250th anniversary — representatives from the Fort Meigs Historical Fife & Drum Corps will present the colors in replica uniforms.
Organizers say the student involvement is a big part of what makes the Toledo breakfast special. “This event is all about honoring our local heroes,” Peggy Holewinski of the American Red Cross, Western Lake Erie, told UToledo News. “We are grateful for the involvement of students from the area schools to help us in this effort.” David Oravecz, executive director of the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission, told UToledo News: “Freedom is not free. It requires service and sacrifice. This event is all about celebrating the brave men and women who answered the call.”
The breakfast has deep roots in Lucas County. According to UToledo’s alumni magazine archive, the celebration began more than two decades ago out of a meeting of the Lucas County Veterans Service Commission and the Lucas County Commissioners, to honor everyone who served while bringing veterans’ services together. The first event was held at the since-demolished Toledo Sports Arena, and the breakfast and resource fair were originally in separate locations before the partnership among the commission, UToledo and the Red Cross brought them under one roof at Savage Arena — drawing more than 400 attendees by its 10th year, the archive reported.
This year’s guest speaker brings an Ohio story of his own. Workman is a native of Richwood, Ohio, who now lives in Marion County, according to his biography from the U.S. Department of Labor, where he serves as Assistant Secretary for the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. The biography credits Workman with the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart for his actions during Operation Phantom Fury in Iraq, and notes his induction into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame and his memoir, “Shadow of the Sword.”
The resource fair also offers a window into help available all year, not just on Nov. 11. The Lucas County Veterans Service Commission — a county agency funded by Lucas County, according to the county’s official frequently-asked-questions page — files VA claims for veterans and their families, requests certified copies of military records, and provides temporary financial assistance to qualifying honorably discharged Lucas County veterans, including food vouchers and help with rent, mortgage, utilities and prescriptions, plus transportation to VA medical facilities. Veterans can reach the commission at 419-213-6090, the county page says.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What we know: the Nov. 11 breakfast and resource fair is confirmed for 8 to 11 a.m. at Savage Arena, it is free and open to current and former military members and their families, more than 35 military-focused resources will be on site, and parking permits will not be required or enforced that morning, according to UToledo. What we’re still waiting on: the announcement did not publish the full list of participating organizations, an expected attendance figure, or whether any part of the program will be livestreamed. NewsForce247 will update this story if those details are released.
The setting carries its own reminder of the day. UToledo’s Veterans’ Plaza, an outdoor memorial dedicated on Nov. 11, 2009, to honor all those who served, sits on campus, according to the university’s alumni archive — part of a Veterans Day tradition that also includes the university’s Military Service Center, which serves military-connected students year-round.
What happens next is simple: doors at Savage Arena open for the breakfast at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and the program and resource fair run through 11 a.m. For more information, veterans and family members can contact UToledo’s Military Service Center at 419.530.1392 or [email protected], according to UToledo. For families looking for a way to say thank you — and for veterans looking for a benefit, a connection or just a hot breakfast among fellow service members — Toledo’s 22-year tradition is ready for them.
Photo: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA
[…] News. Toledo’s community institutions have been rallying around basic needs this fall — UToledo’s 22nd Veterans Breakfast returns to Savage Arena on Nov. 11, and federal investment is also flowing into the region, as Erie County lands two new Opportunity […]