Honoring Our Veterans through Employment Services

We take a day to honor our Veterans for their service to our country, but are we really honoring them? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2015 there were 21.2 million veterans and 4.6 percent of those veterans were unemployed. MERS Goodwill is striving to heighten the opportunities for our military veterans.

Referred by the Veterans Administration-Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E), MERS Goodwill offers veterans with programs and services that include evaluation and career counseling, placement services and skills training programs. The agency has been actively assisting veterans in the Missouri and southwestern Illinois area for more than 20 years.

David Wells, just one of the many veterans MERS Goodwill has helped over the years, credits a large part of his current success to the support and guidance MERS Goodwill provided him. After a 24 year career with the U.S. Air Force, David was determined to continue his career path of helping others and connected with Barb Morris, a placement counselor for MERS Goodwill, in December of 2014. Barb was instrumental in helping David secure employment by helping him fill out forms and applications and attending job fairs with him. In May 2015, David was hired by Missouri Veterans Commission as a service officer.

Military men and women have a depth of experience, but many do not know how to put it all on paper and the transition from military service to civilian life can be challenging. Through the help of MERS Goodwill, veterans can overcome the barriers to employment and feel empowered again.

For Veterans Day this year, we thank our military men and women while helping them along the way to the job of their dreams!