Americans can show their support for veterans by simply changing a single light bulb in their homes or on their porches to green through the “Greenlight A Vet” campaign, which Syracuse University is a part of.

The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at SU recently paired with Walmart and several other organizations in the launch of the 18-month campaign, which “aims to shine a light on the impact transitioning veterans make in and out of uniform in communities across the country,” according to an SU News release.

“Participating in a national movement, designed to recognize those who have worn our nation’s uniform as valued, contributing members of our communities, is our way of encouraging all Americans to meaningfully engage with veterans and their families and by so doing, appreciate them as respected civic assets,” said Mike Haynie, executive director of the IVMF and vice chancellor of veterans and military affairs at SU, in the release.

There are several ways for members of the SU community to get involved with the campaign, according to the release, such as hiring a veteran or helping a veteran find a job, volunteering and serving with veteran groups in their local community, starting a mentor/mentee relationship with a returning veteran, raising awareness for the campaign on social media or changing their porch light to green.

“By uniting behind a visible symbol, we can ignite a national conversation in our communities about opportunity, success and service for veterans as they take off the uniform,” said retired Brig. Gen. Gary Profit, Walmart’s senior director of military programs.

As part of the partnership, the IVMF will help promote the campaign, create visibility among its stakeholders, participate in social media dialogues about the campaign and direct visitors to the campaign’s website, said IVMF Director of Communications Wayne Westervelt.

The IVMF also created its own landing page to promote the campaign and “highlight how the IVMF ‘greenlights’ veterans and their families in its mission to advance the post-service lives of veterans and their families,” Westervelt added.

The IVMF has an established relationship with Walmart and has previously partnered with the company on a number of veteran job-training, education and community-based initiatives, Westervelt said. The IVMF has also worked to promote and advance the role of veterans as civic assets, which is the core message of the Greenlight A Vet campaign, he added.

Westervelt said 250,000 members of the U.S. military transition back to civilian life each year. These veterans return to schools, workplaces and neighborhoods across the country to take on important roles as active and engaged citizens, he added.

“Their transition doesn’t end with the return home,” Westervelt said. “That’s when it begins … when we should be recognizing the value of their contributions and fully engaging them in our communities and workforce.”

Published on November 29, 2015 at 9:07 pm

Contact Darlene: dkenn101@syr.edu