Colorado ESGR Monthly newsletter

1. January 2014
Welcome to Colorado ESGR. Our purpose is to have an informative newsletter that will educate, inform,
and promote service by and to ESGR while fulfilling our mission of supporting Employers, Guard/Reserve
members, Military and Veteran Employment Initiatives and our COESGR Volunteers.
Chairman’s Message:
State of Colorado ESGR for Year 2013
As we enter into Year 2014, I would like to report to you on how
ESGR did in this past year. And in my hopefully unbiased way, I
think we did pretty well. But we still have a ways to go.
On most of our metrics that we are measured by, we did extremely
well. Our ESGR Volunteer base continued to grow, as did our
Volunteer Hours. We are working to improve on the number of
Guard and Reserve that we brief, and in our Ombudsman efforts,
as those were our two areas that we need to improve upon.
With the Freedom Award, we were the only state to have all three
of our nominees in the top 30 finalists (out of some 2889
nominees), and two of those were selected for the prestigious
Freedom Award. We are very proud of our two winners: DaVita,
Inc, and Colorado Springs Utilities, and finishing in the top thirty is
not exactly bad either, for JGMS, of Grand Junction.
We were heavily involved in helping our Guard and Reserve members in their employment efforts. We
organized and helped structure and run two of our three day Military and Veterans Employment
EXPO’s, one in Denver in January 2013, and the other in Colorado Springs in May of 2013. We
recently distributed our Report on the five MVEE’s that we have held during the last two years, and
are satisfied that the results we have obtained from these events, usually servicing over 1000 Guard
and Reserve, active duty military, retired, and spouses at each, are significantly much better than the
typical job fairs so many put on or better in fact than any other type of hiring event that we are aware
of.
Our Annual Awards Banquet continued to draw close to 400 guests, with this year being honored by
having our ESGR’s new National Chairman, Mr. Paul Mock, in attendance, speaking at the Banquet
and remaining for our Saturday’s Volunteer Conference. We are already planning this year’s Banquet
for May 30, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency in the Tech Center, again with several top notch speakers.
The following day (Saturday, May 31) is our once a year All Volunteer Conference, and this year we
are pushing hard on a greater turnout of our Volunteers, as this is the only time during a year where
we try to get all our Volunteers together.
We started this year to hold a leadership course for those ESGR Volunteers who aspire to play more
leading roles in ESGR. The day and a half event was attended by some 20 Colorado ESGR
Volunteers who applied to attend, as well as two ESGR Volunteers from Wyoming. We think there is
value in having Volunteers from surrounding states attend which brings about cross fertilization of
ideas and approaches. We are going to do this again this year, with the dates being now selected.
Continued next page…….
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2. We are trying very hard to work with more employers and are achieving some success. We want
those employers to not only support and value the employment and military service of the National
Guard and Reserve in the United States, but to realize and utilize the employment services available
to them from governmental entities that they are already funding through their taxes which will
reduce their costs in hiring and retaining employees.
So through individual contacts with more of our Colorado employers, through our MVEEs, through
our meetings with the BOSS program and our BOSSLIFTs, through our Awards Banquet and other
employer meetings, through our growing efforts of publicizing our efforts, through continuing to
expand our reach throughout the state by having ESGR Area Chairs now in some 11 localities (and
soon to grow to 13), and through the dedicated and substantial efforts of our ESGR Volunteers, we
continue to make real progress here in Colorado.
To your employers, thank you working with us, for supporting our efforts, and for realizing the value
that our military service members bring to your workplace.
So for all our ESGR Volunteers, a most sincere thank you. You can take full credit for the advances
we have and are making.
Dick Young, RADM, USN (Ret)
Chairman, Colorado State Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
January 2014, Volunteer of the Month Spotlight
Dawanta Parks, an enthusiastic new member of Employer Support
of the Guard and Reserve, has been recognized as volunteer of
the month. Accepting the position of Co-Director of Employment
Initiatives, he brings extensive experience as a veteran and as an
administrator, being presently employed as Veterans’
Representative for the Colorado Department of Labor and
Employment. In fact, working with this department is where he first
learned about ESGR.
Separating from the military as Army Infantry Staff Sergeant
Dawanta Parks, he comes to us as a veteran himself. With eleven
service years in the Oklahoma Army National Guard which he
joined after a high school membership in the Air Force ROTC, he
knows first hand the veteran’s pride along with the trials and tribulations. He is a two time combat
veteran: Bosnia,2001-2001, and Afghanistan, 2002-2003.
After service to our country, he followed up with an impressive set of educational achievements in
the areas which would enable him to reach his goals. He holds an Associate’s Degree in
Management from Oklahoma State University; a Bachelor’s Degree in Administrative Leadership
from the University of Oklahoma; a Master’s Degree in Human Relations from the University of
Oklahoma; a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Denver; and is planning to
pursue yet another—Advanced Administrative Strategic Human Resources.
Parks says that his decision to join ESGR was motivated by the desire to help veterans find work,
and that his time in the military imparted in him the NCO’s values he carries with him today —
specifically, to support military personnel in their endeavors — and he lives by the model that it is
extremely important that we take care of our veterans in helping them to find employment.
We at ESGR feel sure that volunteering with this organization will help him reach his goals, and that
his expertise and dedication will be of definite value to our group.
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3. Jobs program connects Reserve, Guard
members to employers
BY DONNA MILES, AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
WASHINGTON – Two years ago, the civilian employment situation
for members of the National Guard and reserve was bleak.
Click here to connect to
employment opportunities.
The economy had taken a downturn, causing unemployment rates
nationwide to rise, including rates for veterans. But particularly
troubling to Ronald Young, executive director of Employer Support of
the Guard and Reserve, was that unemployment among reserve component members hit a record high
of 13 percent in 2011.
“It was higher than for the general population and almost double that of the veteran population,”
Young said. “So we took a very aggressive approach to instituting employment initiative
programs across the country to get at that challenge.”
The cornerstone of that effort was the “Hero 2 Hired” program, created to make it easy for
reserve-component service members to connect to and find jobs with military-friendly companies.
“We put together a comprehensive program that used a very high-tech approach,” Young said,
including online career exploration tools, military-to-civilian skills translations, education and training
resources and even a mobile app.
To support the program, 56 employment transition coordinators, many of them ESGR volunteers, fanned
out to every corner of the United States to provide career counseling and resume assistance to
job-seekers and to interface with employers seeking to fill positions.
“We saw this as an opportunity to leverage the 4,900 ESGR volunteers and their day-to-day
interface with employers to talk about what great business sense it makes to employ Guard and
reserve members,” Young said.
In addition, a vehicle known as the Hero 2 Hired mobile job store regularly rolls into career fairs and
other venues to deliver the job search resources where it’s easily accessible by the military community.
Small kiosks that rotate between Guard and reserve units also help increase awareness of the program.
Guard and reserve members make great employees, Young said. They’re strong leaders and
outstanding followers, exhibiting loyalty, dedication and motivation to their missions. They demonstrate
other attributes that employers are clamoring for: professionalism, responsibility, punctuality, a “can-do”
attitude, understanding of diversity and an ability to remain calm under pressure, among them.
But when Young met with corporate leaders during a Clinton Global Initiative session in 2011, he
recognized that employers didn’t know how to tap into this potential.
“Across the board, the one thing they said was, „We want to hire them. We just don‟t know how
to get access to them,‟” he said.
Two years since its standup, Hero 2 Hired is helping to bridge that gap. Almost 20,000 employers now
post their job announcements on the Hero 2 Hired jobs website. The site, which 151,000 service
members and their spouses now use, provides not only leads about job openings but also information
about interview skills, resume templates and links to employment resources.
Young attributes more than 11,000 hires to the program. In addition, through Hero 2 Hire's partnership
with the Joining Forces initiative led by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice
President Joe Biden, and other public- and private-sector job programs, he estimates that 100,000
reserve component members and veterans have landed jobs.
“This is a way to link together those looking for jobs and those looking to fill jobs with veterans
and Guard and reserve members,” Young said. “We are just one of the contributing partners
working at attacking this particular issue. But we believe we are having a definite impact.”
http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=121240
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4. A recent DOD survey of Guard and reserve members revealed that their unemployment rate had
dropped 2 percent, Young reported.
“So this is trending in the right direction, and our hope is that it will continue going that way,” he
said.
But the best measure of success, he said, are the testimonials of those who have benefitted directly from
the program.
A 23-year old Air National Guard member was desperate for a job -- any job -- when he met with
Employment Transition Coordinator Joe Fletcher. The airman had been living in his car for the previous
three days to help save money for gas to return home after a drill weekend. He acknowledged during his
meeting with Fletcher that he didn’t have a resume or knew how to pursue a job interview.
Fletcher helped him create a resume that highlighted his skills in welding and operating heavy equipment
and helped him prepare for an interview. It didn’t take long for the airman to land a job that paid $30 an
hour.
A former airmen who started using the Hero 2 Hired job website before separating from the military said
it worked better than any other employment site he had tried. As a result, he landed a position as a shift
maintenance supervisor for a commercial airline with a starting date just six days after leaving the
military.
A Louisiana National Guardsman said Hero 2 Hired helped him get in contact with several companies of
varying sizes, getting interview opportunities and several job offers.
Sue Wegner, wife of Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ralph Wegner, credited the program with helping her
obtain a job as a laboratory test specialist.
“You helped me with rewriting my resume in a more employer-friendly way, along with helping
with interview tips,” she said. “Thanks to you, I had great success. Within two weeks of leaving
you, I had two job interviews, and a week later I had job offers from [two] companies!”
(Follow Donna Miles on Twitter: @MilesAFPS)
F O L L O W T H E S E L I N K S T O L E A R N M O R E A B O U T T H E L AW:
USERRA: 38 United States Code Chapter 4301-4335
20 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1002
(USERRA) Uniformed Services Employ-
ment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994; Final Rules
5 Code of Federal Regulations Part 353
Additional regulations for Federal Agencies
Non Technical Guide to USERRA
US Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service
Department of Justice
Office of Special Council
US Department of Education: USERRA like protection for students in the military
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5. Statement of Support
(SOS) Signings
Enstrom Candies of Grand Junction was
recognized recently with a Statement of Support in
recognition of their support of military service
members and their families. “The staff has been
very generous with their products and programs
to benefit service members who have been
deployed overseas,“ said Dea Bridges, a volunteer
with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve,
who presented the award.
Enstrom was previously recognized by military
commands in Afghanistan for its generosity, Bridges
said.
Pictured left to right, Dea Bridges, ESGR volunteer,
Darla Fortner, Human Resources Director, Jamee
Simons, Secretary-treasurer, and Doug Simons,
President. Photo courtesy of the Grand Junction Daily
Sentinel.
Colorado ESGR volunteer and Area Chair for the
Pueblo area, Harry Vogel, presented to April Lopez,
Director of Volunteer Services, Frontier Hospice in
Pueblo with a Statement of Support
Frontier Hospice
&
Frontier Home Health
Steve Wilbur, GM of Toy Car Care, receives a
SoS from Military Outreach Coordinator Mark
Craig. Steve has a life time affiliation with the
military being raised by a WWII veteran and
Steve’s son has served in the Marine Corps. One
of Steve’s employees served in the Army
National Guard as a helicopter mechanic. When
talking with Steve it is very evident that he
understands and appreciates the sacrifices
military members and their families make in
support of us all.
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6. A Statement of Support presented to Bender‟s Brat Haus.
In the picture from left to right:
Jordan McCarty is the owner of Bender's Brat
Haus,700 South Buckley Road Aurora. Bender's
has been around since 1976 and was originally on
6th and Chambers. Their location now is closer to
Buckley Air Force Base and they do a lot of
business with personnel from Buckley. She has
different promotions for military members and
usually it is a 10% discount on food purchased. If
you can't make a quick trip to Germany, these are
about the best you will find anywhere. Their brats
are freshly made each day and are Sheboygan
recipe bratwurst. Once you try one, you will be
back!
The presentation was made by ESGR Volunteer
Mark Craig (right)
H O W Y O U R C O M P AN Y C AN B E C O M E A F R E E D O M A W AR D R E C I P I E N T
Tom Bullock, Chief, Employer & Military Outreach at Employer Support of the Guard and
Reserve (ESGR)
The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the
highest award bestowed by the U.S. Government to employers for
exceptional support of their employees who serve in the National
Guard or Reserve. Encourage your employees currently serving, or a
family member acting on their behalf, to nominate your company at
www.freedomaward.mil. The nomination season closes at midnight
on January 20, 2014.
NORAD Tracks Santa Program breaks record
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (12/27/13) - The North American Aerospace
Defense Command's NORAD Tracks Santa Program exceeded its own records in the
number of calls, emails and social media followers this year. The program, which began
after a misprinted ad in a local paper in 1955, has more than 1,200 volunteers and
NORAD staff answering queries on the location of Santa Claus as he circles the globe
delivering presents. The volunteers in the 23-hour NTS operations center answered
117,371 calls from children looking for Santa Claus - an increase of nearly 3 percent
from 2012. Military family members and community leaders volunteered their time to
answer phone calls as well as 9,606 emails, exceeding last year's count. The first lady,
Michelle Obama, also helped answer NORAD Tracks Santa calls for the fourth year in a row. The NTS
website, www.noradsanta.org, had 19.58 million unique visitors access the site from 234 countries and
territories across the globe. The Facebook page topped 1.45 million "Likes", and the NTS Google+ page
had 41,676 fans. More than 146,307 people also followed Santa's progress on Twitter. Nearly 800 OnStar
subscribers asked OnStar operators to locate Santa on Dec. 24, which is nearly 150% more than last year.
The NTS site, featuring Bing and Cesium maps and other interactive games, also offered photos, videos
and lots of fun facts about Santa and his reindeer throughout the month of December. "Throughout the
year the men and women of NORAD work hard to provide aerospace security for North America, but
for this one night every year, we are able to help bring the magic of Christmas to children around
the world," said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, NORAD's public affairs director."We at NORAD are honored to be
a part of so many peoples' holiday traditions. Thank you to our many volunteers and corporate
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contributors for making this program possible, and we look forward to doing it again next year."
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7. Patriot Award Presentations
Beverly Altmeier and Willetta Bradburn,
Supervisors at Express Scripts in Pueblo
were presented with the Employer Support of
the Guard and Reserve Patriot Award by
Colorado ESGR volunteer and Area Chair for
the Pueblo Area for their outstanding support
of military
service members, specifically
award nominator, Staff Sergeant Shawn
Collins, Army National Guard spoke about his
supervisors…”My supervisors have gone
above and beyond when it comes to
supporting my duties as a National Guard
member. He has been called on several
occasions to support short suspense
duties which, without employer support,
could not have been accomplished.”
The Patriot Award is not an employer-wide award, but one that recognizes supervisors and
bosses nominated by an employee serving in the National Guard or Reserve for support provided
directly to the nominator. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support Citizen Warriors
through a wide-range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed.
Irene Trujillo, Supervisor at Mt. San Rafael
Hospital in Trinidad was presented with the
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve
Patriot Award by Colorado ESGR volunteer and
Area Chair for the Pueblo Area for her outstanding
support of military service members, specifically
award nominator, Senior Airman Nicolina Martinez,
U. S. Air Force Reserve spoke about her
supervisor…”I have been employed at Mt. San
Rafael Hospital for five years. Out of those five
years, I have been in the Air Force Reserve for
three. During these three years, I have had an
amazing supervisor. She is highly supportive
of my Reserve service. Many times I have had
to leave on short notice and she does an
outstanding job finding coverage for me and
ensuring that my position will be available to me when I return. She has made the schedule flexible
around my Air Force Reserve duties. When I am fulfilling my Air Force duties, she ensures to keep in
touch with me to positively motivate me and keep up my morale while away from home. I would like
to thank Irene Trujillo for always being a positive supporter of the Air Force Reserve and my Air
Force career. She is a great woman and supervisor.”
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8. The Twelve Days of Colorado National Guard Christmas
BY COLORADO NATIONAL GUARD PUBLIC AFFAIRS
http://co.ng.mil/News/Pages/131223-12days.aspx
Dan Lowe
2013 Year in Review: CONG statistics in the style of "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
On the first day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
1 massive flood response
On the second day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
2 months of road repairs and 1 massive flood response
On the third day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
3 thousand-233 people and 1,300 pets evacuated, 2 months of road repairs and 1 massive flood response
On the fourth day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
4 wildfire responses, 3 thousand 233 people and 1,300 pets evacuated, 2 months of road repairs,
and 1 massive flood response
On the fifth day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
5 hundred-fifty-seven water bucket drops on wildfires, 4 wildfire responses, 3 thousand 233 people and
1,300 pets evacuated, 2 months of road repairs, and 1 massive flood response
Richard Young
Geri Adams
On the sixth day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
6ty-seven security check points during the flood, 5 hundred-fifty-seven water bucket drops on wildfires, 4 wildfire
responses, 3 thousand 233 people and 1,300 pets evacuated, 2 months of road repairs, and 1 massive flood
response
On the seventh day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
7-teen lives saved by aerial search-and-rescue (other than floods), 6ty-seven security check points during the
flood, 5 hundred-fifty-seven water bucket drops on wildfires, 4 wildfire responses, 3 thousand 233 people and
1,300 pets evacuated, 2 months of road repairs, and 1 massive flood response
On the eighth day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
8 states supporting Vigilant Guard, 7-teen lives saved by aerial search-and-rescue (other than floods), 6ty-seven
security check points during the flood, 5 hundred-fifty-seven water bucket drops on wildfires, 4 wildfire responses,
3 thousand 233 people and 1,300 pets evacuated, 2 months of road repairs, and 1 massive flood response
On the ninth day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
9 countries deployed to with 560 guard members, 8 states supporting Vigilant Guard, 7-teen lives saved by aerial
search-and-rescue (other than floods), 6ty-seven security check points during the flood, 5 hundred-fifty-seven
water bucket drops on wildfires, 4 wildfire responses, 3 thousand 233 people and 1,300 pets evacuated,
2 months of road repairs, and 1 massive flood response
On the tenth day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
10-million-dollar facility in Alamosa, 9 countries deployed to with 560 guard members, 8 states supporting Vigilant
Guard, 7-teen lives saved by aerial search-and-rescue (other than floods), 6ty-seven security check points during
the flood, 5 hundred-fifty-seven water bucket drops on wildfires, 4 wildfire responses, 3 thousand 233 people and
1,300 pets evacuated, 2 months of road repairs, and 1 massive flood response
On the eleventh day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
11 hundred man days supporting floods, 10-million-dollar facility in Alamosa, 9 countries deployed to with 560
guard members, 8 states supporting Vigilant Guard, 7-teen lives saved by aerial search-and-rescue (other than
floods), 6ty-seven security check points during the flood, 5 hundred-fifty-seven water bucket drops on wildfires,
4 wildfire responses, 3 thousand 233 people and 1,300 pets evacuated, 2 months of road repairs and
1 massive flood response
On the twelfth day of Christmas my governor requested of me:
12 hundred sand bags filled, 11 hundred man days supporting floods, 10-million-dollar facility in Alamosa,
9 countries deployed to with 560 guard members, 8 states supporting Vigilant Guard, 7-teen lives saved by aerial
search-and-rescue (other than floods), 6ty-seven security check points during the flood, 5 hundred-fifty-seven
water bucket drops on wildfires, 4 wildfire responses, 3 thousand 233 people and 1,300 pets evacuated,
2 months of road repairs, and 1 massive flood response
12/23/2013
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9. Click on pictures or links for websites
January 2014
STAFF AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Brent Hamilton - Program Support Technician
720-250-1176 brent.l.hamilton2.ctr@mail.mil
Events Calendar
January 14 MVEE Planning Meeting,
Colorado Springs
January 20 ESGR Freedom Award
nomination period closes
January 25 Volunteer Initial Training,
Colorado National Guard Headqtrs, 6848
S. Revere Pkwy., Centennial, Colo. 80112.
Directors Meeting following.
February 21-23 Advanced Ombudsman
Training, San Antonio
Chandra Hance – AST-Administrative Support Technician
720.250.1189 chandra.l.hance.ctr@mail.mil
COESGR Business Office
12200 East Briarwood Avenue, Suite 160
Centennial, Co 80112
FAX: 720.250.1199
State ESGR Chair
Richard E. Young, RADM, USN (Ret)
COLORADO ESGR
DIRECTORS
Military Outreach
State ESGR Vice Chair
Tom Mills, Brigadier General,
CONG (Ret).
EMPLOYER OUTREACH
AREA CHAIRS
Pete Callaway—Director
2014 Recipient
Guard and Reserve Members!
Would you like to see your employer’s
name as a recipient of the 2014 Secretary
of Defense Employer Support Freedom
Award?
Contact Brent Hamilton, Program Support
Technician, for Colorado ESGR to get
additional information and assistance in
nominating your employer for this
prestigious award.
Contact info: 720-250-1176 or
brent.l.hamilton2.ctr@mail.mil
Boulder/Longmont
Employer Outreach
Colorado Springs
Bev Skinner - Co-director
Dave Pruett - Co-director
EO Coordinator, Major CorporationsMark Saunders
Ombudsmen
Brad Gallup
Mark Hustedt
Mary Miller
Cortez Area
Robert Valencia
Denver Area
Martin Cobb - Director
Gary Brown - Dep. Dir.
Training
Lynn Albi
Paula Kauffman - Dep. Dir.
Bruce Erek
Rick White
Douglas County Area
Jimmy Graham
Bob Rotruck
Estes Park Area Chair
Ed Acela
Special Programs
National Guard Liaison
Liz Kelpis
Nomination period is November 1, 2013
to January 20, 2014.
Don’t delay in nominating your employer.
Fort Lyon/Tri County
Leanne Wheeler
Larimer/Weld County
Fritz Ihrig
Public Affairs
Ralph Trenary
Sherma Erholm - Director
Grand Junction
Employer Initiatives
Lou Brackett
David Popham
Zach Jacobsen - Co-Director
National Site News and Information
Join Facebook and Twitter
Become a fan of Colorado ESGR
Dawanta Parks - Co-Director
Chase Dinkler - Deputy
Pueblo
Harry Vogel
Steamboat Springs
MVEE Coordinator - Jason Shireman
Jim Stanko
H2H.jobs www.H2H.jobs
COESGR
COESGR Twitter COESGR LinkedIn
H2H offers valuable resources for Service
members by way of hiring fairs, job training,
career assessment and military skills translation.
Colorado’s ESGR Electronic Newsletter is published not only for the information and benefit of the members of the Colorado
ESGR but most importantly to our Guard and Reserve members and their employers.
The contents of this newsletter highlight activities and events conducted by Colorado ESGR.
Send comments regarding this publication to the Newsletter Editor: James Garrett at coloradoesgr@yahoo.com
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