ONU is pleased to send Happy Holiday greetings to you and your family from ours! With the year coming to a close, we are excited to share with you a few of our 2018 accomplishments! It has been a trying period but one filled with great blessing and accomplishment both for our organization and so many of our Veterans. This year we served seven Cohorts, two of which were night cohorts. This represents 56 Veterans, all new ONU Alumi that successfully completed our Finding the Uniform program who are well on their way to thriving new careers! We also held our 2nd Annual Veterans Cup and 5th Annual Heroes Dinner and Show, which broke previous fundraising records! We thank each of you for your support... our business partners, other veteran organizations,individual supporters and alumni. Your support strengthens our success and that of our Veterans! Before we end this year and start anew, we want to pause and give thanks for every supporter who makes our work possible! We're happy to include the following stories in this newsletter to showcase a few of the ways your support impacts our work! Read on to learn about a local business giving back to our veterans, this month's Success After Service story, an ONU Proud Supporter, our upcoming events, and ways you can get involved with our Veterans. As we prepare to end this year on one of the highest notes ever, we thank you for your ongoing support of ONU and our veterans. ONU sends wishes to everyone for a very Merry Christmas and a joyous and safe New Year!
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VyStar Credit Union Supports Veterans
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We are honored to highlight VyStar Credit Union,
the Four Star Sponsor of our 5
th
Annual Heroes Dinner and Show. VyStar Credit Union has been an ONU Veteran Committed Company for several years. VyStar also sponsored 3 veterans giving them the opportunity to come through our program at no cost to themselves! With VyStar Credit Union’s Commitment we are able to impact the lives of 3 more veterans in 2019.
VyStar Credit Union originally began in 1952 as Jax Navy Federal Credit Union serving civil service, military employees and their families at Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jax). They continue doing their part by partnering with many organizations, including those like ONU, whose focus and commitment is to equip Veterans with the skills to succeed in busineess. If you are interested in our program, becoming an ONU Veteran committed Company or a sponsor at one of our events, please
contact us
.
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An ONU Proud Supporter: Secret Santa
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We are so grateful to have such amazing supporters that share our commitment and love for our Veterans. This Christmas, Tracy Grasher graciously donated Christmas presents to an ONU Veteran who needed the blessing of a Secret Santa to help provide their children with a good Christmas. Tracy's response was immediate and powerful and the Veteran was simply overwhelmed seeing the gifts for their children. It was beautiful to see! We share this story and pic in hopes that it inspires others to give do whatever you can for someone who needs you... whether donating your time at a shelter, giving canned goods to a food drive or giving to a family in need. There are ple,nty of ways to get involved in the community, in this the season of giving. If you are interested in volunteering or getting involved with ONU and our mission, please
contact us.
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Frank Hartman, a Cohort 28 Graduate sponsored by the Boeing Company, served 6 years in the United States Navy as a Fire control Man Electronics Technician. Frank is highly skilled and educated holding a MBA from the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida, and a Six Sigma Green Belt Certification. Frank is the first of this Cohort to find a career accepting a position with Collins Aeronautical in Wisconsin just days before graduation! We believe this the first of many more new and amazing accomplishments post program! Congratulations Frank on your new career and new direction!
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Jacksonville Icemen Military Appreciation Game
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On January 26, the Jacksonville Icemen will host a Military Appreciation Game and Operation New Uniform will be one of the Charities of the game. Tickets start at $20 and for every ticket sold $5 will be go to Operation New Uniform. This a great way to have a fun night out with the family and support a local non-profit committed to helping Veterans find the career of their dreams! We hope to see you there and we encourage everyone to wear red, white, or blue to the game to show your patriotism and support to our heroic service members!
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ONU's Third Annual Veterans Cup will be here before we know it! So, don't wait... Get your gear ready for a fun day out at Jacksonville Clay Target Sports April 18. Team members will shoot 2-4 clays at each of the 15 stations. Total score will determine the winner. The coveted Veterans Cup will be awarded to the top 3 teams!
Join us for an exciting and fun day of shooting. To attend or find out more about sponsorships, please
contact us
.
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You have an opportunity to help us make even more of a difference in our community. GreatNonprofits-a review site like TripAdvisor-is honoring highly reviewed nonprofits and we are humbled to showcase our supporter and alumni reviews. So, we invite each of you to help us raise visibility for our work by posting a review of your experience with us. All reviews will be visible to potential Veterans, sponsors, donors and volunteers. It's quick and easy and only takes 3 minutes but the impact will help transform the lives of more veterans transitioning into business! Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your hearts!
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Christmas is the season of giving! If you are feeling the Christmas spirit and you want to support the work of ONU, click below to donate to Operation New Uniform and the Veterans we serve. Charitable donations directly impact the veterans in our community and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. ONU is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization.
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Whats the Buzz?
Michele McManamon, ONU Executive Director recently sat down with Howard Wolpoff , host of Buzz Media's "5 Minutes With" to talk about Operation New Uniform. Michele describes the challenges our veterans face and how they are able to conquer them through ONU. She talks about the history of the organization and also describes how the organization was founded.
Click here to watch some
buzz worthy news.
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Two Shooting Stars
ONU Graduates from Cohort 27 are spotted at a Jacksonville hiring event hosted by the Career Source and FSCJ. Deryl and Darius graduated from ONU in November. Darius credits ONU for helping him gain the skills he needs to stand out. Both these Veterans have a multitude of career opportunities, but if you believe either could be a good fit for your organization,
contact us.
To view these two shooting stars in the spotlight,
click here.
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Operation New Uniform Board
Tom Quinn
, ONU Board Chair
Founder and Partner of LEADERS Professional Recuiting, Inc.
Melissa Circelli
, ONU Vice Chair
Chief Human Resources Officer, Black Knight, Inc.
Mike Jones
, ONU Board Treasurer
President, Business Capital, CIT Bank
Tom Chuba
, ONU Board Secretary
Senior Sales Executive, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ
Ryan Hollister
, ONU Board Member
Director of Project Development, Haskell Company
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Our Veterans Our Community Our Responsibility
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