PHOTO PROVIDED Pictured, from left, are Commissioner Chair Mark Higgins, Eugene McFeely, Brian Querry, Julian Morales, Mike Stefan and Commissioner Steve Dershem.

BELLEFONTE — November is Military Appreciation Month in Centre County, with events planned throughout the month to honor and support the community’s veterans.

Joined by veterans, Veterans Affairs staff and Penn State representatives, Centre County Commissioners unanimously proclaimed November as Military Appreciation Month and Nov. 11-15 as National Veterans Small Business Week. Alongside previewing upcoming events, they also adopted a resolution supporting Operation Green Light, a movement dedicated to veteran support.

Col. Eugene L. McFeely, Penn State’s first senior director for Veterans Affairs and Services, who was present to accept the proclamation, noted that Penn State has been celebrating military appreciation for 13 years and partnering with Centre County for the past several.

McFeely thanked the Commissioners for their support and shared some of the events Penn State has planned for Military Appreciation Week on campus.

“Thank you for the continued support. As a veteran, I am humbled by the support of not only the county but also the community,” said Col. McFeely.

Kicking off on Friday, Nov. 4, Penn State will host a Military Appreciation Banner Unveiling at 6 p.m. on College Avenue, downtown, where 12 new banners will be on display. The unveiling will be immediately followed by State College Borough’s proclamation at 7 p.m. at the State College Municipal Building, where they are anticipated to recognize Nov. 11-17 as Military Appreciation Week.

Military Appreciation Week on campus will begin Monday, Nov. 11 with the annual Penn State Employee and Student Military Service Recognition Breakfast in the HUB Alumni Hall. Students, faculty and staff who currently serve or have served in the armed forces are invited to attend the breakfast, which will feature light refreshments, entertainment and networking. It will be followed by a Veterans Day Ceremony from 11:11 a.m. to noon in front of the Old Main Steps (rain location will be Alumni Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center). The ceremony will also be live streamed at www.watch.psu.edu/MAW/. Later that evening, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, Jared Frederick, assistant teaching professor of history at Penn State Altoona and co-author of “Into the Cold Blue: My World War II Journeys with the Mighty Eighth Air Force” (2024, Regnery History) will join John Homan, fellow co-author, aviator with the Army Air Forces and recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross award, to host a pop-up exhibit about the book, followed by a question-and-answer period.

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 1:30-3 p.m., Penn State faculty and staff will be invited to participate in a Military Cultural Competency Training, and that evening, at 7 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center, will be the Penn State Men’s Basketball Military Appreciation Game vs. San Francisco University. Tickets can be purchased to attend the game at https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Militaryappreciation266.

On Thursday, Nov. 14 there will be a Military Appreciation Luncheon from 12-1:30 p.m. in 110 Robb Hall at the Hintz Alumni Center. The Penn State Military Appreciation Committee will host Deb Burger, as this year’s guest speaker.

Military Appreciation Week at PSU will conclude with Boots to Business Reboot, a free, full-day program providing participants with an overview of business fundamentals while introducing techniques for evaluating the feasibility of business concepts from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub. Afterwards will be the 249th Marine Corp Birthday Ball at 5 p.m. at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center. Links to RSVP and more details can be found at www.psu.edu/news/campus-life/story/penn-state-military-appreciation-week-events-kick-nov-11-0.

“Penn State and Centre County, we are pretty much hand and glove working on so many different projects, but this is one we can be particularly proud of,” said Commissioner Steven Dershem, celebrating the passage of the proclamation.

Director of Veterans Affairs Brian Querry noted that his office also plans to celebrate Military Appreciation Week. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, a ceremony will be held at the Sayers Dam memorial to honor Medal of Honor recipient Foster Sayers Sr. on the 80th anniversary of his death, with a flyover scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

At their meeting Tuesday, Commissioners also proclaimed Nov. 11-15, 2024 as National Veterans Small Business Week in Centre County.

Annie Hughes, interim director of the Veterans Businesses Outreach program and statewide coordinator for Invent Penn State, a Commonwealth-wide entrepreneurship and innovation initiative, accepted the proclamation and highlighted the work being done to support veterans.

In September, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced a grant award to Penn State to establish a Veterans Business Outreach Center. The center is designed to enhance training and counseling services for both new and existing, veteran and military spouse, small-business owners across the commonwealth.

Nearly 800,000 veterans reside in Pennsylvania, making it the state with the fourth-largest veteran population in the nation, according to the Pa. Department of Human Services. To better serve this community, Penn State is focused on establishing a statewide entrepreneurship service tailored to veterans.

“Veterans are generally very good at starting businesses and are always looking for opportunities to better transition into civilian life,” said Hughes. In Pennsylvania, nearly 55,000 businesses are owned by veterans.

County Commissioner Steven Higgins added that “Veterans have a tremendous work ethic, they also tend to be very organized, and as (Hughes) mentioned, they also tend to be very successful as entrepreneurs.”

Invent Penn State plans to provide a range of business support services, including business planning, assistance accessing capital, government contract guidance, marketing and outreach and training for service members, veterans and military spouses, through the establishment of a Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC).

According to Hughes, more than 75% of Pennsylvanians live within 30 miles of a Penn State LaunchBox business services hub, providing veterans with easy access to a broad network of entrepreneurship services.

“Veterans have gained all kinds of really specific and technical skills in their service, particularly in technology, and I think they are often going to have a lot of unique ideas to bring to small business development, so this is both beneficial for veterans and our economy,” said Commissioner Amber Concepcion. According to Higgins, Invent Penn State has already had a multi-billion dollar economic impact Commonwealth-wide, and is only expected to grow.

Invent Penn State will host a ribbon cutting at their new Veterans Business Outreach Center in State College on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 2:30 p.m.

Additionally, the Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution supporting Operation Green Light for Veterans, the National Association of Counties’ nationwide effort to support military veterans.

The initiative exists to raise awareness of the unique challenges faced by veterans and the resources available at the county, state and federal levels to assist veterans and their families.

To show the county’s support for veterans, the Centre County Courthouse will be illuminated green from Nov. 4-11.

In addition to lighting county buildings, bridges and other meaningful landmarks, residents, businesses and other organizations are encouraged to participate by simply changing one light bulb inside or outside their home to a green bulb. By shining a green light, veterans know that they are seen, appreciated and supported, and conversations are opened about the needs of veterans and the services that support veteran communities.