The 2015 class of the VEP program
The ladies of Chickamauga chapter DAR
The ladies of Judge David Campbell Chapter DAR and Tennessee State Regent Susan Thomas
The ladies of the Nancy Ward Chapter DAR; Project chair Susan Henderson, third from the right
The ladies of Moccasin Bend Chapter DAR
The Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution hosted veterans at the 2015 Veteran's Entrepreneurial Program Boot Camp.
This program was developed to give veterans from all over the country an opportunity to strengthen their future with tools that will aid them in starting their own businesses. The Veteran's Entrepreneurial Program has met at UTC for the past four years. This program was named the Boot Camp because of the extensive training and exposure that the students must go through to succeed.
Speakers from industry, finance and education spell out the complexity of beginning and maintaining their businesses/ They are there to answer questions and support the ideas. Many people do not realize the complexity of this undertaking. The students get to walk through it with people who have been there and are willing to share their experience, said officials.
This program is free to the veterans. Businesses, industries and individuals underwrote the cost.
Susan Henderson, project chairman for the Nancy Ward Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, saw a way that the five chapters of the DAR (Chickamauga, Nancy Ward, Judge David Campbell, Moccasin Bend and Chief John Ross) and the John Sevier chapter of the SAR could become a part of this program. Ms. Henderson made the contacts to the chapters and to the restaurants to have food prepared and served each day. She also supplied snacks for a hospitality suite that had been set up for studying, sharing ideas and getting to know each other.
After the first year, several chapters wanted to home cook for them. Service to veterans is an important part of the Daughters and Sons of America's commitment. This service was a pleasant way to meet the veterans and understand their goals and thank them for their service to the nation, said officials.