Congrats on a great event for a very good cause. How has this event grown over time?
Last week’s Mission: ABLE Awards event honored the individuals who have stood out to help provide services to more than 60,000 veterans and their families all across the U.S. in 2015. The PVA mission aligns very well with the private sector and industry partner core values, so the donations and number of sponsors continues to grow. The event itself is a “don’t miss” opportunity for industry to take a short break, network, and focus on such a worthy mission.
With attendees like the Commonwealth of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, DHA Director Vice Admiral Raquel Bono and awardees Roger Penske, Food City CEO Steven Smith, , and Microsoft’s Vice- President Military Affairs Major General Chris Cortez the event draws a great audience. Combine that with stories and awards of our veterans, their achievements, and their incredibly supportive families and you have a very powerful and moving evening.
As Chair for next year, do you have any plans you can share?
Next year we plan to continue expanding the base of donors to help extend PVA’s services. Corporate donor outreach will include new industries with a relevant and highly aligned mission, and of course we welcome donors of all kinds who want to “do the right thing.” The private sector and industry needs to get more involved so we plan greater outreach for next year.
How can others get involved?
Others can get involved by donating to the PVA Mission:ABLE awards or having their company join the list of sponsors. For more information on donating, please contact Lisa Baynes at LisaB@pva.org or (202) 416-7673.
Supporting our Veterans is always a big topic, but in an election year, even more so. Beyond all the talk what types of things would you or PVA like to see happen?
I would love to see PVA be able to expand their reach to help even more veterans and their families. I would also love to see even more people and companies get involved with PVA. Not only is the Mission:ABLE awards a great networking event, but it is also an event that showcases the most deserving of our population: our injured veterans and their caregivers.
We are thankful for Commonwealth of Virginia under Governor’s McAuliffe’s leadership to create a statewide priority for hiring Veterans with the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program, we are hoping other states also follow that initiative.
Would you like to see more photos from the event? Click Here
