Grant funds green training for vets
Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is interviewed by Roll Call in his DCCC office. (Feb. 11, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
Bank of America is donating $100,000 to counsel and train veterans for “green” jobs in a new program, VetsBuild, under the United Way umbrella.
The grant was being formally announced Thursday morning at a news conference at the United Veterans Beacon House, in Bay Shore, which will launch and administer the program working with United Way, according to an announcement by the office of Rep. Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills), above.
Israel, who attended, said that over the next five years, more than a million service members are projected to leave the military. The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans, at 11.1 percent, remains higher than the national average of 8.6 percent.
Beacon House will recruit veterans for the program and offer counseling and treatment for various mental health issues. United Way will offer job training, career building and networking opportunities focused on the expanding energy-efficiency and alternative-energy industries.
“To my knowledge there is no other program of this nature offered on Long Island, free of charge, for veterans,” said Frank Amalfitano, president and chief executive of Beacon House.
