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Veterans Corps launches in Mankato

Free Press - 6/16/2022

Jun. 16—MANKATO — For veteran Grace Anne, a Mankato transplant from east Tennessee, the newly launched Veteran Corps program is a chance to serve the community and bond with fellow vets.

St. Paul-based nonprofit Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa, which partners with a number of federal and county services in two states to provide seasonal opportunities while improving the environment, has announced its new Veterans Corps program.

Mankato is one launching pad for the program, and area veterans are being actively recruited to participate.

Anne was caught driving from Tennessee to Mankato earlier this week as she excitedly prepared to start a new life in the Midwest. She said she'd struggled to find work in her dual field of sign language interpretation and environmental science but hopes to combine those two now.

"I'm excited about so many different things," Anne said. "I'm excited to be working again. I've been trying to find a job for the last year and this was the first offer I've been given. So that's exciting. And I know my primary goal is to be in the national parks and other natural history settings. So hopefully I'll be able to marry my new career as a sign language interpreter. I think Conservation Corps is going to offer a lot of opportunities and trainings and networking."

The Veterans Corps program, which receives funding from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, connects veterans to the outdoors and provides a continued sense of community as they transition from military to civilian life. Members receive training, experience and support in transitioning to a career in natural resources.

Participants will work on outdoor conservation projects that help to mitigate and combat the impact of climate change, improve access to outdoor recreation, restore natural habitat, protect waterways, and respond to community needs and natural disasters.

The program is based in Mankato and Rochester for the 2022 season, with plans to expand to additional locations in Minnesota and Iowa in 2023 and beyond.

"We're at the point where we're ready to bring on some veterans and some military service members," said Scott Schue, Veterans Corps program manager. "We said, 'We're building the airplane in flight and we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.'"

Next year the program will be more robust but for now the Veterans Corps is starting with a small cohort of a six- to eight-person veteran crew. "We have enough funding that this will be at least a three-year program," Schue said. "We expect it will take off and become permanent."

Veterans hired on will work full time for the Veterans Corps.

"The reason they should participate in this program is to help them move forward with a meaningful career in the resource management area," Schue said. "They have a servant's heart and this is another way for them to not only gain the skills and experience, but it's also a way for them to contribute to the community and help in different areas."

Anne joined the Army National Guard out of high school in 2011 and became a combat medic. She said the Veterans Corps will offer her a way to reconnect with fellow vets.

Experiencing the natural camaraderie among vets is one appeal of the Corps, Schue and Anne said. "It's very different transitioning to civilian life and working with people who don't have similar experiences," Anne said. "It's a completely different world. I do miss it. It wears on you sometimes, as a veteran, especially when you're recently separated (from service). That's one thing I'm looking forward to is working with recently separated veterans and getting them on their feet."

Anne said it's exciting to be on the ground floor of the pilot program. "I'm not entirely familiar with Minnesota, but I believe the hearts of veterans are similar everywhere," she said. "That's one of the things I look forward to, is making a difference in my brothers' and sisters' lives."

Schue said no one is going to get wealthy serving with the Veterans Corps, but there is a stipend and health insurance offered as part of the full-time post. "It helps the veteran get into a career that is meaningful to them and, frankly, to all of us."

For more information about applying to the Veterans Corps, go to https://conservationcorps.org/join or contact Schue directly at 763-276-3493 or by emailing him at scott.schue@conservationcorps.org.

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