Hunterdon County Commissioners, Congressman Tom Kean Jr. co-host first-ever Veterans Resource Fair
FLEMINGTON, NJ (Hunterdon County) – The Hunterdon County Commissioner Board along with Congressman Tom Kean Jr. on Monday hosted the first-ever Hunterdon County Veteran Resource Fair, held at the County State Route 12 Complex, in Flemington.
The Congressman joined Commissioner Director, Jeff Kuhl, Deputy Director Susan Soloway, and Commissioner Zach Rich, along with Navy-veteran Sheriff Fred Brown, County Clerk Mary Melfi, and local municipal officials.
Commissioner Director Kuhl welcomed attendees to the event and shared, “Honoring the service of our veterans and ensuring that our veterans are aware of the benefits they have earned, is something that is very important to myself and my colleagues on the Commissioner Board along with our Constitutional Officers. I would like to thank each of the organizations in attendance today for your ongoing work and support of our veterans’ community. A special thanks to Congressman Tom Kean, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and all our county departments present for bringing together this special forum,” Kuhl said.
Approximately 100 people were in attendance, to speak with 29 vendors offering up services for veterans that included, healthcare enrollment information, benefit claims assistance, housing counseling, behavioral health support, career planning, and job search resources.
“As a Board, we fully support our veterans and hope that providing forums like this, where multiple resources are available in one place is beneficial and significantly contributes to the well-being of our veterans. Based on the attendance and initial feedback, I believe this is a worthwhile event worth continuing and perhaps adding a job fair component is something we will consider as well.”
Commissioner Director Kuhl provided welcome remarks, followed by a short address by Congressman Kean. Guest speakers from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs included, Robert Bost, Congressional Liaison for the Newark Regional Office and Scott Dadaian, Public Affairs Specialist for the New York/New Jersey VA Healthcare Network.
Veterans Service Officer Rich Booth met with many veterans at the event and said, “I am pleased with the great turnout for this first-ever Hunterdon County Veterans Resource Fair. The attendees that I spoke with appreciated the opportunity to connect with local and state provided resources. I had many people ask if we will do another one of these events in the future and perhaps make this an annual affair.”
