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RAISING FUNDS FOR VETERANS IN BUSINESS PROVES
A TOUGH SELL -- Private sector is slow to
give to the Veterans Corp.
Story here...
http://www.post-gazette.com/
pg/07123/783022-84.stm
Story below:
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Raising funds for veterans in business proves
tough sell
Private sector slow to give, Altmire says
By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
WASHINGTON -- A federally chartered organization that helps veterans
start and maintain their own businesses has had little success raising
money from the private sector, falling short of one of its key goals.
The Veterans Corp. spent $230,000 on fundraising activities last year.
But it raised $150,000, U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, said
yesterday during a hearing of the House panel that oversees the U.S.
Small Business Administration.
"That's obviously not a good return," said Mr. Altmire, the committee
chairman. "In my opinion, this should be an easy sell. Everyone wants to
help the veterans."
The issue is an important one for lawmakers, who want to ease the
transition to civilian life for a rapidly growing number of soldiers
returning from overseas. More than 1.4 million Americans have served in
Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001.
Mr. Altmire's district, which covers parts of the northern Pittsburgh
suburbs and Beaver County, already has one of the highest concentrations
of veterans in the country.
Congress created the Veterans Corp. in 1999 to give former soldiers
access to educational programs and investment opportunities. Its board
members are appointed by the president, and it has the power to raise
private money.
But most corporations and philanthropic groups have been reluctant to
donate, viewing aid for veterans as the responsibility of the federal
government, said Walter Blackwell, the corporation's president.
He's approached dozens of executives about financial help.
"Although all of them embraced the idea of what we were doing, none of
them opened their checkbooks," he said. "Private sector funders believe
this is not a private sector issue. This is a government issue."
The corporation also saw a 25 percent cut in its funding in 2006. It
faces a congressional reauthorization vote this year, and its proposed
budget for 2008 is $3.7 million.
Despite its limited resources, the Veterans Corp. has had successes,
reaching more than 14,000 veterans with "face-to-face" services last
year. Its Web site, veteranscorp.org, had more than one million hits.
In his prepared testimony, Mr. Blackwell cited the story of James Clair,
a former Marine from Cranberry who now serves in the National Guard. Mr.
Clair expects to deploy overseas in the near future, and the corporation
is helping him prepare his business, the Ultimate Defensive Driving
School, for his absence with a check list that covers banking and credit
issues.
Still, some veteran groups aren't satisfied with the Veterans Corp.
Joseph Sharpe, deputy director of the American Legion's national
economic commission, said the organization's resources are too meager,
and he said the Small Business Administration should take the lead. The
agency already has a development office for veterans.
"We'll look at all the options," Mr. Altmire said. "We want to raise
awareness [of the Veterans Corp.] and we want to help them do what
they're doing."
(Jerome L. Sherman can be reached at
jsherman@post-gazette.com
or 202-488-3479. )
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Larry Scott --
