‘Suit Up for Vets’

November 24, 2014

UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler Partners with Goodwill Industries of East Texas, Inc. to Assist Student Veterans

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November 24, 2014

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

November 24, 2014

The University of Texas at Tyler has partnered with Goodwill Industries of East Texas, Inc. to assist UT Tyler student veterans in need, Ona Tolliver, assistant vice president for student affairs and dean of students, announced.

With the “Suit Up for Vets” Project, clothing donations made to Goodwill will be turned into Goodwill gift cards for UT Tyler student veterans who may need attire for future job search and career networking opportunities.

“We are proud to partner with Goodwill to help provide a wonderful opportunity to our campus veterans,” said Chris Cox, UT Tyler Veterans Resource Center coordinator. “UT Tyler strives to consistently improve and provide services that our veterans need. We are proud of the hard work and sacrifices they have done and made for us, and we are now privileged to help provide something for them.”

For each donation container filled, Goodwill has agreed to provide the center a gift card. This will allow the veteran to purchase whatever items may be needed. Recipients will be chosen at random from a list maintained at the VRC.

“We are so excited to partner with The University of Texas at Tyler on the ‘Suit Up for Vets’ Project,” said Kimberly Lewis, Goodwill Industries of East Texas executive director. “Goodwill nationally was recognized for its war time efforts of collecting metal in World War II and again once troops began returning home, providing training and employment to veterans. This initiative involves Goodwill joining forces with UT Tyler and the UT Tyler Veterans Resource Center to again provide a hand-up to those who have sacrificed so much for us.”

One gift card per student veteran will be allowed. Cards may be used at any Goodwill store in the East Texas area.

Donations may be dropped off at the center, which is located in the UT Tyler University Center. Regular VRC hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Donation containers will also be placed around campus, Cox added.

For more information, contact Cox, 903.565.5972 or chriscox@uttyler.edu.

The mission of the UT Tyler Veterans Resource Center is to provide a pipeline of information including resources, support and advocacy for student veterans and dependents to utilize in order to create successful leaders on campus, as well as in the community and Smith County.

Goodwill Industries of East Texas improves lives in the East Texas communities we serve by ensuring that people have the opportunity for economic independence through work. We use the revenue from our 16 retail stores located in 13 counties to provide these individuals with training, counseling, services and community employment. Goodwill served over 500 individuals with some disadvantage in 2013. Thanks to the programs made possible by your donations, more than 261,000 people earned jobs in 2013 (nationally) – that’s one person finding a job every 27 seconds of every business day. To learn more, visit www.GoodwillEastTexas.com.

One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 8,000 high-ability students. UT Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.