Lyons Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg is also the president of the township’s Mental Health Commission, where she’s gained some insight into the plight faced by many in the area.
“We as a society are kind of struggling with that a little bit more than ever before, with mental health challenges,” she said, noting it’s an area of particular concern with “our veterans, particularly, with PTSD and all kinds of other trauma that they’ve suffered.”
The Township of Lyons was striving to become more involved in veterans issues and made annual donations to the Western Springs Memorial Day Parade. That’s how Hoffenberg became acquainted with veterans’ advocate Charles “Chuck” Bosko, and began conversations about putting together a resource fair for veterans.
The first one was in the spring, and it was so successful they decided to do it again in autumn.
So state, county and township officials will come together once again from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 2 for a veterans resource fair at La Grange American Legion Post 1941, 00 S. La Grange Road.
“Veterans should know that we will have several agencies to talk to about whatever their concerns may be regarding something of interest to them,” said Bosko, a service officer with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.
The roster of participating agencies includes Lyons Township, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office for Veteran Rights, the Cook County Veterans Assistance Commission and the VA’s Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.
Representatives from Hines Veterans Hospital also will provide information and assistance on suicide prevention, post-9/11 GI Bill information, health promotion, disease prevention and elder care. They’ll also provide veterans with blood pressure screening, toxic exposure screening and flu shots on site.
Other organizations will provide assistance on employment issues and employer support for the Illinois National Guard and Reserves. And the Veterans Affairs regional office in Chicago will have “a team out there to perhaps file a claim that day, right there,” Bosko said.
Besides the services themselves, Bosko said the fair is important because it spreads awareness of the issues veterans face, and he’s glad it’s coming back for a second round.
“If we could do three or four a year, that would be incredible,” he said.
One of the organizations that could be most helpful at the event is Illinois Joining Forces, Bosko said.
“They are an umbrella for all different agencies throughout the state of Illinois to help veterans in some capacity,” he said. “Say if a person needed a roof repair and couldn’t afford it and were down on their luck, there’s somebody who will see this and say, ‘we’ve got some guys who will do this either for an nominal fee or free.’”
Bosko said one way IJF would help is to provide legal assistance for veterans needing to upgrade their discharge papers.
He also pointed out that the Illinois Attorney General’s Office was the only state attorney general’s office in the country that had a veterans bureau.
“They are helping veterans if they have a discrepancy in their rent or if somebody is trying to scam them, they’re there to protect the veteran,” he said.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
