SALEM -- Female veterans from every branch of military service and of all ages and backgrounds will converge on the new Pendleton Convention Center for the first ever Tri-State Women Veterans’ Conference, April 18-19.
 
Co-sponsored by the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs (ODVA), the conference is for female veterans from Oregon, Washington and Idaho. It will serve as both an educational tool and a celebration of the service and sacrifices of women veterans throughout history.
 
A variety of workshops dealing with veterans’ benefits, entitlements, women’s health issues and employment/job-seeking tips will be offered.
 
Jim Willis, the Director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and a U.S. Air Force veteran, said the conference is a unique opportunity to bring these women together and for building camaraderie among these veterans of all eras. 
 
“Many women veterans are unaware of the benefits they earned as a result of their service. It is a vital forum for providing important veterans’ benefit information. The previous conferences held in 2004 and 2006 in Oregon resulted in women veterans receiving thousands of dollars in disability compensation and other benefits,” Willis said.
 
Several dynamic speakers will be featured including the conference’s keynote speaker, Bob Welch, author of American Nightingale—the story of Frances Slanger, Forgotten Heroine of Normandy.
 
There is no charge to attend the conference however, pre-registration is required. The deadline to pre-register is March 14.
 
Conference check-in will begin on-site at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 18. The event will be Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a copy of their DD Form 214 or other proof of military service with them to the conference.
 
For more information about the conference or to register you may visit the ODVA website at www.oregon.gov/ODVA/wvc.shtml or call toll-free within Oregon 1-800-828-8801 ext. 2264 or 2090. Women veterans in Washington should call 360-725-2157, and in Idaho, 208-334-1245.
 
The Pendleton Convention Center is located at 1601 Westgate, take exit 207 off Interstate 84. Their phone number is 1-800-863-9358 or 541-276-6569 or you can visit their website at http://www.pendleton.or.us/PCC/PCC/pcc%20enter%20page.htm.

 

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