Councilwoman appointed to veterans board
By Savannah Chastain
Published: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 15:57 PM.
City councilwoman Prebble Ramswell has been chosen for the inaugural board of Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., a nonprofit corporation funded by the Florida GI Bill that serves to promote the state as veteran-friendly to both retired and recently separated military personnel.
This is a tremendous honor, Ramswell said. Im so happy, and Im proud to be able to give back to all our military and our veterans; anything I can do to help give back to them is just an honor to me.
Ramswell was appointed by Florida Senate President, Don Gaetz as one of nine members to hold a four-year position on the new board.
“In Florida, we know that our military bases and missions are critical to the nation’s security and Florida’s economy,” said Gaetz. “We also know military members, their spouses, their children and retirees from all services add strength, character, diversity and quality to our communities, our neighborhoods and our schools.
One of the main focuses of the nonprofit will be to focus on the skill sets the veterans already obtain, and offer training to help channel those skills into civilian and entrepreneurial job opportunities.
I hope to really see an increase in the families that come here and for them to look at Florida more as a place to live and work, and not just a place to retire, Ramswell said. One of our chief responsibilities is to attract the military and its veterans to the area. Its a great place to retire with these families.
To date, the non-profit has not held any formal meetings, but Ramswell told The Log that she is eager to get involved.
I am a voting member so anything that comes before us, I will have a voting say on what we will and wont approve, she said.
When asked if the non-profit would be compiling a list of regional veteran resources to appeal to newcomers, Ramswell said, It will be a process, but one we are very anxious to get into.
Ramswell told The Log that the first meeting of the new board will happen after the busy summer tourist season, but she is excited to show what Destin has to offer to veterans.
Its just such a tremendous opportunity for our community and for our military veterans. We are not just helping one aspect of the community, but the entire nation benefits from our military.
Tags: Veterans News
