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Dear Veteran, Military & First responder Supporter:
Hello, my name is Don Hawkins, and I am now the Co-Chairman of The Mayors’ Advisory Council for Veterans (MACV) and the President of Veterans Support Council, Inc. (VSC). Our groups have promoted the Mayors’ Veterans Appreciation Day event for nine (9) years in a row, starting in 2011. MACV-VSC did not have an event in 2020-2021 & 2022 because of the COVID-19 virus. Beginning in 2023, we are changing the event’s name to “Hoosier Heroes Appreciation Day” (HHAD), which will include the acknowledgment and appreciation for our First Responders for apparent reasons.
This information aims to inform you and your organization of the below proposal. At this time, no one has agreed to do anything in writing. This information is just a fact-finding proposal to find out who is interested or who is not interested in working with VSC on this project. We are also looking for your suggestions or criticism of this proposal.
This Hoosier Heroes Appreciation Day event would celebrate all of Indiana’s Veterans, Active-Duty Military, and First Responders such as; Police Officers, Sheriffs, Firefighters & EMS personnel, Doctors, Nurses, Care Givers, etc. It would be a FREE event for all our Hoosier Heroes and their families. In our opinion, the men and women who work for these organizations are the true Heroes in our Hoosier State that must be acknowledged and celebrated annually to let them know we appreciate them.
This project will take an enormous effort, with several groups working together to recognize and support our Hoosier Heroes and their families. With all the resources within the Indianapolis area, it should be no problem if we have the desire to show our Hoosier Heroes our support and appreciation.
Date: Saturday the 23rd of September in 2023 – Personally, I would like to see the fourth Saturday of each September be an Official Day for our Hoosier Heroes Appreciation Event.
Place: White River State Park because of its existing facilities and central location. Plus, it would be an excellent opportunity to spotlight Indiana’s great new facility in Downtown Indy..
Times: From 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM (concert 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM)
What areas of the State should we invite: All (Arm bands will be used to identify our Heroes from our neighborhood guests)
Who is welcome to attend: Everyone will be welcome to attend. Different color Arm bands will be issued to our Military, Veterans and First Responders at the check-in area to identify those that are entitled for their FREE food, entertainment, drawings, etc.
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Proposed Supporters & Sponsors:
1) Veterans Support Council & MACV
2) State of Indiana
3) City of Indianapolis
4) IN Department of Veterans Affairs
5) IN Department of Workforce Development
6) Marion County Sheriff’s Department
7) Indianapolis Police Department
8) Indianapolis Fire Department
9) Indianapolis EMS
10) Veteran Support Groups – American Legion, DAV, VFW, National Guard, etc.
11) Branches of Military Service
12) Indy Sports Teams
Still looking for Suggestions on this topic
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We would invite all:
1) Components of our Active/ Guard and Reserve Military Services (City, State & Federal)
- Veterans Organizations
- Veterans Service Organizations
- Veterans Service Providers
2) Components of our Fire Departments
- Firefighters
- Firefighters Service Providers
3) Components of our Police Departments
- City & County Police Officers
- Sheriffs
- State Police
- Police Service Providers
4) Components of our EMS
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Caregivers
- Ambulance services
- EMS Service Providers
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Proposed Events for the Day:
Instead of putting all these events on from scratch, we would try to get existing shows and events to change their booking dates to our event date if possible. For events like the motorcycle ride, car show, and concerts they use to bring in money, we would negotiate some type of income sharing if necessary. Still open to suggestions here.
1) A program celebrating our Hoosier Heroes (Speakers, Acknowledgments, Accomplishments, Awards, etc.)
2) FREE lunch for our Heroes and their Families after the program
3) Other food vendors with other food and drinks for sale would also be available
4) Vendors/Exhibitors and Service Providers that offer goods, services, benefits, and ???
5) Workshops on learning what others are doing
6) Free Concert (big name, country or patriot group) in the evening or late afternoon
7) A two or three local bands playing throughout the day near the bridge on the way to the Zoo
8) Job / Career Fair
9) Playground & games for the kids on the Washington St bridge on the way to the Zoo
10) Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show - On the Bridge
11) Motorcycle Ride
12) Competitive activities
13) Sports Celebrities, Cheerleaders & Mascots (football, baseball, hockey, soccer, etc.) for the kids
14) Entertainment and events for the kids (games, bounce houses, sports, etc.)
15) POW/MIA Program
16) Door Prizes all-day
17) We will be developing Hoosier Heroes Appreciation Awards for each group
18) We are asking national groups that help Veterans and First Responders, like Tunnel 4 Towers, Wonunded Wariers, Folds of Honor, etc., to participate in our event if they are available.
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Vendor’s Tables (will be available for a minimum table & chair fee):
Any organizations that offer goods, services, support,& benefits to our Hoosier Heroes and their Families will be invited to participate if they want to share their resources and information at our event.
1) Government – Federal, State & Local
2) For Profit business
3) Non-Profit organizations
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Corporate Sponsors & Donors (we would put out a book/program with sponsors ads like the American Legion does every year):
1) Banks
2) Utilities
3) TV & Radio Stations
4) Auto Dealers
5) Supermarkets
6) Pharmaceutical
7) Beer & Wine Distributors
8) Building Supply Companies
9) Soft Drink Distributors
10) Manufacturers
Still looking for Suggestions on this topic
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As we hear from the above organizations, we will add more information on any suggestions or ideas they/you may want to add.
We have incorporated the name “Hoosier Heroes Appreciation Day, Inc.” (HHAD) as a non-profit Indiana Corporation. It is 100% owned by Vetereans Support Council, Inc. (VSC), the organization responsible for raising the monies for the Mayors’ Veterans Appreciation Day event for the last five (5) years.
We have also secured the web addresss www.HoosierHeroesAppreciationDay.com & www.HoosierHeroes.net which is currently directed to a separate page on our website. As this project develops, we will post that information on that web page.
Veterans Support Council (VSC) is he fiduciary for our Hoosier Heroes Appreciation Day (HHAD) event. All checks for donations should be made out to "VSC d/b/a HHAD" and mailed to Veterans Support Council, Inc. 2457 E Washington St, Suite F, Indianapolis, IN 46201
Please call me at 317-632-0500 or email me at Hawkins@Veterans.ooo with any ideas or suggestions you may have.
Sincerely,
Don Hawkins
President of VSC
Chairman of HHAD Planning Committee
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