When Alex Pino returned home from his last deployment to Iraq in 2008, after having served his country both as a Naval 3rd Class Officer and an Army Specialist, he discovered that he had come back to a host of financial troubles.
"When I came back, I was foodless, jobless, and just about homeless," Pino said. "It was a very difficult time for me and my family."
Looking for any kind of assistance, Pino came to the G.I. Go Fund Veterans Transition Center, a veterans' office located right in Newark's City Hall which had just opened its doors a few weeks before he came. He was not exactly sure what they would be able to assist him with, since he had so many different problems facing him and his family. As it turned out, though, they were ready to assist him with everything.
"They provided job references, meal tickets, gifts cards, and practically a roof over my head for me and my family," said Pino, now working in the Hudson County Sherriff's Office. "They really stepped up to the plate for us."
Pino's story is just one of the thousands of veterans who have received help since Mayor Cory A. Booker and The G.I. Go Fund forged an historic and unique partnership that established The G.I. Go Veterans Transition Center three years ago. Since then, the office has successfully helped veterans and their family members from all across Newark and the state of New Jersey with comprehensive services to help them in their return back to civilian life.
"For three years, the G.I. Go Veterans Transition Center has assisted thousands of veterans from across our City and region to get the benefits they are entitled to and the support and love they deserve," Booker said. "The G.I. Go Veterans Transition Center manifests our love and support for the men and women who sacrificed to protect the freedom and liberty we enjoy. We are doing a lot for veterans through the Fund and we will do more and expand our programs."
"This landmark partnership has proven to be the most comprehensive and effective way to assist all of our veterans and their families with all the needs that may arise," said G.I. Go Fund Executive Director Jack Fanous. "Three years ago, Mayor Booker and I had a vision; to show America a new approach to handling veterans and to have a program that could serve as a model that could, as Mayor Booker said, become abundantly available to veterans in cities throughout the country. Under Mayor Booker's leadership, we have learned to think outside the box, cut through the red tape, and just help veterans."
The G.I. Go Veterans Transition Center of Newark is a non-profit office, which provides and coordinates a vast array of services and support to veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Currently operating from a centralized location in Newark City Hall, The G.I. Go Veterans Transition Center provides veterans with securing employment, education advancement, homelessness assistance, and connections to essential VA benefits. The center's opening three years ago was unique, as it is the first-ever partnership between a municipality and a non-governmental organization (NGO) to support veterans and address their issues in the nation's history.
This historic three-year partnership was celebrated at the G.I. Go Fund Veterans Day Gala on November 11th, where Booker was presented with the "Innovation in Veterans Services" Award for all the great work that the organization has been able to achieve joining the City of Newark in 2008.
Since opening its doors three years ago in Newark, The G.I. Go Fund has worked everyday to connect veterans with all the tools they need to ensure a successful return from combat for themselves and their families. Through the years, over 3,000 veterans from across the state and City have attended G.I. Go Job and GI Bill Fairs, taking the opportunity to meet with hundreds of different employers as they search for work to provide for themselves and their families.
Among the thousands of veterans who benefited from their Job and GI Bill Fairs were Marine Sgt. Joe Pace, who served three tours of duty in Iraq before returning home in 2009 to his wife and young daughter. He was unemployed for months, struggling to pay the rent or provide for his family.
"It was a difficult time for all of us," Pace said. "I came home and immediately I was struggling. I needed a job, but for months I just couldn't find one."
After months of unemployment, Pace attended the G.I. Go Fund's Job Fair in NJIT of Newark. There, he met dozens of prospective employers looking to hire veterans. Among those companies was PSE&G, who were looking to find highly skilled and well-disciplined individuals to their workforce, traits that Joe and all his fellow military members possess.
"I talked to PSE&G for a while that day, they really seemed impressed with what I could bring to the company," he said. "They called me up a few days later and offered me a job. Now I've been with the company for almost three years now, working every day to provide for me and my family, and it's been great."
In addition to offering employment opportunities, The G.I. Go Fund has assisted veterans in utilizing their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to enroll into college, giving them the chance to earn the degree that will land them the career of their dreams. Veterans are given the opportunity to learn just how beneficial earning a degree at G.I. Go's Job and GI Bill Fair, as well as through their quarterly magazine, The G.I. Go Fund Transition Times, which highlights to its veteran-readership all the advantages that come with the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
The G.I. Go Fund has also been a leader on ending homelessness among veterans, conducting numerous Stand Downs for Homeless Veterans with various partners throughout the state. The latest one, which was held on Saturday, October 15, turned the John F. Kennedy Recreational Center into a one-day, one-stop center for homeless veterans from across North Jersey, providing them with haircuts, medical checks, and assistance about employment services, veterans' benefits, substance abuse programs, vocational rehabilitation, recovery programs, hospice care, HIV screening, and legal services.
In addition, the organization has conducted Midnight Outreach Events in partnership with the Mayor's Council on the Homeless, going to Penn Station, Newark Liberty Airport, and deep through the woods and under bridges at 4 a.m. to reach out to homeless veterans to conduct intake as well as provide them with food, clothing, medical assistance, and opportunities to find housing.
Through their efforts, the G.I. Go Fund has won the respect and appreciation of veterans from Newark and across New Jersey, as they have shown that they are a complete one-stop shop for veterans and their families.
"They provide their professional care, they will work with the veteran every step of the way with whatever their needs are," Pino said. "No matter what the need that a veteran has, whether its employment, housing, going to school, or financial problems in general The G.I. Go Fund does a great job in helping out in any way possible. Their organization is second to none."
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