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Spartanburg veteran starts organization to help others

Herald-Journal - 10/26/2016

Oct. 26--Spartanburg veteran John Bryant knows firsthand the challenges fellow veterans face when trying to find needed resources and information.

Bryant, a retired U.S. Army major who served from 1977 until 1995, said the difficulties can be as basic as knowing who to contact to get an ID.

"Veterans have a need that's really not being addressed at this point," he said. "You talk to them and they're frustrated because they don't know what their benefits are and they can't find anybody to explain that to them. And they don't know where to go to find out information."

In response, Bryant has founded the Veteran Services Commission, an organization that will focus on providing supportive information and access to veterans and their families. The organization received its 501(c)3 designation in July and is preparing to open its Spartanburg office this week.

"It almost takes a veteran to help a veteran," he said. "They understand and they care -- it's an instant brotherhood."

Bryant, who owns Carolina Best Convenience Store at 2040 S. Church St. Ext., is renovating the convenience store's adjoining storefront for the office space.

The organization plans to consolidate all state veteran information for services under one mobile-based platform to allow veterans better access to available resources, he said. The organization will point veterans in the right direction for outreach programs, educational opportunities, job readiness training, financial budgeting, health care assistance and various other services.

"Every veteran is unique," Bryant said. "Their benefits are unique to them based on what they did, when they served and what may have happened to them."

Bryant is self-funding the organization and said there will be no charge to veterans seeking the organization's assistance. The organization is accepting donations and seeking volunteers to work at the office, he said.

"We need to be able to answer veterans' questions and put them on the right path," Bryant said. "We'll have computers set up that they can use if they come here, but we're going to create access to the information on mobile devices like their smartphones."

The Veteran Services Commission will have a ribbon-cutting at 1 p.m. Thursday at the new office space.

The organization will host its inaugural "Reinvest in Veterans" event Nov. 5 to share how it can help veterans find resources. More information on the event can be found at www.veteranservicescommission.org.

Spartanburg County Councilman Michael Brown, whose district includes the new organization, said his father and several family members are veterans and he thinks the Veteran Services Commission will be a good thing.

"I'm so very thankful that we have this organization coming forth to do something for those who have given so much for this country and our freedom," Brown said. "We can't forget those who have given us so much. Anything that's going to help the veterans, I certainly stand and applaud those efforts."

Follow Alyssa Mulliger on Twitter @AMulligerSHJ

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