Veteran support is topic of November Engage Breakfast Series

"We are just so very grateful to have the opportunity to present this breakfast series, as a part of our not-for-profit mission, of developing a pipeline of trained, passionate and excited community and civic leaders," Leadership Austin CEO Heather McKissick said.

The panel included Kopser; state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-District 26; Allen Bergron, veterans consultant with the City of Austin; and Steven Pullin, veteran advocate with the VA Heart of Texas Healthcare Network. KXAN-TV anchor Shannon Wolfson moderated the discussion.

One issue that rose to the forefront of the panelists' discussion was employment. Bergron said the city has made a concerted effort to provide employment and assistance to veterans looking for jobs or looking to start their own business.

"Right now, if you look at all the major cities throughout the country, employment is the No. 1 issue facing veterans today, especially Iraq and Afghanistan veterans," Bergron said.

Bergron said the city created a veterans preference program in 2009 and has now hired more than 1,500 veterans. He said the city hires between five to seven veterans a month.

Pullin, who served in the Army and was medically discharged after being injured by an IED in 2003 in Iraq, agreed that employment was a large component in helping veterans get back on their feet, both financially and mentally. He said not being able to find a job or a job that pays adequately greatly affects a veteran's state of mind.

"That's a huge strike," Pullin said. "It strikes at the very core of the person. You feel like you go a hero, a defender of a nation, to a zero."

Panelists said even though Central Texas supports veterans, more can be done to continue to assist veteran causes.

"You can [support veterans] one of three ways," Kopser said. "Your time, your talent and your treasure—there are all kinds of organizations you can plug into based on your personality and based on your personal circle of friends."

Van de Putte said addressing homelessness among the veteran population is a high priority for her. She said San Antonio has a program called Haven for Hope, which provides education and housing to the homeless to help them redirect their lives.

"If you want to have a little shelter, then that's fine," Van de Putte said. "You're just going to keep cycling those [veterans] through there in your homeless population. You have to have something as a community that's transformational for those veterans and their lives."

Pullin said the adage "It takes a village to raise a child" applies to veterans as well.

"It takes a community to bring a veteran home. It's not just one organization, one entity, one government program. It takes everyone: the employer; if the person is spiritual, it takes the religious component; it takes all those things. It takes all those key components to make a person successful."

The next installment of the Engage Breakfast Series is scheduled for Dec. 4 from 7:30–9 a.m. in the Kodosy Lounge at The Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W. Riverside Drive.. The topic is planned to be about philanthropy in Central Texas. Tickets are $25 with a discount available for Leadership Austin Alumni Association members.