by Bill Maddick
VETERAN ’ S CORNER
The Fourth Annual West Metro Veterans Fair
On September 20 , 2016 , from 13:00 hours until 17:00 hours , the fourth annual West Metro Veterans Fair will be held at the Elks Lakewood Lodge # 1777 , 1455 Newland Street , Lakewood . The purpose of the fair is to connect as many veterans as possible with the largest selection of veteran related vendors and service groups as possible . And this year there will be 39 vendors attending .
You wouldn ’ t think of a city municipal court as the most likely place to find a veteran ’ s charity but , in fact , this event has been sponsored and organized by Lakewood Municipal Court , which has also pioneered the Lakewood Municipal Court Veterans Program ( LMCVP ). The LMCVP provides a special court for veterans and their unique situations .
A driving force behind this development is Scott Hefty , Chief Probation Officer for Lakewood Municipal Court , himself a retired veteran of the 101st Airborne . Probation officers in Lakewood carry a case load of roughly two hundred probationers , so anything that can reduce the case load and increase efficiency is always welcome . Borrowing from a model utilized in several Colorado District Courts , Scott likewise proposed adopting a specialized court for veterans in Lakewood . A committee was formed , approval granted and now these services are provided , with Lakewood being a pioneer in implementing specialized veteran services at the municipal level . As Scott says , “ We don ’ t just jail folks , we try the holistic approach .” And with roughly a thousand probationers registered in Lakewood , the Lakewood Municipal Court Veterans Process ( LMCVP ) seems to be proving to be effective .
Last year , 160 veterans attended the West Metro Veterans Fair . And the planning and logistics for staging this event fell to a planning committee chaired by Norman Brisson , Court Administrator , Lakewood Municipal Court ( and included Scott ). The fair was a success with some thirty one Veteran Service Organizations serving 160 veteran attendees . The services represented ranged from homeless assistance to health benefits , from human services to jobs assistance , from personal counseling to a congressional representative ’ s office and from claims assistance to education ; plus everything in between . Complimentary grilled-to-order brats , dogs and hamburgers were served on the Elks Club patio and fittingly , the fair began with the posting of colors and the national anthem . It then remained busy for the next four hours . No personal statistics are available , so we can only hope that every one of the veterans who attended found the program helpful and received the assistance they deserve , and we can also hope that even more veterans will be served this year .
So the moral of the story is : You know how we love to hate government , especially when they raise our taxes or when a cop gives us a ticket ? You know how we love to hate bureaucrats , especially when a road doesn ’ t get repaired or we hear about a public official being charged with some crime like money laundering ? Well , I ’ m right there with you on that , and rightfully so . But I was quite surprised and impressed when I followed up on an email I received in the spam folder about a West Metro Veterans Fair . Whereupon I found that the Lakewood Municipal Court has a couple of government workers who are going out of their way to create something special for our veterans . I guess I must have known that there are always good people out there , but to find such charity in the court system was a major attitude adjustment for me . Who would have thought ?
At the least , I feel that Scott and Norm deserve a commendation for their effort and for their concern about veterans . The taxpayer is definitely getting their worth out of these guys . But more important ; it ’ s a victory if we can keep our veterans from winding up in court in the first place . So if you might know any veterans out there that are living on the edge , please do all you can to get them the support and assistance to which they are entitled . The Veterans Crisis line is ( 800 ) 273-8255 and is open 24 / 7 / 365 . Or call the US Veterans Affairs Department regional office in Lakewood at 303-393-2802 . Make the call . It could save a life or maybe even keep a veteran out of court . I ’ m sure that Scott and Norm would agree . www . thunderroadscolorado . com September 2016 Thunder Roads Magazine ® Colorado 29