Meredith Veterans Day Event Scheduled for November 9

Meredith College will hold its annual Honoring Women Veterans event on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016, at 10 a.m. in Jones Chapel.

The keynote speaker will be Rear Admiral Christina M. “Tina” Alvarado, Deputy Chief, Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) Reserve Policy and Integration.

Rear Admiral Alvarado was the first nurse to command Naval Reserve (NR) Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) Dallas One, a commissioned unit whose mission is expeditionary medicine. Alvarado began her Navy Reserve career as a direct commissioned officer and attended school at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. She was called to active duty from 1990-91 in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and served in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md. In January 2002, she was again called to active duty in support of Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom. She has held a variety of leadership positions including officer in charge, executive officer, administrative officer, and training officer.

Veterans Day Service Projects
In addition to the commemoration event, Meredith College is also sponsoring service projects to honor veterans.

Holiday Cards: Create holiday cards for the troops. Visit the lobby of the Cate Student Center from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. through November 18 to make cards that will be sent to service members through the American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes Program.

USO Rack Packs – Donate items for USO Rack Packs until November 18. These bags are placed on the rack (bed) of service members upon their return from overseas deployments. These packs provide basic necessities needed for the first 48 hours after returning home. Items for donation are listed at the collection sites in Belk, Library, Cate/Park, and Lux, with the most requested items listed below.

• Toothbrushes (Individually wrapped)
• Travel size toothpaste
• Shave Gel Packets (No alcohol or aerosol)
• Travel Sizes of Body Wash (for men & women), Shampoo, Conditioner
• Stick Deodorant (For men and women, no aerosol)
• Gum/Snack Items (i.e. jerky, nuts, cookies, crackers, chips, etc.) Please consider shelf life and potential to melt (chocolate), since the packs may be used up in a week, or may wait for a month for troops to arrive.