Tyler nonprofits provide breakfast, conversation, resources for veterans

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Tyler nonprofits have come together to provide services, socialization, and support for those who have served, and are serving, their country.

“It just seems when you get out of the military, a lot of people just don’t understand your life,” said veteran wife, Vicki Patzold.

She is also the Digital Marketing Specialist for CampV. Part of their mission is to bridge the gap between civilian and military populations. Every Wednesday they host a breakfast, from 10 to 11 a.m. for people to come together.

“Veterans have their own unique lifestyle, we have our own history, everybody has kind of done the same thing but in different locations of the world,” Patzold said. “It’s just a great place for the veterans to come together and feel like they’re around their kind.”

At the gatherings they have resources, speakers, games, and more. Today Veda MacGregor the founder and executive director of the Belief Center shared some of their services, including a new course, Hearts for Heroes.

“The heroes class is a clinically substantiated class, meaning we have a licensed therapist that is advising us all the way,” MacGregor said. “We go to our jobs and we don’t have the same issues at our jobs that military people have with theirs. They’re literally taught they’re married to their job.”

CampV partners with The Green Zone and Andrew’s Center to provide help with paperwork, job searching, and more for veterans.

“What CampV has done by opening this campus and housing so many of these services, it’s a one stop shop,” MacGregor said.

“We invite everyone, we really do. I mean it’s primarily veterans, veteran dependents, so spouses and children, but at the same time we often open our doors to the community,” Patzold said. “Because there’s a lot of people that we feel just do not understand the military as a whole.”

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