The Simpson College Veterans Club began this year after seeing a lack of recognition for those on campus who have served in the military.
“Last year, when I started college at Simpson, I noticed that Veterans Day was not celebrated, let alone even mentioned. It bothered me,” senior Lauren Wilgenbusch said. “I am not someone who has to be recognized for my service, but I thought that Veterans Day was important enough to be at least mentioned. This is part of the reason why I wanted to start this club.”
Celebrated annually on Nov. 11, Veterans Day falls on a Saturday this year, and Wilgenbusch has high hopes that her new club will help spark more conversation around the reason for the holiday.
“Our club is still pretty new, but we are trying to establish meetings once per month where we talk about our lives, challenges, achievements, etc. The goal of the club is to create a community of students who have served in the military, are currently serving, or have family and friends who serve in the military. So, in short, we just hang out,” Wilgenbusch said.
Another member of the club, junior Sabrina Baker, said, “The Veteran’s Club is important to me not only because of the people in the club, but our purpose and our message as a group. This group started to give students who are serving, or have served, the support to succeed in college.”
As a college student working full time, it can be a struggle to find where you fit best on campus. Whether you are working for the government, in a small-town restaurant, or in an office behind a desk, we can all appreciate the hard work it takes to get through school.
“We want to create a community of students who share similar backgrounds and understand our unique situation,” Wilgenbusch said. “Also, we want to ensure that we are all using our benefits properly and getting full use of them. The different branches of the military and their status dictate what education benefits they can use. I was hoping as a group we could all share and learn information we don’t know about.”
In addition to creating a tight-knit community within the club, “Once a year around Veterans Day, the club will invite a speaker and have a fundraiser to raise money for an organization that benefits Veterans,” Wilgenbusch said.
This year the club will host Colonel Charles Lampe on Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. in Hubbell Hall.
“We would love to help spread the word, so we have many people come to listen to him and his family speak. Also, on the 11th of November, we are honoring Veterans at the last home football game. Service members and their families get free admission,” Wilgenbusch said.
Baker also wants students to know that “if someone were wanting to join our club, it’s important to know that it’s not limited to students who are currently in the service. Being a part of the Veterans Club is about growing support systems for our military members and actively staying involved in ways we can help them.”
Every student on Simpson’s campus is looking for their own group of people whom they can bond, connect, and relax with, and that is exactly what the Veterans Club is all about.
If you are interested in joining the club or learning more about what they do, you can direct your questions to [email protected].
