Vets Serving Vets

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 8, 2012 2:22 PM (DOWNLOAD PDF VERSION) 
CONTACT: SCOTT MCCASKEY, GOLDMAN & ASSOCIATES, 757-625-2518
CONTACT: AUDREY KNOTH, GOLDMAN & ASSOCIATES, 757-625-2518

Student Vets at Culinary School to Treat Wounded Warriors to Special Meal

Norfolk, VA - "Service is what the military is about," says retired U.S. Air Force Major Wade O'Neill and chef instructor at ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia (CIV) in Norfolk. "And it's literally going to be vets serving vets when we welcome wounded warriors from the VA Medical Center in Hampton for a very special meal."

CIV student veterans, staff and members of the general student body will prepare, serve and share fellowship with 30 veterans from the hospital at the school's "Dining for Veterans" day on February 22. O'Neill in January helped establish a Student Veterans of America Chapter at CIV. This will be the inaugural event.

"We have many veterans here at CIV and the military medical community has found that the best group rehabilitation practices are activities of veterans with other veterans," O'Neill says. "They relate more easily with one another and that helps move the healing process forward."

Lunch will begin at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 at the CIV campus at 2428 Almeda Ave. in Norfolk. The media is invited to attend.

The mission of Student Veterans of America is to provide military veterans with the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and following graduation. Nearly a third of CIV's students are former or current military. O'Neill, 54 and a Hampton resident, served for 22 years in Europe, the Middle East and stateside, doing tours in the First Gulf War and Kosovo. During his time as squadron commander he was often in charge of dining, recreational and hospitality facilities and services for large numbers of troops. He also has had a lifelong passion for cuisine, holds a degree in culinary arts and has been working at CIV for a little over a year. He says the Dining for Veterans menu will feature a variety of dishes with an international theme.

"For most of us, being part of the military was a calling; there was a need to serve our country, to make a meaningful contribution," O'Neill says. "So it should come as no surprise to see veterans choosing to pursue a second career in the hospitality industry, continuing a tradition of service, now serving our community and our fellow veterans."

CIV, ECPI University's School of Culinary Arts, offers students a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Food Service Management, as well as an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Culinary Arts for students seeking culinary careers.

About The Culinary Institute of Virginia

Culinary Institute of Virginia, the School of Culinary Arts at ECPI College of Technology, opened for enrollment in fall 2006. Graduates can earn an Associate of Applied Science degree in culinary science in less than two years. The curriculum offers a European educational model that combines classroom instruction with hands-on [ Continue Reading... ]

About ECPI University

ECPI University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate, baccalaureate, and masters degrees and diploma programs. With campuses in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, ECPI, a private university established in 1966, offers convenient classes during the day, evening, [ Continue Reading... ]

FILED UNDER: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, CULINARY INSTITUTE OF VIRGINIA, MILITARY, PRESS RELEASES

Release Date:
Wednesday, February 8, 2012