Veterans Memorial Stadium holds Stand Down event

Veterans Memorial Stadium held the Five Seasons Stand Down event for homeless and non-homeless veterans and non-veterans on Friday, Sept. 9 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Thanks to the support of the Linn County Department of Veterans Affairs, in partnership with Cedar Rapids Metro Area Veterans Council, the Iowa City VA Medical Center, and Continuum of Care, the event is now in its sixth year.

The Five Seasons Stand Down helps homeless and near-homeless citizens adjust to community living by providing access to human service agencies, including housing, employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, VA, and Social Security benefits counseling, clothing vouchers, haircuts and eye exams. Approximately 40 service agencies participated in this year's Stand Down and several of them offered classes to Stand Down attendees.

Stand Downs have played a big part in communities all across the United States. The very first Stand Down was organized in 1988 by a group of Vietnam Veterans in San Diego. Since then, Stand Downs have been used as an integral device in reaching out to homeless Veterans, reaching more than 200,000 Veterans and their family members between 1994-2000.

Those looking for more information about the Five Seasons Stand Down can call (319) 892-5160.