PHOTO | Madison Starks
The Arkansas Tech University Office of Veteran Services is prepped and ready for some hungry Russellvillians.
Members of the office are currently promoting a Stoby’s pancake breakfast to support military-affiliated students and raise money for the Service Members and Veterans of America organization.
President Kolbey Wood, a graduate student from Clarksville, is one of the many Tech employees in the organization working to boost morale within the veteran community on campus . “As far as this organization goes, we took a hit during COVID. We are starting the drive to bring the population and involvement back up on campus,” Wood says.
Their most recent venture into veteran engagement takes form as a pancake breakfast at Stoby’s on Sunday, Oct. 30. The breakfast will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The timing of this breakfast is not coincidental, as Tech’s Military Appreciation football game takes place one day prior to the breakfast. Working in conjunction with Stoby’s, the Office of Veteran Services is selling tickets from now until the end of the Military Appreciation football game on Saturday, Oct. 29.
According to Wood, all proceeds of the breakfast will be given to The Service Members and Veterans of America organization. The money will be used to fund a national convention that will aid in the direction and expansion of the organization.
“Instead of just meeting up and eating every so often, we want our members to be active. A lot of us are young and able, and we want to help the community more than anything else. We are going to take a more philanthropic approach and direct the money toward the growth of our organization,” Wood said.
“Our main goal is to do a lot of cool stuff for military-affiliated students around campus. We try to make sure they’re involved and we do a little bit of recruiting out on the town as well,” Mason Condley, a junior social studies education major from Appleton, and secretary of SMVA, said.
Although Condley, a veteran, and Wood, a current service member, are primarily focused on this upcoming event, there are a few projects they say are “in the works.” A weight-lifting competition, a 5K for the fallen, and a sunrise workout atop Mount Nebo are among the many things that this office has planned for military-affiliated engagement in the upcoming months.
Currently, the organization is not only selling tickets to the breakfast, but also looking for student volunteers to work the event. A signup link can be accessed upon request. “All you can eat” $5 tickets are being sold now, and those interested in either can reach out to Kolbey Wood via email or phone, at [email protected] and 479-774-9411.
