City of Hopewell Earns Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Certification

City Officials Presented With Certificate Honoring Commitment to Hiring Veterans

 At Ceremony in Historic Beacon Theatre

(Hopewell, Va.) Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Carlos Hopkins has announced that the City of Hopewell has earned the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certification for its commitment to hiring military veterans.

Secretary Hopkins made the announcement at a special ceremony held February 28 at The Beacon Theatre in Hopewell where he presented the certification to Hopewell City Manager John “March” Altman, Jr., Hopewell Vice Mayor Jasmine Gore, Assistant City Manager Charles Dane and other local and state government officials.

“Today, I am pleased to announce that the City of Hopewell has been recognized as a V3 certified employer,” Secretary Hopkins said. “The city government joins over 1,000 other private employers, state and local governments, colleges and universities across the Commonwealth who have committed to helping assure that those who served our Nation find jobs in the civilian workforce as they transition from active duty.”

“Virginia is home to over 725,000 veterans and with the unique skills and training they received while serving our country, these men and women can be an enormous asset to the employers, such as the City of Hopewell, that hire them,” the Secretary said. “The V3 Program is just another example of our continued efforts to assure that Virginia is the best state in America for veterans and their families to live, work and thrive.”

“We are honored to be recognized as a V3 certified employer.  This recognition is in keeping with the City’s long history with the military, and our dedication to the men and women who have served our country and their families; and the sacrifices that they have made so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have,” said Hopewell City Manager John Altman.  “This certification is the result of the efforts of our dedicated human resources staff and the City’s desire to assist the many veterans in our region in their transition to the civilian workforce. The City of Hopewell is proud to be a part of the Governor’s efforts to be a veteran friendly state.”

Virginia Values Veterans (V3) is an innovative program administered by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) that works with companies and state and local governmental agencies across the Commonwealth to promote the recruitment, hiring, and retention of military veterans in the Virginia workforce. Since its inception in 2012, more than 31,000 veterans have been hired as a result of the efforts of the V3 program and its partner employers.

“The V3 Program has been, and continues to be, successful in its mission of hiring veterans, but it can’t be emphasized enough that the reason for its success is the true commitment of the over 1,000 corporate and government partner employers throughout the state,” said Steven Combs, Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, who joined Secretary Hopkins at the ceremony. V3 is a true public-private partnership and Virginia is fortunate to have partners such as the City of Hopewell that are committed to finding, hiring and retaining veterans for their organizations.”

About VDVS

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) operates 30 benefit offices throughout the state that assist military veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; two long-term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing care, Alzheimer’s/memory care, and short-term rehabilitative care for veterans; and three cemeteries that provide an honored final resting place for veterans and their families.  DVS provides veterans and family members with direct linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education and other programs.  The Department also operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s monument to honor the memory and sacrifice of Virginia’s men and women who served and fought to defend our way of life from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.

About the City of Hopewell, Virginia

Hopewell is an independent, historic, riverfront city located at the confluence of the James and Appomattox Rivers, adjacent to Fort Lee Combined Arms Support Command (CASOM).  Hopewell is centrally located and is only 21 miles south of Richmond, Virginia and approximately 130 miles south of Washington, D.C.  Hopewell is the second oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United States (Jamestown is the first).  As of 2016, the City’s population 22,332.  The City of Hopewell has been called the “Wonder City” because of its resiliency and tendency to bounce back. Despite many past challenges, including the loss of the industry that initially built the City, and a fire that all but destroyed it in 1915, in 2016, Hopewell celebrated 100 years of incorporation.  The City is currently in the middle of another renaissance and enjoying economic growth and prosperity resulting from the revitalization of its downtown and riverfront. Hopewell is still the Wonder City! For more info, visit www.hopewellva.gov.