Giving Back to Military Veterans through Charitable Events at CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE

Silent and Live Auctions, Rock Concert to Raise Funds for Call of Duty™ Endowment, Helping Get Veterans Back to Work
Did you know that unemployment among post-9/11 veterans remains 2.6 times greater than the national average? However according to a CEB Corporate Leadership Council analysis, veterans, on average, perform at higher levels and are less likely to turnover generating significant business outcomes.
My colleague Al Cervero shared in a blog post a few months ago about how our industry showed its passion and heart at AEM’s Annual Conference. . And now as we look ahead to CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017, the construction industry has an incredible opportunity to join together to help transform the lives of veterans in our communities. I want to challenge you to help change the veteran unemployment statistic and get our nation’s veterans back to work.
While our industry has given to numerous worthwhile causes over the years, in 2015 we collaborated with The Call Of Duty™ Endowment for the ICUEE Benefit Auction, raising more than $29,000 to help connect military veterans with quality jobs. Because many veterans work in the construction and manufacturing industries and the skill set they bring is a great fit for the many opportunities in our industry, CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE have teamed up again with the Endowment as the official charitable partner for the 2017 events slated for March 7-11th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE have several exciting fundraising events planned for the week. If you have not already done so, please plan to join me at a benefit concert featuring multi-platinum rock band, FOREIGNER, on Wednesday, March 8, hosted by Brooklyn Bowl and donated by the Terex Corporation.
You can reserve your spot with a suggested donation of $29 to the Call of Duty™ Endowment. Visit the show registration site to include your donation, and arrive with your registration badge to be guaranteed your spot. You can also bid on Meet & Greet packages to meet the band.
Additional fundraising events planned for the week include on-line silent and live auctions with 100 percent of auction proceeds aimed at helping military veterans find jobs. The benefit auction is presented with the support of J.J. Kane Auctioneers. All items up for bid will be available on the J.J. Kane online auction page,www.proxibid.com/ceca.
The online auction will end on Saturday, March 11 at 3:00 p.m. The live auction will take place on Thursday, March 9 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Tech Experience and will not have minimums or reserves (all items will be sold). Attendees or exhibitors wishing to donate an item to be auctioned can contact Grant Williams at 205-706-1389. All items up for bid will be available on the J.J. Kane online auction page,www.proxibid.com/ceca.
The Endowment has doubled down on its mission and set a new goal of placing 50,000 veterans in jobs by 2019. Together we can give back to the people who have sacrificed so much for each of us. Let’s show our military men and women how much our industry appreciates their service during CONEXPO-CON/AGG & IFPE and help The Call of Duty™ Endowment reach their goal and change that statistic.