(Notre Dame Army ROTC graduate, and current Davidson Assistant Men's Basketball Coach, Kevin Kuwik (left) with fellow Notre Dame alum Ed Voelsing (right) after the December 2019 Uptown Veterans Lunch.) CHARLOTTE, NC (February 25, 2019) – Veterans Bridge Home has announced their inaugural Veteran of the Month recipient, Ed Voelsing, Naval Warfare Officer, founder and partner of the Rivet Group and the Veterans Uptown Lunch. Veterans Bridge Home would like to congratulate and recognize Ed Voelsing as the inaugural Veteran of the Month. Ed, a former Naval Surface Warfare Officer, who worked in the talent acquisition field after his service. He is now the Founder and Managing Partner of The Rivet Group, an executive search and career coaching firm in Charlotte. Many of you may know Ed as one of the founders of the Uptown Veterans Lunch and have seen him holding the microphone during the many years he served as the emcee at those events. The Uptown Lunch has been a cornerstone of Veterans life in Charlotte since Ed and Cindi Basenspiler started it nearly a decade ago at Dilworth Neighborhood Grill. In 2017 the average attendance for the lunch outgrew Dilworth Neighborhood Grill and moved across the street to the Fellowship Hall at Covenant Presbyterian Church to accommodate the 50-90 Veterans who attend this event on the second Wednesday of every month. Over the course of those years, the event has grown and been a place where hundreds of Veterans new to this community are able to meet one another and start their transition journey. Part networking, part fellowship, and now part entertainment, the lunch has set the conditions for successful Veteran transitions by being a place where friendships are made, business cards are exchanged, and job offers have been facilitated. Those of us who made job contacts at that lunch owe a debt of gratitude to Ed and Cindi for keeping this important event alive and successful for so long. In addition to creating the Uptown Lunch and starting his own business, Ed has spent almost eight years an adult leader in the Boy Scouts of America, including service as Scoutmaster for Troop 48 in Concord. He has also been a great resource to our organization, by making Veterans in transition aware of the organizations in the community that are there to serve them and their families. At Veterans Bridge Home we say that we are helping strengthen our community, one Veteran at a time. And Ed is one more example of the kind of strength we receive when welcome Veterans and their families here. So, on behalf of the Charlotte-area Veterans community, we humbly thank you for your previous military service and continued service to our community. Congratulations on being named the very first Veterans Bridge Home Veteran of the Month. For additional information or to schedule interviews, contact Steven Cole, VP of Advancement, Veterans Bridge Home 703-835-2826 scole@veteransbridgehome.org About Veterans Bridge Home Veterans Bridge Home (VBH) helps Charlotte-area Veterans successfully transition home after military service by offering employment and mental health services, along with networking and fellowship opportunities. Through NCServes, the VBH team can address additional needs such as education or housing, and connect them to available community, state, and federal resources. For more information about our mission and what we do, visit www.veteransbridgehome.org.
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