(Photo by: Shayna Mitchell.)

Spring has sprung and it is time to give your car the spring cleaning it deserves. The JC Student Veterans of America is partnering with Waterway to offer discounted passes for $25 from March 1 to March 31. Veteran Student Ambassador Ryan Weber told us, “You buy a ticket from us[…] and it just gives us part of the funds so we can put that towards further events.” 

The JC SVA has indeed a lot going on, starting with their Wednesday Fun Run. 

“A big goal for us is mental health. A lot of veterans, a lot of military affiliated, struggle with it,” Weber said. “Whether that be trauma related, or just moving, you move every 2-3 years, it’s not the easiest thing. And then every time you move, you have to rebuild that group. We believe firmly that physical health is directly related to mental health. Running helps clear your head. We start every run by just talking to each other, trying to build up a team, and then after the run’s completed, we’ll sit around for a bit, stretch out and just talk, [and] try to clear our minds. 

Weber added that it does not matter if you are a runner or not, every SVA member is welcome to join.

“Every week we meet at Fountain Square,” Weber said. “Whoever wants to come, we meet at 2:45-3:00 o’clock, and then we’ll walk over the old softball fields, and then we’ll just run at our own pace. Some of the faster guys will run three to four miles and some people show up and walk.” 

They also have big events coming up, like a Top Golf event on April 19. 

“We’re taking some of the veterans and other students out to play Top Golf,”Weber said, adding the group also has another running event approaching, on May 3. “We’re getting all the clubs, everyone together, community partners, and then we’re doing a big 5K with everyone.” 

On top of the events, the JC SVA’s primary mission is to help veterans and military affiliated students. 

“When you get out of the military, you have a lot of benefits that people don’t know of, they don’t tell you about, and same with military affiliated, whether that’s spouses [or] children,” Weber said. “So we help them use those benefits to further their education. Then if they need any other help for mental health [or] physical health, we can provide resources for them, help get in the right direction.” 

Although one of the main purposes of this organization is to help veterans and military families, it was also created to help build a community.

“When you get out of the service, you [can] lose all your friends, it’s tricky,” Weber said. “So one of the goals for our office and for the JC SVA is to give guys that community aspect back.” 

One of their goals is also to include everyone. 

“One of our big goals this semester is [to] get more inclusion throughout the school,” Weber said. “We’ve been working with other clubs. One of our goals is to work with LUNA, Sustainability, we’re partnering with CSI, and then we’re offering them all participation at our 5K event. They can come in [and] talk to students about what they do. We’re trying just to make a big community in the school. So not just veterans, but hopefully all students are included.” 

For more information on the JC SVA, you can drop by the Veteran & Military Student Services office in COM 305 and follow them on Instagram at @jccc_sva. If you have any questions about the club, you can email Ryan Weber at rweber29@jccc.edu.