Begun in 2013 as the Greater Philadelphia Veterans Consortium, under the Service to the Armed Forces program of what was then the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter (now Region) of the American Red Cross, the Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium has evolved and grown to serve more veterans in more places with more services and continues to evolve today.
From the beginning, non-profit veteran-servicing organizations participated in the consortium to increase their resilience and build capacity to prepare for and respond to the needs of their communities. In 2015, the consortium’s executive committee reorganized and committed to meeting weekly to advance the mission and impact of the consortium; elections have been held regularly since then. At the same time, the name was changed to the Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium or DVVC to reflect the broader membership. Bylaws were adopted in 2016; mission and vision were codified the next year and a committee structure was established.
Since 2016, DVVC member organizations have met quarterly for networking and informational panels, strengthening the network of support for veterans in the region. Topics have ranged from employment and education to fraud protection and congressional support.
DVVC is a VA Community Veterans Engagement Board for southeastern Pennsylvania and was recognized in 2018 by the VA for its accomplishments. Organizations continue to join DVVC. From a group of less than 25 veteran-servicing organizations (VSOs) in 2013 DVVC current membership is now over 125 VSOs in addition to over 350 nonmember organizations and individuals who participate in DVVC events.
Accomplishments of DVVC - 2015-2020
The Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium began as a community effort to connect information, services, and resources in a supportive networking collaborative.
Over the years, efforts have focused on engagement, advocacy, and shared referrals, tied to the theme of “Connect, Communicate, Collaborate”, with presentations on topics ranging from employment and education to homelessness, mental health, and fraud prevention. Committees continue to coordinate to ensure that Veteran benefits and services, including mental and physical health care, are broadly shared.
Structural Accomplishments
2013 Organization started by the American Red Cross
2016 Bylaws passed; amended in July 2017; establishes officers, elections, committee structure.
2017 Mission, Vision Objectives of DVVC identified
2017 Logo created
2018 Committee goals and standard operating practices for the committees approved
2015-2020 Elections Held Regularly
Committee Accomplishments
Marketing
2018 Created DVVC brochure
2020 Established written Social Media SOP; published guidelines for new monthly newsletter replacing quarterly news sheet, added Executive Committee column in newsletter to advance communication to membership and others
Membership
2019 Verified membership roll
2020 Membership Matrix, designed membership SOP
Programming
2016 Quarterly informational meetings began
2019 Created protocol for in-person programming planning and room setup
2020 Led effort to switch to Zoom meetings during pandemic