Kent County Veterans Services will be activating Operation Green Light in early November to honor veterans ahead of the Veterans Day holiday.

During the week of November 6-12, area businesses and residents are being asked to replace outdoor lights with green bulbs to help support military veterans and to raise awareness about the resources available to them through the Kent County Veterans Services. Now in its second year, Operation Green Light is a national initiative of the National Association of Counties and the National Association of County Veteran’s Service Officers.

Kent County Veterans Services connects veterans and their families to earned benefits. These benefits may include emergency funds for unforeseen circumstances like rental assistance, utility payments, food grants, disability, spousal or dependent benefits, burial assistance, and more. Operation Green Light sheds light on these programs to aid veterans and their families in finding the programs that best fit their needs.

"We are excited to continue our success from the previous year when numerous businesses and residents actively participated," said Martha Burkett, Director of Kent County Veterans Services. "In this year's initiative, our aim extends beyond illuminating urban landmarks; we extend a challenge to individuals across every corner of the county to participate.”

In the weeks leading up to the initiative, Kent County Veterans Services invites businesses and residents to make a meaningful contribution by:

• purchasing green light bulbs for their homes and businesses,
• visiting accesskent.com/greenlight for a toolkit of resources to promote the cause, and
• rallying friends, family, and networks to join this initiative, together illuminating Kent County in a vibrant show of support for our veterans.

The weeklong observation ends with the annual Veterans Day Parade on Saturday, November 11 in downtown Grand Rapids. The parade starts at 10 a.m. on Division Avenue under the I-196 overpass. From there, the parade will continue south to Fulton and then east to Veterans Memorial Park where it ends with a Ceremony of Remembrance.

Please join Kent County Veterans Services in shining a green light of hope and support for the more than 28,000 veterans who call Kent County home. Click here to learn more about available resources.