Veterans Conservation Corps Program

Contact Us

Kim Pham

VCC Program Manager

Kim@dva.wa.gov

 

Jennifer Minich

Administrative Assistant

vcc@dva.wa.gov

Connect With Us

Statistics

July 2023 - June 2024

27 Veterans enrolled in VCC internships

Veterans in conservation internships:  12

Veterans in agricultural internships:  15

8 of the 27 were ongoing past 6/30/24

 

For veterans who completed their internships in FY 23-24: 

13 gained employment directly after internship

continued to higher education

15 were connected to some form of veteran benefit

The Veterans Conservation Corps Program serves those who served by providing veterans with self-directed connections to the lands, waters, and communities in WA State.

 

VCC Veterans Conservation Corps

 

The VCC was founded in 2005, in memory of John Beal, a Vietnam-era veteran that found healing and purpose through the restoration of Hamm Creek and the Duwamish River. The VCC, by providing training and hands-on experience in environmental conservation and sustainable agriculture, supports Washington State veterans in creating and understanding their own connections to healing and purpose.

The VCC provides opportunities for veterans to engage in conserving and restoring natural ecosystems with our environmental conservation and agricultural community partner organizations. We support veterans in establishing and maintaining healthy reciprocal relationships with nature and their community so that through their own efforts they may increase their self-efficacy and resiliency to realize a positive shift in their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. To further support their efforts, VCC interns receive training and resources on veteran-related topics that empower them to address and overcome any challenges that they may experience in their transition from the military to civilian opportunities.

Opportunities through the VCC include:

We offer this brochure and program overview for additional details.