Since it was founded in 1862, the Union League of Philadelphia and its members have been dedicated to supporting our nation’s freedom and ideals, with special emphasis on issues and opportunities related to our military members, veterans and families. After World War II, the Union League formed a Veterans Committee so members could offer jobs to vets in their companies. By 1947, our members had placed 1,215 veterans. Once again, the League is helping veterans find jobs and success in civilian life. In 2014, inspired by our motto, “Love of Country Leads,” a small group of members created the Union League Veterans Initiative to bring 21st Century support to our nation’s finest.
All of the Veterans Initiative projects and programs are designed to create and enable the best opportunities for veterans and their family members to achieve success in civilian life, while offering rich volunteer experiences for Union League members. Here is an overview of the Veterans Initiative programming in 2015:
VetConnect – A web-based service that offers Union League members to submit job openings in their companies, which are then sent to our 40+ community partners. Click VetConnect for more information and to submit openings.
VetSmart – A professional development conference and seminar series for veterans and family members to improve skills and increase success in their careers.
2015 Job Fair – More than 50 employers are expected to attend October 20 to meet highly-qualified, job-ready veterans and family members.
VetMentor – Union League members, comprised of our region’s most successful business leaders, work with high-potential veterans in a six-month program designed to increase success in their civilian lives.
Professional Attire Drive – The Veterans Initiative is pleased to partner with Drexel University to collect gently used clothing for distribution to veterans on May 19.
BRAVO ZULU Circle: The Veterans Initiative is pleased to honor companies that have been independently ranked by GI Jobs as the most military-friendly employers in the nation. Union League members hold leadership positions in these companies, which, collectively, are expected to hire more than 50,000 veterans in the next year. The companies are: Accenture, AlliedBarton, AmerisourceBergen, AstraZeneca, Berkshire Hathaway, Boeing, Citibank, Comcast, Deloitte, GlaxoSmithKline, Goldman Sachs, Independence Blue Cross, Johnson & Johnson, Johnson Controls, JP Morgan Chase, Lockheed Martin, Merck, PECO/Exelon, Exelon Utilities, PNC Bank, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Sunoco & Sunoco Logistics, United Healthcare, and UPS.