Last night, the Silver Sage Community Center, and Bandera Honors Veterans, put on a program for Veterans, which I, as the Bandera County Veterans Service Officer, was a participant.  Being that I have only been the Service Officer for Bandera for one year, this was the first seminar that I had a part in. There were several participants, the Texas Veterans Commission, the VA Hospital System, The Veterans Administration, the Texas Veterans Land Board, TVC Employment Counselors from San Antonio and Kerrville, the American Legion from Bandera and Lakehills Chapters, and a VA approved loan officer. All of these representatives were there for two hours to explain their jobs and to answer veterans questions, and to assit them in filing for benefits.

Besides myself, there were Service Officers from Gillespie County and Kerr County. I had a table setup with VA benefit books, important phone numbers for the veterans and their dependents, relevent website addresses, and info on real estate properties that would qualify for a Tx-Vet loan.

I was amazed at how crowded the room was, I'm not sure of the count, but somewhere around 100-150 had attended, and they all had questions.  I even got up in front of the group to say a few words about Veteran Service Officers and what they do (will explain in a subsequent post). A big deal for me because I dislike public speaking. I better get used to it because I'm sure we'll be doing this again next year.

I also was pleasantly surprised when I was the last table to fold up to leave, because I had so many stop by my table to say hello, and to let me know how their request for evaluation for benefits was going. I also talked real estate with several people that wanted to use their low,low interest rate offered by the Veterans Land Board-  7.2% with 5% down, such a great deal!

Some of the veterans and their spouses drove 100+ miles to be there, just for the chance to speak with VA and TVC staff. Everyone got their questions answered, and felt good about the event and what it accomplished. I look forward to meeting again with those that need my help, and hopefully, I will find them land or a home they will want to use their VA benefits to buy!

Mary Jo Schaffer  www.sweetheartrealty.com   830-796-7448