Explore Charleston and LHA partnership with Charleston VAMC named winner of the VHA Community Partnership Challenge

The Lowcountry Hospitality Association (LHA) and Explore Charleston are pleased to announce that their partnership – Turnaround Tuesday – with Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center (VAMC) has been named one of three national winners of the 2020 Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Community Partnership Challenge.

Created in 2017, Turnaround Tuesday is a program that helps local Veterans find jobs in the hospitality industry in Charleston, S.C. Since its inception, the program has successfully placed 97 Veterans in reliable jobs.

“Our workforce team does a tremendous job identifying opportunities for individuals who face systemic barriers. Unfortunately, many Veterans encounter such challenges,” said Helen Hill, CEO of Explore Charleston. “We are honored to partner with the VAMC and support these distinguished and selfless members of our community through employment that affords them a sense of purpose, stability and advancement.”

VHA, the largest integrated health care system in the United States serving over nine million Veterans, created the Challenge to highlight nonmonetary, local community organizations that serve Veterans and their families. The theme of this year’s award was “Social Determinants of Health,” highlighting the conditions and environments that affect a wide range of health, functioning and quality-of-life for Veterans.

“While we work diligently to provide the best health care to our Veterans, we also have services and community partnerships that aim to care for the whole Veteran—helping them lay the foundation for a successful, independent future. Our partnership with the Lowcountry Hospitality Association is helping us do just that,” said Charleston VAMC Director Scott Isaacks.

Brandon Suddreth and Franklin Duberry are two local Veterans who have benefited firsthand from Turnaround Tuesday.

Born into a military family, Brandon worked in the hospitality industry as a teenager growing up in the Hilton Head-Bluffton area before joining the U.S. Navy. After a successful 13-year career in the service, he was honorably discharged and held several positions while attending Trident Technical Institute full-time. When the 38-year-old father of three was ready to pursue a professional opportunity with more responsibility and potential, Turnaround Tuesday opened the right door at Hamby Catering, where he now handles operations and fleet command.

After learning of the program, career Veteran Franklin Duberry applied to find part-time work. Although 70+, Mr. Duberry still believed he had something to offer. Grant Stimke, general manager at DoubleTree North Charleston, immediately fell in love with Mr. Duberry’s work ethic and can-do attitude, hiring him onto the maintenance staff. Three years later, Mr. Duberry is still there, running the department in many ways and mentoring new employees both young and old. For Mr. Duberry, Turnaround Tuesday provided a job, but more importantly, it gave him a purpose and improved his quality-of-life.

More on the 2020 VHA Community Partnership Challenge:
Submissions to this year’s contest were required to show how a particular partnership benefits Veterans and advances the VA’s mission by addressing one or more of six social determinants of health including education, employment, food security, housing, spiritual support, and/or transportation. More than 45 entries were submitted this year.

More on Turnaround Tuesday:
The program provides a professional hospitality recruiter, in partnership with the VAMC’s Homeless Program, to meet in-person with Veterans every Tuesday at the VAMC, helping with their resumes and matching them with positions that fit their skill sets. LHA and VAMC’s joint goal is not only to employ Veterans, but to keep them employed with comprehensive benefits and a steady income.

For more information, follow LHA on Twitter and Facebook, or visit chshospitalityworks.com.