Veteran's Affairs Plus W/ David L. Washington

Kevin Krall 0:00
You're listening to special programming sponsored by making moves life coaching services. The content of Veterans Affairs plus does not reflect the views or opinions of public radio K, u and v. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education

Unknown Speaker 0:20
Good morning this is Veterans Affairs plus I'm Dave Washington your host

Unknown Speaker 0:31
you can say that small town once the show is sponsored by making moves life coaching services Wow already is February Tony. February. I want to say happy birthday to my wife who's celebrating her birthday this month as well as a good friend right Feaster and congrats to my cousin who just got married. Who Stephanie, good for you. Hey, look, also check out Monday through Friday, Kev and the Queen Show. Check them out. They have a hot show, get you get you juiced up early in the morning. Appreciate you, Kevin. Today, we have several guests. The first one will be Mr. Tony Marshall will also have members of Valley View golf club. That's President Cynthia mercy and VP re Atkinson. And looking forward to working with them. And also our final guest today will be Mr. Nathan Aragon have a special app that he has, he's going to discuss with us and give us some information on it. So with that I'd like to start off of course by expressing condolences to several members of our communities family, Mr. Tony Williams, longtime former constable and assured evergreen passed away recently just want to acknowledge and express condolences to his family. And to those families who lost loved ones that that tragic, multi casualty traffic accident very sad in our prayers to those families. And then finally to Deacon Lonnie Roden to his family on the loss of his son most recently, so it condolences to all those folks. At this time. Again, this is Veterans Affairs, plus, on any 1.5 Jazz and more, we have brother, Tony Marshall, Tony, tell us what's going on over over at the post. First of all, because I haven't, I just went by and I saw some differences that I saw inside the facility. Okay,

Unknown Speaker 2:45
first of all, I just like to say good morning, and congratulations to the Washington football team who are now the Washington commander looking for great things. Anyway, I'm Tony Marshall, and I am the Service Officer Representative for both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion Post 10. Let me just hit on the VFW for just a minute. And we'll get back to the post 10. Anyway, we are new organization, new organization. But a new post just started just before the pandemic, post 12198. And I'd like to say congratulations to all of those young members. We have members from Afghanistan, Iraq, Desert Storm, and of course, Vietnam. And right now we are on slate to be two years in a row all state and all American posts. So congratulations to those folks. American Legion Post 10. Well, as Dave was just saying, there's some changes going on over there. We're trying to re invent the post, inside and out. First of all, we're doing a lot of renovations inside painting, upgrading the bottom bar area, bathrooms, everything, and also upgrading the rules and regulations that were governed by. First of all, we'd like to just just let you know, American Legion Post 10 is a nonprofit veteran organization. And we're set up basically to serve the veterans and their families in the community and the community. That most importantly, you need to understand that is a membership organization. And we are there to provide to the community through our programs, our program set up for youth activities, scholarship programs, working with our seniors and veterans. And we just want to get it out to the public that we are not the local bar. I think this is very important because most folks think they were just another place to hang up. But again, like I said, we're there to serve our veterans and they care canteen a safe and wholesome environment for the veterans and their families. Right. My job is the service officer for both American Legion Post and VFW Post 12198. I am there to serve as a benefits counselor, as well as the person who provided services for those guys who need disability benefits as well. And I just like to say those benefits or my services are free. Due to the reorganization, we've had to make some some changes. Let

Unknown Speaker 5:38
me ask you this, Tony. So the VFW, the new one you guys are put together. So where's it domicile? Are they going to be there at the at the American Legion?

Unknown Speaker 5:47
Well, we originally started at the American Legion, okay. But due to the post, pandemic, the post had to make a lot of changes, they were closed a lot of times, so we had to move the meetings over to the leather neckla, which meets on Spring Mountain 4360, West Spring Mountain Road, Wednesdays every Wednesday or every third Wednesday at 630. It was most unfortunate move because as you know, we are trying to bring some diversity into the into the organization, we've done extremely well I just want to say we've done extremely well in getting that accomplished. Again, my services are available. Now that we have made some changes in in posting. I'm available on Thursday, and Saturday and doing a emergency situations or situations that I can work around. But basically Thursday and Saturdays from one o'clock, but you have to call for an appointment. And that number is 301-537-9465. Now I'm sure some of you have Googled this on Facebook trying to find a service officer and you come up with my email address. And you send me emails in Texas and all of that, please don't. We need to talk. So you're so give me a call. Give me a call. And we'll find out what you need. And get you set up with an appointment. But it's by appointment only.

Unknown Speaker 7:25
So Tony, once again, give our listening audience some indication of the kinds of things you do as a service officer, what are the kinds of services that are available for for our veterans? Well,

Unknown Speaker 7:35
like I said, my major function is providing all of the necessary paperwork to get your disability claim started or proceed, if you've already filed a claim I can, I can help you continue that claim. Because as you know, the VFW is one of the only groups that will follow your claim and provide a service officer to be with you out your claim process. So that's my basic function. But I also deal with death situations or if you need information on how to get your paperwork done for death information. As far as funeral services, the paperwork, you need to get your benefits as a survivor. And I also provide information on aid and attendance. Okay, if you have a family member or veteran family member who needs that attendance, I can provide the paperwork as well. Okay.

Unknown Speaker 8:38
Very good. I mean, that's, that's a busy job. And, and I can tell you on behalf of all those veterans who have made contact with you, we appreciate it because I know it's one of those volunteer type positions. And people think that when you when you do certain works, that you're doing it for money, and some is just your passion to help your own colleagues who have gone through, in some cases, traumatic incidents while serving in the military.

Unknown Speaker 9:04
Well, just just to let you know, the reason I'm doing this now was because in 1999, I was pulled aside by a service officer in Boise, Idaho post 63. I'm very proud of that and got tested for PTSD and immediately put into a program I was in bad shape. I was in really bad shape. And once I began to see the light, I decided at that point and I think it was about 2003 that I said I would do this I would help as many veterans as I possibly can not to go through what I had gone through from 1970 to 1990. And

Unknown Speaker 9:44
once again we appreciate your service and give that number again, Tony and again. We appreciate you coming on the Air Force again.

Unknown Speaker 9:52
Okay, you can reach you can reach me at 301 That's of course in Maryland rescan number three zero 153794653015379465 All right, Tony,

Unknown Speaker 10:07
we appreciate you. And we look forward to having you back on here in another month or two, because we appreciate the updates. Thanks.

Unknown Speaker 10:22
Good morning, once again, this is Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5, jazz and more. I'm your host, Dave Washington. folks on the line, we have Miss Cynthia Marcion. She's the president, as I had mentioned before, Valley View golf club, and also Mr. Ray Ackerson, the VP of Valley View golf club. Cynthia, tell us a little bit about who you are. In the same with you, Ray. Cynthia first.

Unknown Speaker 10:50
Okay, well, my name is Cynthia versus, as you've already said, and I'm the president of Valley golf club, and I am a golf enthusiast. I came to know about Valley View by attending a golf tournament for women in Florida, with the sisters across America. And there I met a number of Valley women who play with Valley View. And so when I relocated to Vegas, then that was my connection. But Golf was a venue for me for my career. Because when I was working, I was the first African American female that was a regional personnel director for at that time, the Office of Personnel Management and my peers were all white males, and they really didn't have time for me. So when we had our first golf tournament, at cog Hill, I didn't play well. But I was able to play and drink beer. And that opened up a door for me. And it's been it's been an eye opener on many levels, but especially professionally, it has opened up some doors for me so often became my lifeline.

Unknown Speaker 11:53
How long have you been a member of Valley View?

Unknown Speaker 11:56
I can remember Valley View in 2011. All right, Ray, tell

Unknown Speaker 12:01
us a little bit about you my friend.

Unknown Speaker 12:04
Yeah, David. You know, I mean, I'm a longtime resident of Las Vegas. And, and I got into golfing shortly after I started work. After getting out of college. I, of course, I did take up as part of a P thing I had had at the university that one of the first years there and I learned so much about the game, but I also carried on as a young kid as well. So that's how I really got, you know, some idea how golf goes, that I didn't join. I work out in Henderson at the time, and they had their own association there. And so I did not even though I knew a lot of the value players back in the day that I didn't join up with him because I was too busy with the with the club we had out there at work. And but I did join us I retired. I've been a member of bound abuse since

Unknown Speaker 13:01
2008. So So where did you go to school? That Ray?

Unknown Speaker 13:06
I got at UNLV there and also attended the unit bar. I graduated from u and r. Okay. In any engineering show.

Unknown Speaker 13:16
Oh, excellent. Excellent. So tell me what have you guys got planned and you know, either one or both of you guys because in particular, is there any kind of recruitment praying that you that you may have put together particularly for the younger golfers because as I've been a member since I retired, it's been about 15 years now. And I noticed the group is older and few younger, young people coming in. So any any plan to do anything about that?

Unknown Speaker 13:45
Well, I'd like to say this is this year, we have new tournament chair who is much younger. And that is a good start because he came up through valleys you his name is Molly Smith. And his peers are excellent golfers is here and he is in he now in his camaraderie are joining Valley View which are much younger, and very accomplished golfers, which is which is really good for us. The other thing is, what are the our initiatives for this year is that we're going to have more memberships, where each member is to go out and reach out and bring another guest and to grow our membership. So certainly with having a tournament, you have this much younger, who has colleagues that he's invited to join. We think that that is one venue, not the only venue that will bring in younger members.

Unknown Speaker 14:33
Excellent. Anything to add to that array?

Unknown Speaker 14:36
Yeah. Well, I I think we had some programs that were we got picked, along with that have a meeting distribution last Saturday, and we're planning on trying to have a few of the fairs where we would have members, bring guests with them and work it out that way tried to you know, get some members doing that technique.

Unknown Speaker 15:00
So are you saying that having some functions outside of just golfing itself?

Unknown Speaker 15:06
Yeah, we talked about meant having, having dinner and mindset or lunch and that type of thing. And, you know, have people getting guests get in with him and play time with him?

Unknown Speaker 15:18
Very good. So what is the membership free fee and the structure to the organization, and how can folks join.

Unknown Speaker 15:30
So our membership, our annual membership for Valley View is $55. And $30 $55, is for your dead number. We also have an officer membership to western states, which is an additional $45 versus shades was an organization that was established early on, to help trailblaze to gather African Americans and clubs across the West clubs across west of the Mississippi, to be able to have opportunities to play in certain places, and so that that organization still runs on its own. And it's kind of sold us a way where we network with other clubs in the area. So that the initial cost to be a valued member is $55. And that's annually. And you can go to our website, which is www. Valley blue golf club, in the.com. And we will have our membership form on there where you can complete it and mail your membership dues into our peel box FTL boxes picked up and then we will contact you through bags, and you will be on our mail on our email list. So you can get the information on the weekly plays with tournament plays. And then also just information on how you can network with other clubs. We also encourage people who are traveling to contact some of the other clubs if they want to pick up a game, just as people who come to Vegas, contact us and say we'd like to pick up a game and play here.

Unknown Speaker 17:00
Excellent. Excellent. I think that the things that you guys are planning is going to certainly help to increase that membership. And I'm going to do my part as a member to try to encourage young folks to join in. I think it's fabulous. Now what about the youth? I know that one point we were doing some things for for young golfers, is that is that something that you guys are going to kind of reintroduce or do some work with?

Unknown Speaker 17:26
What we had in the past is we had a junior program within the club. But right now what we did, what we're planning to do is, there are a couple of different people in the area who are missing and who are developing young people. And so what the focus right now that I'm having is that we work with those clubs to support them, you know, in any way we can. And it could be was donating items for them for the youth to play, as well as a financial donation. But we currently are not going to be managing a youth program within our organization. So

Unknown Speaker 18:04
no management of a youth program, as it currently stands. But that is a possibility down the road, maybe not

Unknown Speaker 18:11
in the club, but we will we will support them. The other tools, organizations, there are two people in the area is Jim Hart and Larry Whitfield. manage you. And Jim Hart is a member of Valley View. And so we're working with them, I'm having meetings with them to talk to them about how as a club, we can support them without trying to manage it individually in the clubs. As you know, the members are not young, and the younger members are working. And so it becomes somewhat of a challenge to find people to try to manage a group of kids. But what we want to do is to invite them to participate with them, and have them come and play with us so that we engaged with all right.

Unknown Speaker 18:56
Very good. Well, once again, Miss Cynthia, our President and Mr. Ray, our Vice President of Valley View golf club, we certainly appreciate your time on air, and hopefully we will get some folks to consider joining. So thanks again.

Unknown Speaker 19:10
Can I make one final statement? Sure. Right to it. Joining Belize, who is joining a family of golf enthusiasts who likes to promote and enjoy the game of golf. We enjoy the banter of competition, a humbling thoughts or deceit and a hearty laughter camaraderie every week we play. Just know that there's a place in our club where you at every level of your game.

Unknown Speaker 19:35
Very well said. Thank you, Cynthia, Madam President. All right. Talk to you guys soon. Thanks again.

Unknown Speaker 19:41
Okay. Thanks. Thanks for having us.

Unknown Speaker 19:43
Thank you. All right. Let's talk

Unknown Speaker 19:52
good morning. Once again, this is Dave watch it Washington on Veterans Affairs plus on 91.5 Jazz in the world without you engineer, Mr. Kevin Kroll appreciate you very much. As I mentioned, we would have several guests. Our next guest is Mr. Nathan Ommegang. of good works. Nathan, please tell us our listening audience a little bit about you. And just us personally.

Unknown Speaker 20:16
Oh, thanks. The Washington, first of all, told the veterans that follow your show. Thank you for your service. My name is Nathan Allen. Again, I am co founder and CEO of an online digital labor marketplace called good works. I'm originally from South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, and I've been living in Las Vegas for the last 16 years, yes, I'll disclose to the, to the listeners that are female to your lovely daughter for the last 18 buy time in the US. And so I want to get to have the privilege of calling your father in law.

Unknown Speaker 20:58
Will and we'll pay you for that Nathan, I trusted some of my other veteran friends out there listening only read me quite a bit on it. But so tell us a little bit about that about that business app that you have what's what's its function?

Unknown Speaker 21:11
Okay, so

Unknown Speaker 21:13
how did you arrive there to begin with?

Unknown Speaker 21:15
Okay, so I was a general manager for several properties on the strip, and two of the main questions that I would get from my team members, were one, can I get more hours and two, can you give me a different another shift, or both of those are very tough to do. Because one, you know, we maintain a very, you know, we manage our p&l, etc, very, very closely. And then also to give people a different schedule meant bumping, someone else. So you know, it's very difficult thing to do. And then I just realized that wait a minute, we created a marketplace, because I'm sure that at any given time, we may, we may not have an opening for that person, or a different schedule for that person, but someone else, you know, elsewhere in the city, another company may have one. And so thought about having this, you know, building this marketplace, connected businesses and workers in real time, and really just breaks down some of that friction in the marketplace. And especially for, you know, people who don't necessarily have the context and quote unquote, the juice in it to make those connections within our hospitality industry, just giving people you know, a seamless and convenient way to find extra income, you know, control their schedule, and then at the same time, allow businesses to staff their operations more dynamically. And so you know, what happened as a, as a as an idea four years ago, through God's grace, finally, you know, blossomed into a business that is now live apps alive with with customers that are using it.

Unknown Speaker 22:58
So a person is a scheduling function. So for example, a person can have another job, but they want to pick up as you mentioned, some additional income, they can go online and sign up. And how is that done? How's the signup done?

Unknown Speaker 23:12
Yes, so we have an app called good works, let good work find you. These apps are available. And let me spell good works, because a lot of times people will look for it, and they'll find good RX, and all kinds of other things. It's g WODWRX. It's available on the Google Play Store, as well as the apple, the iPhone app store, so people can download those apps, it will take about 10 minutes to create a profile and then complete the onboarding process. And after that, essentially, the hard work is done. It really operates sort of like a gig technology platform where notifications for work, etc, come come to you right through the app. And so, you know, the days of having to go down into, you know, a ballroom and go to a job fair, or you know, create a, you know, many resumes and go down through sometimes a very laborious process have basically been replaced by simple technology. And the apps are really easy to use. And at the same time businesses have an app that they use to post these jobs and have an algorithm that matches people based on experience. Okay,

Unknown Speaker 24:26
so is there any age requirement to apply

Unknown Speaker 24:31
a ATMs you know, to accept the terms and conditions of the app, etc, you have to be 18 years old. Now, some of our customers will require, you know, you know, especially in the casino environment for you to be 21 plus in order to work at a job but for to download and complete and the onboarding process on our app, you have to be 18.

Unknown Speaker 24:53
Okay, so you guys are pretty much local now or National, International. No.

Unknown Speaker 25:00
So we launched about a month ago, locally, we all from Las Vegas. And so this is where we are launching from. And our plan is to take this product with some of the partners that we have taken nationally. And then you know, who knows, potentially even internationally, if the conditions are compatible with with our business model? Great.

Unknown Speaker 25:22
Great. So is there anything else you'd like to share with our listening audience, and hopefully, some of our veterans out there who are looking for some additional income that has talent in some of these fields that you have in the hospitality industry, we'll be able to go online and file and get some additional income.

Unknown Speaker 25:40
Yeah, absolutely. I guess in closing, I'll just say what we're trying to do, I'd say we're less of a business and more of a movement of like minded individuals and organizations and partners that are trying to reimagine the gig economy and the future of work. A lot of times, you know, the gig economy, asks you to make a decision, get flexibility and increase income, or get the rights of an employee and the benefits that accrue to employ and the right that workers should have with us. We offer an an proposition, you can get the flexibility, the seamlessness of what is the gig technology platforms provide, and, you know, the benefits of being an employee, and, you know, and the rights and the working conditions of, of being an employee. And so we just view ourselves as a viable alternative to those other, you know, 1099 Gig models where, you know, we feel like really, we can, in our small way, imagine and create a different type of gig gig model. That's less exploitative. Great,

Unknown Speaker 26:41
great. Nathan, I know that you're involved as a mentor in the hospitality industry, considering my engineers, let me know we got a little more time. So tell us a little bit about that program that you're involved with? Because I think it's something that that needs to be widely known by our community. Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 27:00
so I've done both on a personal level with with several folks, especially people of color, who I've gotten the opportunity to work with, and abused my influence within the organizations that I've been, whatever political capital, I may or may not have to sort of help those individuals, you know, move up the ranks. The biggest issue for us as people of color in this industry is we really don't have the types of networks that others enjoy. And we don't have sponsorship, right. And so often times very many qualified people like us who look like us, like us, don't get those opportunities, because we don't have someone at the very highest levels of the organization that says, hey, you know what, let's, let's pull this person up to the organization. And let's take a chair, let's never take a chance, let's let's, you know, create a, you know, let's create more opportunities. For them. I was fortunate enough to have an individual like that, who, you know, basically pulled me through the organization and, you know, maybe one of the few gems of color, black gems, you know, I think that we've had industry period. So I've, you know, tried to pay back that just through personal mentorship relationships. I'm also involved with an organization called the Epicurean child Charitable Foundation, which is an organization that provides scholarship and mentorship to young people in Las Vegas looking to pursue careers in the hospitality industry. So I we all get assigned mentors or mentees that we sort of work with, you know, for a year I was fortunate enough to get, I guess, by men to the second lupines. Minister, she requested to have a one boy Why but nonetheless, so it's a fellowship plus mentorship with a very strong focus on mentorship. Excellent sure that we help share some of our experiences and prepare these young men and women for for careers in management and executive roles within the industry.

Unknown Speaker 29:07
outstanding outstanding. Our engineer and producer here, Kevin Kroll, he's, he's not only an instructor here, but I know he runs. They run an internship program that assists people and teach them how to deal with this whole radio and TV industry stuff. I mean, it's really cool when I, when he showed me these boards that they worked from, I'm like, Man, I'm already confused, just looking at it. But Nathan, we certainly appreciate the time that you've brought to us. And hopefully it will be helpful to some of our members of our listening audience. So keep up the good work. And one more time. Give us the app again.

Unknown Speaker 29:46
You said it yourself good work. So I think you that was a nice setup. For us. It's good works. G double ODWRX Let good work find you. Excellent. Thank you for having me. On the radio show and best of luck. All right,

Unknown Speaker 30:03
thanks. Alright Nathan, take care once again this is Veterans Affairs, plus on 91.5, jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington your host Until next month, and believe you me before we knew it here it is February in 2022 Thanksgiving

Transcribed by https://otter.ai