By Dorothy Meindok
The Post Newspaper Veterans Consultant
You are invited to celebrate the 3rd Annual Pearl Harbor Veterans Dinner & help support over 60 local veterans organizations who come together under the dynamic leadership of Friendswood & League City’s Jay Coppock.
Jay is a leader like none other and we veterans love him dearly. He and his wife, Lauri, are dedicated to supporting our community in all kinds of ways. Together, as a hobby, they make wooden flags which you may have seen all over Southeast Texas honoring military, veterans and first responders.
In his daytime job Jay is a local banker who further serves our community in financial support, education and planning. He steps up when it comes to helping veterans with mortgages, business loans and so much more. I’ve personally worked with him to improve many veterans’ quality of life.
In one instance, a USMC veteran was facing foreclosure from a mortgage company no longer allowed to do business with the Veterans Administration because of their bad acts, on top of that the Marine was facing personal transition challenges of his own, trying to find employment and learning to become primary caregiver to his aged & severely disabled parent. The veteran had made good decisions but his mortgage loan had been bought by some sketchy lenders and the whole situation seemed to explode at once, just as the veteran was launching a new career in the food industry as an entrepreneur where he could better control his new, demanding schedule.
Several of us recommended him to Jay’s local veteran organization SERVE and Jay in particular for help with the mortgage debacle. Today, the Marine is well on his way and things are settled in the favor of a better and more manageable, positive life.
One great thing about Jay is within his diverse network at SERVE, he collaborates rather than discriminates. He knows many who can help with a task but helping to decide and coordinate the quickest, best option for most immediate positive result is the work of art that is Jay Coppock.
Jay sits at the helm of Galveston County’s South East Resource Veterans Effort known lovingly as SERVE. They are key, responsible parties for all kinds of veterans impact in our area, including but not limited to, the monthly Veterans food distribution partnership with Galveston County Food Bank & Combined Arms which provides for veterans with food insecurity at Texas City’s Coffee Connection, next door to the VA’s Texas City Community Outpatient Clinic of Emmett Lowry Expressway the 3rd Wednesday of every month.
The Pearl Harbor Veterans Dinner is the premier fundraiser for SERVE, a nonprofit that comprises the collaborative works of over 60 veterans organizations to meet the immediate and hands-on needs of our veterans, right here at home.
I hope you’ll join us and come out to support SERVE, meet Jay & the gang and help in paying it forward for our nation’s heroes.
“The Mission of S.E.R.V.E. (South East Resource Veterans Effort) is to bring gulf coast area veterans groups and organizations together to combine resources and information to improve the lives of our military personnel and their families.”
3rd Annual Pearl Harbor Veterans Dinner is Thursday, December 7th, 2023 and begins at 6:00pm – 9:00pm at Water Grove Event Center. Tickets and sponsorship are available at https://pearlharbordinner.org/
To learn more about SERVE or ask for their help & assistance, please visit: https://setexasheroes.com/mesmerize/about/ or visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/setexasheroes
If you like the beautiful wooden flag, you can see the whole selection or custom order at CharrednStarred on Etsy- they make great Christmas gifts.
Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful- enjoy your week! DDM
Dorothy Meindok is The Post Newspaper’s Veterans Consultant. Ms. Meindok served her nation in the United States Navy and is currently a practicing lawyer advocating for our nation’s veterans. Her column appears on Sundays.
