ERLANGER – Mayor Jessica Fette helped welcome the new Disabled American Veterans (DAV) national headquarters to Erlanger by speaking at the Sept. 26 dedication ceremony and participating in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.
“We are always excited and grateful to welcome a new business to the city,” Mayor Fette told a crowd that gathered for the dedication. “But we are especially honored that the DAV – a remarkable organization – has moved its national headquarters to our city.”
“The DAV is an organization whose entire mission is helping our nation’s military veterans and their families,” she said. “I know I speak for our entire city when I say how proud we are that the DAV and its nearly 200 employees now call Erlanger home.”
With nearly 1,300 chapters, DAV provides a national network of local support for veterans and their families. DAV’s benefits advocates, who are veterans themselves, know how to navigate the Veterans Administration (VA) system, help veterans obtain benefits and connect them to the support they need, while transition advocates, on military bases across the country, provide face-to-face support to help those leaving active duty access their benefits and successfully transition back to civilian life.
DAV helps facilitate job fairs across the country and online that connect veterans with employers, tools, resources and opportunities that help thousands get jobs every year. In a typical year, DAV volunteers provide more than 615,000 rides to help veterans get to and from medical appointments at no cost to the veteran as part of the DAV Transportation Network.
The 67,000-square-foot building is a nod to military service with its ship-like visage, incorporating high-contrast materials with clean lines. The night-vision green fold at the entryway draws in visitors and reinforces the identity of DAV, which carries through the building. The interior layout and design seeks to balance the need for a visitor experience that welcomes and educates visitors, but also provides a functional and inspiring workspace.
The intentional layout and lines established by the interior elements carry through a two-story curtain wall to an exterior courtyard and honor garden – a contemplative space that recognizes the generosity of donors who supported the construction. In this space, team members and visitors can honor the sacrifices of veterans of each individual service branch, which hold a place of honor to DAV and our nation.
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