Before the November midterm elections over 60 Ashland University students traveled to North Carolina in two different trips to canvas for Veterans issues.

Organizations all over campus participated sending small groups from Greek life organizations, AU track and field team and a sprinkling of the general student body.

Working under the bipartisan nonprofit organization Concerned Veterans for America, students went door to door asking NC citizens to get out and vote in the midterm elections.

CVA focuses on educating veterans and their families about the issues that they are facing in todays government including their healthcare systems, legislation that could impact them and different veterans issue he or she should be aware of.

CVA paid for all travel and student accommodations as well as a $60 a day stipend.

“I got to go on the trip with some of my best friends,” said junior Alyssa Bayne who went on the second trip. “We had an amazing team leader who was in the Navy and just fun to be around. We got to meet so many different people and veterans. I even got to meet the CEO of the Concerned Veterans for America.”

CVA works closely with college campuses such as Ashland’s to get more youth involved and passionate with the cause.

“One of our main focuses in getting young people involved,” said Tommy Pochedly the AU campus organizer for CVA, “because it is a good cause that I believe anyone could jump on board with. We’ve been fairly successful in this goal also.”

During the month of October CVA volunteers from AU and other surrounding schools knocked on just short of 40,000 doors as well as making 120,000 phone calls into North Carolina.

“We felt like going down to North Carolina was important because there are so many veterans there,” said Pochedly.

“It’s home to at least five or six military bases along with Fort Brag that has about 40,000 personal living there. So, it was an important area to go to and talk to veterans”

CVA also sponsors phone banking on Ashland’s campus. Every organization has to get in contact with their people so they can spread the word about what they are doing and we [CVA] are no different, said Pochedly.

“We want to get in touch with military veterans and their families and a really simple way to do that is through phone banking.”

CVA is always looking for volunteers to help phone bank and spread the word of veteran’s issues.

“To me it’s ridiculous our veterans have to deal with issues when they come back home,” said sophomore Erin Adams who attended one of the trips. “They spent their time fighting for us, but yet they have to deal with so many issues when they do get out of service. They deserve more respect from us. Everyone can serve their country even if they aren’t in the military. If this is something you believe in then you should come to a phone bank and get involved.”

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