It’s well documented. It’s been written about, included in songs, art, and yet struggles remain for veterans returning and well after they’ve returned home. The Marion VA’s Center for Development and Civic Engagement Chief Chandra Murdock is working hard to get veterans at every stage of their lives the help they need. She was featured at the Carmi Kiwanis Club’s Thursday meeting and talked more about the effort.
The CDCE is the largest volunteer organization within the federal government according to Murdock and the local organization spreads its services amongst 52 counties.
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Last year alone, volunteers put in more than 36,000 hours helping veterans. Some of the ways the CDCE makes a difference is through Red Coat Ambassadors, Compassionate Contact Corps, and No Vet Dies Alone programs. Beyond that, the CDCE operates 12 active food pantries housed beyond Marion at the VA’s 11 other Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) including Owensboro, Mayfield, Paducah, and Madisonville, Kentucky, Vincennes and Evansville, Indiana, as well as Harrisburg, Carbondale, Marion, Mt. Vernon, and Effingham, Illinois.
Since October of 2025 through the end of June, the CDCE also handles donations and has brought in $362,000 used to help with veteran services including driving veterans to and from appointments. During the same period, the organization has served more than 5,500 vets.
You can learn more about the program online at https://www.volunteer.va.gov/ or call 618-993-4121.
In club business, President Luke Sailer gave an update on the 1937 T-Bucket car being donated to the club thanks to Tony Nelson saying plans were in place to auction that car off on Corn Day. Additionally, the club paid $2,200 for a goat at Wednesday night’s 4-H Auction. Finally, the half pot for Corn Day is getting a boost. While it topped out at over $12,000 in 2025, the executive board voted Wednesday afternoon to start the half pot before a single person has purchased a chance by seeding the open with $10,000 in the hopes of growing the jackpot even more.