CLC Proclaimed “Yellow Ribbon Company” By State Of Minnesota

Since 2008, a state-wide program has been recognizing communities and workplaces for going “beyond” the yellow ribbon. On Wednesday, Central Lakes College was officially recognized for their support of service members, military families, and veterans and was proclaimed a Yellow Ribbon Company by the State of Minnesota.

“This recognition is tremendous. We have a long history of serving our military service men and women, veterans, and military families for a long time here at Central Lakes College,” said CLC President Hara Charlier. “It is so important to us.”

Being a Yellow Ribbon Company means that a business or organization has created a comprehensive program that connects service members and their families with support, training, services, and resources.

“To become a Yellow Ribbon Organization, they have to make commitments in three areas: veteran recruiting, hiring, and retaining, military connective employee, and in their case, student support, and connecting in with military community support groups within the communities that they serve,” explained Annette Kuyper, Minnesota Department of Military Affairs Director of Military Outreach.

Central Lakes College is the 67th organization to be recognized as a Yellow Ribbon Company. The process to become a Yellow Ribbon Company is not easy, and it starts by developing a sustainable action plan that demonstrates their commitment to service members and their families.

“For the last year we’ve been working on putting together a big plan, and part of that is just so each month we have activities going on that help support our students and the community and making sure that we’re honoring them as they come here,” added Joy Bodin, CLC Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs.

CLC has long supported veterans and was one of the first colleges in the state to establish a Veterans Resource Center.

“Making sure that our service men and women and their families have access to adequate food and childcare, transportation, and a place to congregate,” added Charlier. “That they belong.”