Question 1

Who organizes/sponsors these events?

admin · Accepted Answer

These events first and foremost exist because of the communities where they take place. They would not happen without the veterans who have spoken at each event and the veteran and non-veteran attendees who have shown up to listen. Additionally, many individuals and organizations have offered advice, feedback, and support. Among those individuals are the event hosts: John Tracy, Jon Turner, Kyle Aines, and Marty McMahon. Many of Vermont’s Vets Town Halls have been organized or supported by local event planner Kristen Eaton. Kristen worked on the 2017-2019 Burlington-area events on a volunteer basis; much of 2021's work was funded by a grant from the Vermont Veterans Fund. Vets Town Hall (VTH) was launched as a national organization in 2022. This 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation is based in the state of Vermont. VTH provides resources for local event organizers nationwide. It also directly supports Vermont's events. Kristen continues to coordinate the annual Chittenden County town hall through her work with VTH. She also works on the communications that make sense to manage on a statewide level, like this website. Here are the Vets Town Halls that have been held in Vermont:

November 2017 at Contois Auditorium, Burlington. Hosted by John Tracy. Coordinated by Kristen Eaton. Venue sponsored by the Mayor’s Office.
November 2018 at Contois Auditorium, Burlington. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by the Mayor’s Office. Marketing support from CCV.
November 2018 in Rutland. Hosted and coordinated by Kyle Aines and Community College of Vermont.
November 2019 at McCarthy Arts Center, SMC, Colchester. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by St. Michael’s College Military Community Services and Student Veteran Association. Marketing support from CCV
November 2019 in Rutland. Hosted and coordinated by Kyle Aines and CCV
November 2019 at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury. Hosted and coordinated by Marty McMahon and CCV
June 2021 at Camp Meade in Middlesex. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by Camp Meade. Marketing support from CCV. Funding provided by the Vermont Veterans Fund.
July 2021 at Prouty Beach in Newport. Hosted by Marty McMahon. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by CCV. Marketing support from CCV. Support and assistance from Newport VFW Post 798. Funding provided by the Vermont Veterans Fund.
August 2021 at the Godnick Center in Rutland. Hosted and coordinated by Kyle Aines and CCV. Funded in part by the Vermont Veterans Fund.
September 2021 at Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by the Mayor's Office. Marketing Support from CCV. Funding provided by the Vermont Veterans Fund.
October 9, 2022 at the Godnick Center in Rutland. Hosted and coordinated by Kyle Aines. Venue sponsored by CCV. Support provided by VTH.
October 16, 2022 in the Moore Community Room on Northern Vermont University's Lyndon campus. Hosted and coordinated by Marty McMahon. Venue sponsored by NVU's Student Veterans Association. Support provided by VTH.
November 6, 2022 at the McCarthy Arts Center, Saint Michael's College, Colchester. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE and VTH. Venue sponsored by SMC Military Community Services and Student Veteran Association. Support provided by VTH.

Thank you to the Vermont Veterans Outreach Program for attending and being available to provide peer support at all events, and to Burlington Lakeside Clinic peer support specialists for doing the same at many Burlington-area events. This event format was originated by author Sebastian Junger (War, Tribe), and the national website can be found at vetstownhall.org. The national website provides resources and a directory of events, but each event is locally run. Some events are run by individuals, some by elected officials, and others by organizations.

Question 2

Who organizes/sponsors these events?

admin · Accepted Answer

These events first and foremost exist because of the communities where they take place. They would not happen without the veterans who have spoken at each event and the veteran and non-veteran attendees who have shown up to listen. Additionally, many individuals and organizations have offered advice, feedback, and support. Among those individuals are the event hosts: John Tracy, Jon Turner, Kyle Aines, and Marty McMahon. Many of Vermont’s Vets Town Halls have been organized or supported by local event planner Kristen Eaton. Kristen worked on the 2017-2019 Burlington-area events on a volunteer basis; much of 2021's work was funded by a grant from the Vermont Veterans Fund. Vets Town Hall (VTH) was launched as a national organization in 2022. This 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation is based in the state of Vermont. VTH provides resources for local event organizers nationwide. It also directly supports Vermont's events. Kristen continues to coordinate the annual Chittenden County town hall through her work with VTH. She also works on the communications that make sense to manage on a statewide level, like this website. Here are the Vets Town Halls that have been held in Vermont:

November 2017 at Contois Auditorium, Burlington. Hosted by John Tracy. Coordinated by Kristen Eaton. Venue sponsored by the Mayor’s Office.
November 2018 at Contois Auditorium, Burlington. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by the Mayor’s Office. Marketing support from CCV.
November 2018 in Rutland. Hosted and coordinated by Kyle Aines and Community College of Vermont.
November 2019 at McCarthy Arts Center, SMC, Colchester. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by St. Michael’s College Military Community Services and Student Veteran Association. Marketing support from CCV
November 2019 in Rutland. Hosted and coordinated by Kyle Aines and CCV
November 2019 at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury. Hosted and coordinated by Marty McMahon and CCV
June 2021 at Camp Meade in Middlesex. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by Camp Meade. Marketing support from CCV. Funding provided by the Vermont Veterans Fund.
July 2021 at Prouty Beach in Newport. Hosted by Marty McMahon. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by CCV. Marketing support from CCV. Support and assistance from Newport VFW Post 798. Funding provided by the Vermont Veterans Fund.
August 2021 at the Godnick Center in Rutland. Hosted and coordinated by Kyle Aines and CCV. Funded in part by the Vermont Veterans Fund.
September 2021 at Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE. Venue sponsored by the Mayor's Office. Marketing Support from CCV. Funding provided by the Vermont Veterans Fund.
October 9, 2022 at the Godnick Center in Rutland. Hosted and coordinated by Kyle Aines. Venue sponsored by CCV. Support provided by VTH.
October 16, 2022 in the Moore Community Room on Northern Vermont University's Lyndon campus. Hosted and coordinated by Marty McMahon. Venue sponsored by NVU's Student Veterans Association. Support provided by VTH.
November 6, 2022 at the McCarthy Arts Center, Saint Michael's College, Colchester. Hosted by Jon Turner. Coordinated by KE and VTH. Venue sponsored by SMC Military Community Services and Student Veteran Association. Support provided by VTH.

Thank you to the Vermont Veterans Outreach Program for attending and being available to provide peer support at all events, and to Burlington Lakeside Clinic peer support specialists for doing the same at many Burlington-area events. This event format was originated by author Sebastian Junger (War, Tribe), and the national website can be found at vetstownhall.org. The national website provides resources and a directory of events, but each event is locally run. Some events are run by individuals, some by elected officials, and others by organizations.