"Freedom is not free."
—Walter Hithcock

"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved."
—Franklin D. Roosevelt

American freedom has been achieved and maintained due to the perseverance and sacrifice of our service men and women. Although we show our support by honoring those in service as well as veterans twice a year, on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, this does not fulfill their daily needs as they once again navigate civilian life. In an effort to support veterans the New York Public Library has partnered with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, the Robin Hood Foundation "Single Stop" initiative, and working toward providing veteran specific programming at branch libraries.

The Saint George Branch on Staten Island is a representative for the New York Public Library Veterans History Project. As a representative veterans interviews will be conducted at St. George and veterans may call or visit to "get important information and assistance in the fight to understand and access critical social benefits" (nypl.org). As a partner with the Library of Congress National Veterans Hisotry Project we have made it our mission to record as many veterans stories as possible, "to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans" (Library of Congress). The stories of our veterans are priceless as they capture the experiences of American war veterans allowing future generations to better understand war through living history.

Through the 'Single Stop' intitiative partnership with the Robin Hood Foundatione we can point veterans toward resources as to where critical social benefits can be obtained. There are seven sites designated for this purpose and are accessible to all New Yorkers. Below is a list of their locations.

• LIFT - The Bronx, 2381 Belmont Avenue, Bronx, NY
• Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, 1406 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY
• Institute for Family Health, 1879 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
• Mid-Manhattan Library, 455 5th Avenue, New York, NY
• Brooklyn Workforce1 Career Center, 9 Bond Street, 5th Floor, Brooklyn, NY
• Bronx Workforce1 Career Center, Fordham Place, 400 East Fordham Road (entrance on Webster), Bronx, NY
• Queens Workforce1 Career Center, 168-25 Jamaica Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY

Although Workforce 1 of Staten Island is not a 'Single Stop' they have a Veterans Specialist on staff to assist veterans with finding gainful employment. Below you will find their contact information.

• Workforce 1
• Veterans Specialist: Peter Romano (USMC)
• 120 Stuyvesant Place, Staten Island, NY
• Telephone: (718) 981-8431
• Fax: (718) 981-8367
• Email: promano@edsisolutions.com

For more information regarding any resources contained in this post or future posts please contact the Veterans Representative at the Saint George Library Center on Staten Island and author of this blog, Rebecca FrancoMartin. Mrs. FrancoMartin has 6 years prior experience working with Veterans at the Brookdale Center for World War II Studies where she conducted interviews for the Veterans History Project and assisted with veterans programs.

• Saint George Library Center
• Veterans Representative: Rebecca FrancoMartin
• 5 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY
• Telephone: (718) 442-8560