Date Posted: February 20, 2025
On November 11, 2024, Veteran’s Day, a new non-profit was officially formed in the State of Georgia, T.E.V. for Vets, Inc. Ronald Smallwood, a 2018 Southern Crescent Technical College (SCTC) graduate and Army Veteran, had a vision for veterans supporting veterans, and he hopes to begin its operation soon.
“A few years ago, I bought a place in Arkansas. Out there, I had time to think, and realize there is a need for veterans to gather together, talk, reminisce, give support and relax with their fellow veterans. That is when T.E.V. (Temporary Escape Vacation) for Vets was formed. In the next few years, I came back to Griffin and have worked to start this non-profit from the ground up. Getting state approval on Veteran’s Day was the best beginning I could imagine.” said Smallwood.
The mission is to find and assist veterans to provide a retreat for their unit to come to for a weekend, or a few days, to have a reunion. Each unit forms a special bond and bringing them back together to catch up and support each other, especially after deployment, is a support that is not available in many other veteran programs. This focuses on being 100% veteran run and vets supporting vets as a family.
Smallwood completed Auto Collision Repair courses at SCTC and then moved on to Business Management at the college. At the time, SCTC was just opening the Veteran’s Center and forming the Student Veterans Association-Griffin Chapter. “I enjoyed every moment at SCTC. I was a mechanic in the army, so I wanted to further that and found it at SCTC.”
If you are a veteran and would like more information about T.E.V. for Vets, or would like to support the organization, please contact Ronald Smallwood at t.e.v.forvets@gmail.com.