Employee of the Month!

James Colyer is a veteran who Songs4Soldiers assisted a few years ago.  James is paying it forward in a big way and now works in assisting veterans in the Sikeston, Missouri area as a Workforce Development Specialist I-DVOP Sikeston Job Center.

James was recently approached by the Sikeston Job Center’s MWA caseworker asking for assistance with a client that was a victim of domestic violence. The client, who served in the National Guard reserves, had escaped with her five children from Memphis, and was living in a domestic violence shelter for women in Sikeston.  Upon recognizing the limitations of available employment exclusively with school hours, the client determined she needed to relocate home to San Jose, CA, to acquire support for her children.
James assisted this veteran mother by coordinating the repair of her car as well as contacting VFW and American Legion Posts from Missouri to Utah, coordinating stopping points for the client at 10 different locations to meet her and fill her vehicle with gas, provide money for food, and prepay needed lodging during her two-day journey.  James displayed tremendous heart and compassion to help a mother in need.
A native of Columbia, IL, James has lived in Cape Girardeau since 2000 after returning from his service in the Navy. James served in two Military operations during his service. The first was the Liberation of Kosovo and the second was following September 11, 2001, when he was forward deployed to Bahrain as part of the Global War on Terrorism. He and his wife Christy have three daughters, ages 20, 15 and 11. He also recently welcomed his first grandchild.
James also spends a lot of time at the local Cape Girardeau VFW Post serving as Quartermaster and raising money for Veterans. Often times, you may observe Veteran Organizations handing out flowers (either Buddy Poppies or Forget me Not’s) in an effort to raise relief funds. It was with this money that the 10 service organizations that assisted the young mother and her children in getting from Sikeston to San Jose, CA, paid for the trip. When you see these Veterans and their Auxiliary collecting in the coming weeks, James encourages you to think of the recent assistance that was made possible by others’ generosity.

Congratulations James on this well-deserved recognition
as the November 2018 DED Employee of the Month!
Way to pay it forward!