RIT to celebrate ‘service after service’ at annual Veterans Day Breakfast

Rochester Institute of Technology is celebrating Veterans Day with an event to honor veterans, service members and their families. The Rochester community is invited to attend the ninth annual Veterans Day Breakfast, to be held from 8 to 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11, in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center.

This year the event will focus on “service after service,” recognizing the many ways veterans go on to serve their communities after completing their military service. The event will feature a keynote address from Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter

Baxter is a 30-year veteran of law enforcement, with 22 years of service to the Rochester Police Department and four years of experience as Chief of Police in the Greece Police Department.  Sheriff Baxter joined the local force following three years of active duty with the U.S. Army as a military police officer. He continued his military service with the U.S. Army Reserve, 98th Division, for 19 years before retiring as a Master Sergeant, Brigade Anti-Terrorism and Training Non-commissioned Officer in 2005.

“As we honor all of the men and women who have served our country in war or peace on this Veterans Day, we offer special gratitude to the 68,000 veterans who call Monroe County home,” said Baxter. “As the former executive director of the Veterans Outreach Center, it has been my honor to help our vets receive the benefits, medical treatment and outreach services they so well deserve. As sheriff, I am so proud to have on staff many veterans. We all realize the benefits that come with military experience.”

Several groups of interest to veterans — including the Veterans Outreach Center and Veterans Upward Bound— will have information available about the services they offer. The Pittsford Fireman’s Band will provide music and Eric Wheeler, assistant director of Career and Veteran Services at Monroe Community College, will serve as emcee.

The event is free to attend and includes coffee and a continental breakfast, but registration is encouraged using the Veterans Breakfast Registration Form. If you need assistance registering or for questions regarding the event, contact Sandra Whitmore at 585-475-5453 or swwpro@rit.edu.

RIT is annually recognized as a welcoming place for veterans by groups including U.S. News & World Report and Military Friendly. RIT partners with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to administer the Yellow Ribbon program, providing qualified veterans and dependents 100 percent tuition coverage for undergraduate and graduate degree programs. And for more than 50 years, RIT has had a veterans services office dedicated to supporting and advocating for active-duty military, veterans and their dependents.