MVAA launches Michigan REBOOT Workshops this fall

Contact: Veronica LaDuke 517-284-5298

Agency: Military and Veterans Affairs

September 2, 2014

LANSING, Mich. In 2010, retired Navy veterans Ronne Froman and Maurice Wilson saw former
sailors and Marines struggling to figure out their place in the civilian world.
Their idea: Just like boot camp transforms recruits, service members need a reverse boot camp to
set them up for success in the civilian world. REBOOT was born.
Now the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) is bringing the popular workshops to Michigan.
These three-week Michigan REBOOT sessions provide extensive personalized transition training,
addressing personal, social and professional aspects of the transition from military to civilian life all
at no cost to the veterans who participate. Participants are only responsible for transportation and
lunch each day.
When you start your military service, boot camp puts you on the path to thrive in that culture, said
MVAA Director Jeff Barnes. Michigan REBOOT takes that same model and flips it to set veterans
on the path to thrive now that they are back in civilian culture.
MVAA will host four Michigan REBOOT Workshops in the coming months. Online registration is
open for all four sessions:
Sept. 22 to Oct. 10, 2014 Kent County Human Services Complex, 121 Franklin SE, Grand
Rapids
Oct. 20 to Nov. 7, 2014 Detroit (exact location TBD)
March 16 to April 3, 2015 (Women veterans only) Southeast Michigan (exact location TBD)
April 27 to May 15, 2015 Lansing (exact location TBD)
REBOOT is more than a workshop -- it's a life changer, said REBOOT graduate Alex Halcomb.
Not only did REBOOT give me the tools and skills needed to succeed in the workforce, it also gave
me a drive and willingness to be a better person all around. Halcomb currently works for the Ann
Arbor VA Medical Center and is beginning the Medic to Paramedic program at Lansing Community
College this fall.
REBOOT Workshops are designed to assist members of the military in making the social and
career transition from years of service by addressing their fears and re-booting their skills. Each
workshop offers three weeks of education designed to enhance and build upon their training,
experience and skills to prepare them for life after the military. While the workshops are geared
primarily for Post-9/11 veterans, they are open to all veterans regardless of service era or discharge
status.
The three week commitment was definitely worth it, said Raine Polzin, a graduate of the first all-
female REBOOT Workshop and student at Mott Community College. It helps focus and center you
back to a positive mindset and it's all about thinking about you rather than thinking about the whole
like you do in the military.
Through REBOOT Workshops and other initiatives, National Veterans Transition Services, Inc.
(NVTSI), has helped more than 1,000 veterans make a successful transition from military service to
civilian life including employment, education, personal outlook and wellbeing. NVTSI has a proven
98% success rate of linking veterans with meaningful employment.
MVAA serves as the central coordinating point, connecting those who have served in the United
States Armed Services and their families, to services and benefits throughout the state of Michigan.
The agency values inclusion, integrity, transparency, innovation and respect and aspires to provide
the customer service experience that veterans deserve. To learn more,
visit www.MichiganVeterans.com or call 1-800-MICH-VET.