Women of the Military to Attend National Community Initiative Conference and Concert

National Non-Profit Organizations Partner to Connect Military Women to Community Resources and Employment Opportunities

RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 4, 2015 — The Women of the Military “We Served Too” Conference will take place this Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2015, at the University of Richmond.

As part of Challenge America’s second installment of the nationwide Challenge America Military Opportunities (C.A.M.O.) initiative, the event connects servicewomen, mothers, daughters and women with active duty relatives within the Richmond community to employment opportunities and health and wellness resources.

National non-profit organization Brides Across America will provide free evening gowns to attendees along with health and beauty tutorials.

“This conference is about empowering women of the military to feel good about themselves through health and wellness education and to help them develop the necessary skills to be successful in a career,” said Zaneta Adams, director of community affairs at Challenge America and an injured veteran of the Iraq War. “It’s important to connect military women to these resources in their communities and to educate them on the importance of self-care, so they can accomplish their goals. We want these women, many of whom have families to care for, to know that taking care of themselves is paramount to success and well-being during the transition from military to civilian life,” she said.

Guest appearances at the women-only event include Miss Virginia and Miss Washington D.C. An evening concert for men and women of the military and a guest will follow the day’s event with performances and appearances by R&B artist and actor Ivan Ellis, an up and coming actor from FOX’s new hit television show “Empire,” award-winning singer-songwriters Jenn Bostic and Mack Bailey, veteran and critically acclaimed author and musician Tonya L. Moore, and music by DJ Expo of Richmond, Virginia.

Forty percent of the United States military resides in Texas, California, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. Challenge America Military Opportunities (C.A.M.O.) currently works to provide a platform for local organizations in these states to collaborate in their own communities and educate servicemen and women on how to find the resources they seek. The organization believes that connecting servicemen, servicewomen and their families to available resources begins from the moment they take the oath of service, during active duty and continues as they transition back into their own communities.

National nonprofit Brides Across America continues to honor our heroes by giving weddings and wedding gowns to our deserving military and making wedding dreams come true. Brides Across America has provided assistance to thousands of military couples since its inception in 2008. All donations that are received go directly to provide support to their couples.

For more information on Challenge America’s (C.A.M.O.) Richmond event, visit: http://challengeamerica.com/ or http://bridesacrossamerica.com

Challenge America’s commitment across the United States is to bridge the transition from battlefield to home front by connecting military and their families to resources in their own communities. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To date, Brides Across America, in collaboration with bridal salons, designers, and individual donations, has been able to donate more that 14,000 wedding gowns and 20 weddings to service members. BAA was honored by the Joining Forces program, a national initiative to support and honor America’s service members and their families, which was launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/