- December 11, 2025
The check presentations by the Military Officers Association of America Halifax Area Chapter at Barracks of Hope on Thursday, Dec. 11 donated a total of $1,500 to three organizations serving veterans in Volusia County. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Skip Keating, a director with the Military Officers Association of America Halifax Area Chapter, presents checks at Barracks of Hope on Thursday, Dec. 11. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Skip Keating, a director with the Military Officers Association of America Halifax Area Chapter, presents a check to Bob Adkins, past president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1048, at Barracks of Hope on Thursday, Dec. 11. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Bob Adkins, past president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1048, and his wife Cathy Adkins, hold up a poster of the future Vietnam Veterans Memorial during the check presentation at Barracks of Hope on Thursday, Dec. 11. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Skip Keating, a director with the Military Officers Association of America Halifax Area Chapter, presents a check to Brandy Harris, program manager at Halifax Urban Ministries, and Roy Young, executive director of Halifax Urban Ministries, at Barracks of Hope on Thursday, Dec. 11. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Brandy Harris, program manager at Halifax Urban Ministries, and Roy Young, executive director of Halifax Urban Ministries. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Skip Keating, a director with the Military Officers Association of America Halifax Area Chapter, presents a check to Volusia County Veterans Services Director Scott Olson at Barracks of Hope on Thursday, Dec. 11. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Volusia County Veterans Services Director Scott Olson speaks during the check presentation at Barracks of Hope on Thursday, Dec. 11. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The Military Officers Association of America Halifax Area Chapter donated a total of $1,500 to three organizations serving veterans on Thursday, Dec. 11.
The chapter donated $375 each to Halifax Urban Ministries' Barracks of Hope and the Vietnam Memorial initiative, accepted by Bob Adkins, past president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1048. MOAA also donated $750 to the Volusia Values Veterans Support Endowment.
The donations were a result of funds raised during MOAA's Veterans Day Ceremony last month at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Daytona Beach.
"I think it's very important for organizations in Volusia County to get together to take care of veterans, individually and collectively," said Skip Keating, MOAA Halifax Area Chapter director. "We're just much more powerful if we're doing it as a community, and the Military Officers Association is glad to take the lead on that and bring folks together and provide funding for all the worthwhile projects that we have here in the community. These are just three of them that just really stand out."
Adkins and his Veterans Memorial co-chair Jerry Kramer plan to install a monument honoring Vietnam veterans at the Veterans Memorial Plaza at 125 E. Orange Ave. The 7,500-pound monument is planned to be installed on March 27, 2026.
"This is a program that myself and my family have worked on to make sure that no veteran is left behind and that we are represented as we leave this earth," Adkins said.
Barracks of Hope is a 20-bed transitional shelter for homeless veterans, run by HUM. In 2024, the shelter served 71 veterans — 65 men and six women. The average length of stay for these veterans was 135 days, according to HUM's 2024 annual report. It costs HUM $584,111 a year to operate, with a cost of $8,226 per veteran.
The Volusia Values Veterans program was established in May by the County Council, leading to the partnership with the Community Foundation/United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties to establish the endowment.
The endowment was created to prevent and address veteran homelessness in the community, support food security programs for veterans, provide funding for the county's annual Stand Down event, and support professional development for Veteran Service Officers.
"This endowment is going to better enable us to be better trained and help out, and it's just going to be able to give right back to the community," Volusia County Veterans Services Director Scott Ohlson said. "It's written in the agreement for the endowment. All the dollars have to be given back to the veteran community in Volusia County."
