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Dr. Tim Lea, Director of Veteran Affairs with Copiah Lincoln Community College serves as a volunteer with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).
On Thursday, April 20, 2023, Dr. Lea presented Simpson General Hospital a certificate for becoming the latest business to sign a letter of support with the ESGR.
The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense office, was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment. ESGR is supported by a network of more than 3,000 volunteers in 54 committees located across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam-CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Volunteers, hailing from small business and industry, government, education, and prior military service bring a vast wealth of experience to assist in serving employers, Service members, and their families. Together with Headquarters ESGR staff and a small cadre of support staff for each State Committee, volunteers work to promote and enhance employer support for military service in the Guard and Reserve.
ESGR has served our country for more than 50 years, fostering a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States. These citizen warriors could not defend and protect us at home and abroad without the continued promise of meaningful civilian employment for themselves and their families. ESGR has continued to adapt to meet the needs of Reserve Component members, their families, and America’s employers by joining forces with a network of other national, state, and local government and professional trade organizations.
The Statement of Support Program is the cornerstone of ESGR’s effort to gain and maintain employer support for the Guard and Reserve. The intent of the program is to increase employer support by encouraging employers to act as advocates for employee participation in the military. Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the Nation’s Guard and Reserve units. The first Statement of Support was signed December 13, 1972, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense by the Chairman of the Board of General Motors. President Richard Nixon was the first President to sign a Statement of Support, and in 2005 every Federal Cabinet Secretary and all Federal agencies signed a Statement of Support to signify their continuing efforts to be model employers. Since its inception, hundreds of thousands of employers have signed Statements of Support, pledging their support to Guard and Reserve employees and recently Simpson General Hospital joined that group as a patriotic employer. Pictured at the signing ceremony are (l-r) Sergeantt Ben Pace, 1-204th ADA Battalion, and Copiah-Lincoln Community College Practical Nursing student, Co-Lin’s Military Community Services director Dr. Tim Lea who also volunteers as ESGR’s State Training Director, Director of Risk Management and Quality Control Shana Lane, Director of Human Resources Shannon Boyte.
Dr. Lea presented Simpson General Hospital with a certificate of support for the Guard and Reserve. HR Director, Shannon Boyt, signed the Certificate of Support. Pictured with Boyt is Shana Lane, Director of Risk Management, Colin Student – Ben Pace and Dr. Lea.
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