Tips for Today: Veterans Day

Veterans Day is less than a week away! Observed annually on November 11, Veterans Day is an official United States holiday that honors people who have served in armed service. Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all veterans, while Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving.

So, how can you celebrate Veterans Day with your customers?

• Serve your veterans a free draft beer, free appetizer or free meal at your restaurant or bar
• Host a fundraiser for an organization that supports the health and welfare of our veterans at your restaurant or retail shop.
• Donate a portion of proceeds from the month of November to a
• Clear your calendar on November 11 to take care of veterans only – make them the priority for lawn service, car maintenance, salon or spa treatments or other services.
• Instead of limiting your celebration to just one day, you could honor our veterans every week of the year! For example, a restaurant or retail shop could offer veterans 10% off any purchase every Tuesday.
• Work with your Chamber of Commerce or other city officials to create a public (temporary) memorial to veterans in your community. Something as simple as a wooden structure painted with chalkboard paint and some colorful chalk could provide an easy way for your neighbors to honor the veterans in their lives.

Many promotions include giving veterans a discount or a freebie when they show their military ID. Another great way to give back is to make a donation of time, services or money to organizations that support our veterans. Some of the most well-known organizations are: the USO, Wounded Warriors Project, Homes for Our Troops, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Thanks USA, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

Additionally, you could “extend” your celebration of Veterans Day to include our K-9 veterans. There are more than 500-600 dogs deployed across the services and around the world in support of our troops during any given year. Once their mission is over, organizations like Military Working Dog Adoption help them find “forever” homes outside of the military. Your small business could host a fundraiser or donate a percentage of the day’s (or week’s) proceeds to an organization to support our K-9 veterans.