AVRC is delivering results for Alabama veterans
As Alabamians celebrate Independence Day this July 4, they’re also honoring the nearly 400,000 U.S. military veterans who currently call Alabama home. Helping to ensure that the state’s veterans and their families have access to information, support, and services they have earned is the mission of the Alabama Veterans Resource Center (AVRC).
Alexandria Karagas, executive director of the Alabama Veterans Resource Center. (contributed)
As of July 1 — less than six months since the doors opened — 715 veterans have received in-person services at the AVRC offices in downtown Montgomery. Services include assistance with education, job training, and placement; help navigating healthcare and benefits; establishing contacts with veteran service organizations to build peer and social networks; and various forms of support for special challenges that often face military families.
AVRC has centralized access to services for Alabama veterans, while also establishing active relationships with a total of 74 nonprofit organizations and governmental service providers at the state and federal levels. In the words of the center’s executive director, it’s a “one-stop shop,” where veterans and their families can get answers to any question they have about benefits and resources available to them.
“Removing barriers and improving coordination of services,” said Alexandria Karagas, describing her organization’s mission. “Our job is to deliver Alabama’s veteran community the results they deserve.”
Participants in the AVRCs resume workshop, held June 23. (contributed)
AVRC also hosted two workshop events during the month of June alone, working in conjunction with local partner organizations. One workshop provided resume review and advice for job-seeking veterans, the first of what is planned as a quarterly event.
The other workshop was “Understanding Veteran Trauma,” where approximately 30 veterans and family members came to hear about support and care for those suffering emotional and psychological effects of their military service.
Another notable event is scheduled for later in the summer. AVRC has been selected by the national chapter of the Wounded Warrior Project to host its Women’s Veterans Roundtable on August 12. According to Karagas, that opportunity affirms the power of the partnerships making the center’s success possible — and laying the foundation for the future.
“I get to see every day that amazing things are happening, in Alabama and at this center,” said Karagas. “Those things are being made possible by partnerships we’re building. We’re reaching people who need help most. We look forward to continuing to build and expand those partnerships, continuing to grow our impact.”
Created in 2025 by the Alabama Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey, the AVRC was launched this year with support from the Alabama Power Foundation. The foundation grant was to further the center’s objective of eliminating fragmentation in the system of veterans benefits and support, increasing trust in the system, and improving long-term outcomes for Alabama veterans and their families.