St. Cloud VA 100th anniversary celebration set for Sept. 14

By Barry Venable, St. Cloud VA Public Affairs Officer

ST. CLOUD — Veterans and family members, retired and former employees and members of the greater St. Cloud community are invited to attend the St. Cloud VA Medical Center’s 100th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Sept. 14.

Several celebratory activities are planned from 9 to 11 a.m., with a ceremony to honor the occasion scheduled at 11 a.m. All activities will be held outdoors in the Circle Parking Lot at the St. Cloud VAMC, located at 4801 Veterans Drive, in St. Cloud. The celebration is free and open to the public.  Attendees may park in the parking ramp and west lot immediately south of Bldg. 1 (Main Entrance).

Activities from 9 to 11 a.m. include:

  • Suicide Prevention Walk: Support efforts to end suicide by enjoying a 3/4-mile, self-paced walk on the walking path on the front lawn of the St. Cloud VA’s beautiful campus. Along the route participants can learn four simple steps to help people at risk of suicide.
  • Resource Fair: Discover numerous Veteran-focused health care programs including: Women Veterans Program; Caregiver Support Program; Intimate Partner Violence Assistance; Veterans Justice Outreach; Spinal Cord Injury program; Nutrition Clinic; and Whole Health program including Tai Chi demonstrations (weather dependent).
  • The Resource Fair also includes health care enrollment. Veterans, including those newly eligible due to the PACT Act’s expanded eligibility guidelines due to toxic exposures while in military service, may apply for health care enrollment. Simply bring along your discharge papers.
  • Veterans Creative Arts Festival Art Show: Enjoy numerous entries from the annual Veteran Arts Competition, available for viewing in the Canteen.
  • 100th Anniversary Exhibit: Located in Bldg. 1, this exhibit features artifacts and history from the St. Cloud VA’s century of service to Veterans.
  • Veteran and Alumni Reception: Enjoy each other’s company and rekindle friendships in the Canteen.
  • Veteran Musical Concert: Enjoy award winning music from talented local Veterans, on stage in the Circle Parking Lot starting at 10 a.m.

Dedicated on Sept. 17, 1924, U.S. Veterans Bureau Hospital #101 was one of 30 veterans hospitals established to treat World War I veterans and was built as a 500-bed neuropsychiatric hospital for veterans living in Veterans Bureau District No. 10, which included the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana.

The St. Cloud VA Hospital Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Aug. 21, 2012, because of its significance to the history and evolution of American medicine and veterans care, its representation of World War I-era federal architecture, and its role in providing quality health care to World War I veterans after the war.

In continuous service since 1924, the St. Cloud VA Medical Center continues to adapt to serve today’s veterans of several eras and is poised and ready for another century of service as VA delivers more benefits to veterans than ever before.