How the Veteran Social Club is Redefining Networking as a ‘Naughty Word’
Originally Published June 16, 2023 on The Las Vegas VeteranThe Veteran Social Club is Las Vegas’ newest veteran non-profit organization, founded and run by Navy veteran TJ Henderson. But this non-profit has a different take on how to help local vets, and that is through the phrase ‘networking is a naughty word’. Henderson’s goal is to bring veterans together to socialize, and that’s it. No strings attached, no networking goal, just simple fun.
Henderson isn’t new to working in veteran services. After medically leaving the Navy and moving to Las Vegas, he landed in hotel operations at Caesars Entertainment, where he started to create veteran opportunities for locals. His idea for a veteran social group formed there, and he was eager to get it started.
The Veteran Social Club held its first event in September 2022 at a local veteran-owned bar. Since then, the organization has hosted multiple events, from Super Bowl watch parties to attending professional Lacrosse games. Brandon Mills is an Army veteran and owner of Total Promotion Company, a local printing shop. As the club’s brand ambassador, he is passionate about the Veteran Social Club’s mission and enjoys working with the organization, “I love to work with other veteran organizations. We work with all sorts of veteran businesses and veteran non-profits, but the Veteran Social Club is my favorite because it’s so fun.”
The club stresses its mission to keep networking out of the mix. “The people that you meet at the Veteran Social Club are not there with an agenda to try and see where you work, who your connections are, or try to leverage connections. You just get together, you know, and have a good time and some laughs together.” Mills states. “I was really impressed that there was really no other agenda than to bring veterans together and to just have a good time.”
While networking can be a helpful tool for veterans, it can seem like an oversaturated market. Many organizations are working to help veterans find businesses and professional growth but many can fail to bring a sense of community to veterans. Marine veteran Martha MacPhee, a Veteran Social Club board member, has worked in military protocol and events for over ten years. MacPhee explains that the connections she makes at the Veteran Social Club events lean more toward friendships instead of work contacts. “I think a community is absolutely important to veterans. If I hadn’t found this group of people, I would most likely be at home alone doing nothing. The club has turned into a group of friends that I hang out with regularly.”
Nevada has a high population of veterans, many of whom struggle with homelessness, lack of community, and health. With two military bases in Las Vegas, it continually brings active-duty and retired or separated veterans to the area. Veteran Social Club board member Billy Alt, a Marine veteran and realtor in the city, explains the reasoning behind the high influx of military members, “We have one of the highest percentages of veterans in our community. It’s interesting to see on the real estate side that we have a lot of people retiring here because of taxes and the weather.”
According to a 2021 study titled “Transition from military to civilian: Identity, social connectedness, and veteran well-being” by Mel Fleck and Leah Kite, veterans transitioning out of the military can heavily benefit from finding social connections. While many city organizations work to assist veterans, they have yet to do what the Veteran Social Club hopes to accomplish. “With the Veteran Social Club, the purpose is to bring like-minded people with similar backgrounds together so that they can have some commonality and feel like they belong somewhere,” Mills says.
Mills added, “The club has been a great social aspect of my life. You can just let your guard down because you’re amongst friends.” A 2020 article, “Identifying factors that contribute to military veterans’ post-military well-being,” written by Dr. Dawne Vogt, stresses the importance of social support for veterans, saying, “… there is evidence that veterans’ access to coping resources, including both social support and psychological resilience, has implications for their post-military mental health and social functioning.”
The club has grown exponentially within the last few months, bringing in an average of 80 veterans at each event. The events are always free to veterans, and Henderson wants to keep it that way. “We have no membership fee, but I sometimes say that we have the most expensive membership fee around, which is your dog tags. If you have two dog tags, you’re in,” he says. Each event provides a complimentary drink and meal and the space for veterans to build relationships and find a sense of belonging.
Events are hosted monthly, and the Veteran Social Club strives to include veteran-owned businesses whenever possible. “The club’s mission is to get out there, but one of their other missions is to help support veterans and veteran-owned businesses. I love that we get to go around and host events at different places that are veteran-owned,” says Alt.
In addition to hosting social gatherings, the Veteran Social Club has started a volunteer outreach arm to give back to the Las Vegas Community called Task Force Give. The non-profit has partnered with other organizations throughout the valley, such as Rebuilding Together Southern Nevada and the Nevada Outdoor Adventure Foundation. “Seeing different people at each event and not just the same few people over and over again kind of shows that the word is getting out there,” says Josh Warren, a Veteran Social Club member.
The Veteran Social Club hopes to grow even more in the coming years. Although they would love to expand into different cities across the country, the organization first wants to reach its full potential in Las Vegas. Henderson believes there are still many opportunities to be found and veterans to be helped locally. As the club continues to grow, more and more local veterans are discovering the club and joining in the festivities. “In the future, I think the Veteran Social Club events will get even more extravagant and more fun,” Mills says.
Veterans can find future events to attend on the Veteran Social Club website. They can also follow the non-profit on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Organizations or businesses that would like to give back to the veteran community can also find more information about donations on the Veteran Social Club website.
To read more articles by Sara Vogt, you can visit her website at www.vegasveteran.com