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Veterans Services Program Expands In WNC

Asheville Buncombe County Christian Ministry
Brandon Wilson, NCServes - Western network director, addresses the audience during the NCServes - Western network launch Thursday morning at A-B Tech

The Western North Carolina branch of a national program designed to connect veterans with social service programs is expanding.  NCServes - Western, which is a part of the national AmericaServes network, will connect veterans, active service members and their families to more than 40 agencies and service providers throughout the region.  NCServes - Western covers the following counties - Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, and Yancey. There are 61,394 veterans in those counties, according to VA projections.  Buncombe County is home to almost 20-thousand veterans.  The Western branch of NCServes is the fourth in North Carolina, joining branches that serve the Charlotte area, Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville areas, and the coastal part of the state.  A two-year $450-thousand grant from WalMart is helping fund NCServes - Western. 

Matt Bush joined Blue Ridge Public Radio as news director in August 2016. Excited at the opportunity the build up the news service for both stations as well as help launch BPR News, Matt made the jump to Western North Carolina from Washington D.C. For the 8 years prior to coming to Asheville, he worked at the NPR member station in the nation's capital as a reporter and anchor. Matt primarily covered the state of Maryland, including 6 years of covering the statehouse in Annapolis. Prior to that, he worked at WMAL in Washington and Metro Networks in Pittsburgh, the city he was born and raised in.