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Veterans Association of Bristol County to move to Globe Street building; Bristol Community College highlights veteran supports
Summary
Student reporting at the Veterans Day broadcast said the Veterans Association of Bristol County purchased a Globe Street building to expand counseling, storage and specialist offices; Bristol Community College staff highlighted student‑veteran services and peer support programs.
A Fred TV student report and onstage remarks during Fall River’s Veterans Day ceremony outlined near‑term expansions for local veteran services.
McKenna Borges, reporting for Durfee High School’s Fred TV, said the Veterans Association of Bristol County (VABC) has outgrown its Pine Street site and bought a building on Globe Street with plans to open next spring. The planned facility was described on air as providing private counseling rooms for PTSD and other needs, office space for specialists who assist veterans with VA loans and career planning, and a larger refrigeration system to accept more donated food. The report said the move is intended to allow the organization to broaden services across the South Coast and better integrate veterans into the community.
Bristol Community College veterans’ staff also spoke during the program: Denny Cosmo, director of the BCC veteran center and Student Veterans of America advisor, described the center as a hub for student veterans that builds social capital and helps veterans transition into academic life. Student participants described peer mentoring, access to benefits paperwork (DD214, loan assistance), and a busy student‑veteran club that has been recognized at the regional level. Cosmo and others urged community members to volunteer, donate and visit the planned new VABC site when it opens.
What remains unspecified in the broadcast: a detailed funding breakdown for the Globe Street purchase and renovation, an exact opening date beyond 'next spring,' and whether any municipal approvals or zoning steps remain. Organizers gave an estimate of a roughly 24,000‑square‑foot footprint for the new facility during the ceremony; that figure was stated on stage by the emcee and treated as approximate.
