St. Charles adds staffer in bid to hire more veterans

In an effort to provide hiring outreach and support for veterans and those who have participated in volunteer service such as the Peace Corps or Americorps, St. Charles Health System said Monday it has hired Wendy Rudy as a part-time veteran and national service liaison.

Rudy brings to her position a wealth of experience in program development and community outreach, including volunteering as a family group readiness leader for the Oregon Army National Guard.

In her role there, she helped soldiers and their families cope with separation during deployments, and later with reunion. Rudy also served as a U.S. Navy reservist as a field medical corpsman, and was activated for 45 days during Operation Desert Storm.

“I have been a veterans’ advocate for over 23 years,” Rudy said. “I come from a long line of family members who have served in the military, and almost all of them have seen some type of combat.

“I feel a sense of duty and honor in helping our veterans.I know first-hand the commitment, sacrifice and the ultimate price paid by our veterans in order to make our country a better place to live.”

In her role as the veteran and national service liaison, Rudy will plan, organize and implement community outreach and recruiting activities focused on active military, veterans and national service applicants for positions with the organization.

She’ll also be responsible for attending job fairs geared toward this population and will make sure open positions are posted on websites for organizations such as Hiring Our Heroes, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and Indian Health Services.

“We know that veterans of military service and those who have served our country through volunteer opportunities often end those assignments with skills that are not easily recognized as transferable to the private sector, even though they bring with them great value,” said Jim Diegel, president and CEO of St. Charles Health System.

“We hope that through these outreach efforts, those who have served our country will know they are welcome and encouraged to apply for positions within our organization.”