Last week, Terminal 4 in New York City hosted a special Veterans Day celebration that included local residents and volunteers to honor veterans. The event aided the Hudson County Development Corporation’s community service initiatives for veterans through a series of workshops and free arts programs.

JFK International Air Terminal (JFKIAT) had a special event celebrating veterans. They brought in some talented musicians to broadcast appreciation and show how much they care about veteran’s service. People from US Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), ABM Industries, and JFKIAT came together to honor 32 veterans for their dedication.

A special collaboration

JFKIAT has had a long-time commitment to understanding the needs of and working with the futurology community, which is why we’re so excited about launching this new event.

We know that it’s inspiring to see and be inspired by the stories of those who serve our country, and so we’re proud to present the CreatiVets program.

At CreatiVets, we offer a variety of support services to those who have sacrificed or devoted time to serve. The organization offers songs, artwork, music and writing that tackle the thoughts and feelings that accompany service-related trauma. Through creative outlets, disabled veterans can channel their stories into art that inspires continued healing for themselves.

The details of the event

JFK International Airport invited veterans in Terminal 4. They were given the chance to attend collaborative workshops with CreatiVets and listen to songs which were created by them as well. Through these activities, they were able to share their personal experiences while examining their thoughts on the day’s event.

The non-profit organization celebrated the veterans by presenting an original song, with lyrics based on personal stories from each veteran. They then unveiled a group portrait of the veterans after the presentation.

Brett Gillan, the Director of Programming at CreatiVets, had this to say

“We are incredibly excited about the art installation Jack has in JFK Airport. This is our way to bridge the civilian/military divide and give civilians a glimpse into what our veterans go through after coming home from serving their country. We hope that veterans will see this exhibit and realize there’s nothing wrong with what they’re feeling or thinking, and hopefully take advantage of a CreatiVets program.”

Recognition for veterans

With over 400 events planned, Terminal 4’s main goal is to support the community it serves. By doing so, they are helping Veterans Day events like the one that was held on November 11th in order to honor all of our veterans.

“As part of our commitment to supporting and celebrating our local community, A.R.T.A. looks forward to our ongoing collaboration with CreatiVets to showcase veterans in Terminal 4 throughout the year, and we encourage all passengers to view the portraits and listen to the moving songs while traveling,” Huinink said.

With so many amazing stories and thoughts that people have, it can be tough to hear all of them. With the Terminal, we created a visual landscape for these stories to live in so that anyone who passes through can see the portraits and read excerpts from their stories. We also added QR codes so travelers could listen to the songs they wrote based on their experiences.