The Hive, the Board, and the Barbecue: A Community United for Veterans

Finding help shouldn't be the hardest part of being a veteran. On this episode of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael talks with three women working to change that: Ashley Moslak, Nicole Hess, and Patricia Young — the people behind the Northern Shenandoah Valley Community Veterans Engagement Board (CVEB) and The HIVE at Shenandoah University. They explain how CVEB acts as a connector that links veterans to the right resources before they get overwhelmed, how The HIVE has become a convening space for veteran service organizations, and why volunteering for this cause looks different than you'd expect. Plus: full details on two upcoming events — the Healing Field of Honor resource setup at Handley High School and the Veterans Community Connection Barbecue at The HIVE. WHO'S ON THIS EPISODE Ashley Moslak — Chair, Northern Shenandoah Valley Community Veterans Engagement Board (CVEB) Nicole Hess — Co-Chair, CVEB; Director of Military Benefits, Shenandoah University Patricia Young — Executive Director, The HIVE (Hazel Pruett Armory — Hub for Innovators, Veterans, and Entrepreneurs); Advisor, CVEB IN THIS EPISODE (00:00) Welcome back — Ashley's first appearance since October 2020 (01:30) Meet the team: CVEB, Shenandoah University, and The Hive (02:00) CVEB history — founded 2017, what a "connector" organization actually does (04:00) Why a single entry point matters when veterans are overwhelmed (05:30) Monthly member meetings, featured speakers, and the resource website (06:00) The five counties CVEB serves — and the Tech For Troops laptop partnership (07:30) How Shenandoah University and The Hive fit into the mission (09:30) Nicole's role — "the worker bee and emotional support friend" (11:30) The Healing Field of Honor at Handley High School and CVEB's resource setup (14:30) The Veterans Community Connection Barbecue — what to expect (17:00) Guitars for Vets, a mobile paint splatter room, and free food (18:30) Volunteering looks different here — veteran-owned businesses can give back (19:30) Making financial donations — CVEB's transparency and Candid platinum rating (20:30) Finding CVEB online and the push to grow social media EVENT DETAILS Healing Field of Honor — CVEB Resource Setup Thursday, May 21, 2026 • 3:00–7:00 PM Handley High School lawn, Winchester (alongside the Winchester Rotary ceremony) Veterans Community Connection Barbecue Thursday, May 28, 2026 • 11:00 AM–2:00 PM The HIVE, Shenandoah University campus • Free • Open to the community, not just veterans • RSVP requested (food count) Live music from Guitars for Vets and a mobile paint splatter room from Prismatic Art Studios • RSVP via the flyer on the CVEB website landing page LINKS & RESOURCES CVEB website, resource guide & barbecue RSVP: nsvcveb.org CVEB on Facebook: facebook.com/NSVCVEB The HIVE on Instagram: su_hive The HIVE programming: [email protected] Shenandoah HIVE / Patricia Young on LinkedIn GI Bill & veteran student benefits (Shenandoah University): [email protected] Tech For Troops (Richmond) and Guitars for Vets — partner nonprofits mentioned