Name: Honor Recognition Luncheon
Start: 2026-05-18T11:30:00-04:00
End: 2026-05-18T13:30:00-04:00
Location: 600 Wildflower Dr, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, United States

Join us for the annual Honor Recognition Luncheon on Monday, May 18th! This event, hosted by Connect, brings together the community to honor and celebrate local veterans and veteran entrepreneurs in the Wyoming Valley. This event serves not only as a gesture of gratitude towards the contributions of our local veterans, but also as a means of support to those who are transitioning into the business world.
Attendees can expect to enjoy a nice meal, honor those who have served our country, learn more about what this community offers for veterans, and connect with community leaders. During this event, we will also be awarding veteran entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Valley region with grants to advance their business ventures.
About Our Keynote Speaker:
Jeff Swire, Co-Founder & President of Patriots Cove
Jeff was a graduate of the Class of 1988, and, in his words, "an unremarkable one at that." Two weeks later, he entered military service that would take him to lands far and near. In 2003-2004, he deployed with the NC National Guard as a Squad leader of an Engineer platoon. Their job was UXO Disposal (unexploded ordnance) and IED defeat missions (Improvised Explosive Devices).
During the deployment, Jeff suffered an injury to his neck and spine, non-combat related. Upon returning to the US, he was hired on as a full-time Soldier with the NCNG but continued therapy on his spine, thinking it would heal. After a few years of therapy, he was sent to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. to have surgery. A few years later, he began to spiral downward in health and relied on significant pain medications to function in the day-to-day grind of military service. In 2014, Jeff was medically retired from military service due to his failing health. In 2015, he had a second spinal surgery that resulted in the saving of his life. No one was aware of how ill he had become and that the rejection of the first surgery was slowly and painfully taking his life.
In early 2016, Jeff moved back home to Noxen, PA, where he and his wife purchased the initial 18 acres of land that soon would become Patriots Cove. Inspired by his own struggles, loss of identity, and career, Jeff set out to build a place of healing and hope for men and women like himself who had fallen so far from the greatest privilege of serving in the US Military. Today, Patriots Cove has and continues to serve injured, ill, and end-of-life Veterans, First Responders, and their Caregivers from all across our Nation.