The Southeast Missouri State University Student Veterans Organization held a ceremony on Friday to present a donation of $3,000 to the Missouri Veterans Home of Cape Girardeau.

The check was a donation of leftover funds raised in a joint effort of Southeast's and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale's veterans' service organizations. The funds were raised to sponsor the traveling Vietnam Wall that was displayed in Carbondale from Sept. 11-14.

Maj. Jeremy McBroom, director of the office of military and veterans services at Southeast, commended the fundraising effort of both schools.

"We coordinated and cooperated with the folks across the river," McBroom said.

The veterans service organizations of SIU Carbondale, SIU Anna and Southeast teamed with VFW Post 3838 and sponsor the traveling Vietnam Wall with donations from the public, private entities and fundraisers.

"Students from Southeast as well as Carbondale share an interest in bridging the gap where the river splits us," McBroom said. "As veterans, we know no boundaries. If there is a mission, we tackle it."

The check was presented to the new foundation board president and retired Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bill Adams.

Adams addressed those in attendance, thanking all who helped in fundraising.

"Less than 1 percent of the population has ever worn the uniform of their country. It makes me bubble over to see you veterans still serving. God bless you," Adams said.

Adams described the lasting camaraderie that develops between veterans.

"At the [veterans] home when one of them passes, they have a little ceremony that they have organized themselves," Adams said. "They get out there on their walkers, wheelchairs and crutches and render a salute to their fallen brother."

McBroom also presented letters of appreciation on behalf of Mark Cosgrove of the Shawnee detachment of the Marine Corps league for their fundraising efforts.

"They were integral in the fundraising for the wall," McBroom said.

The letter of appreciation recipients were account executive of Withers Broadcasting Kevin Schaper, Navy veteran and Vet Corps member Dave Ludwig, Vet Corps member and Air Force veteran Walt Wildman and Southeast Board of Regents member Thomas M. Meyer.

The Student Veterans Organization at Southeast, originally known as Vet Corps, was started in the late 1960s by service members returning from the unpopular Vietnam War.

"We were kind of on our own except we had the Korean War veterans for support," Meyer said. "Now we're here to help the veterans now."

Southeast's Student Veterans Organization is a chapter of the Student Veterans of America.

"We became a chapter of the Student Veterans of America about a year ago," McBroom said. "This SVO has been around since 2010 and my office was created in 2012."

Southeast's Student Veterans Organization President Jared Bush is an Army veteran who served in Iraq in 2005-06.

"The Student Veterans Organization is building upon what the Vet Corps laid down years ago," Bush said.

Bush was one of five students from Southeast to attend the Student Veterans of America national convention held in San Antonio, Texas, in January.

"We were able to attend the SVA national conference in San Antonio, which featured a surprise appearance by Vice President Joe Biden," Bush said.

Other notable speakers at the event included Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald and executives from Google, Microsoft and Disney. The event drew 1,200 student veterans from around the country. The Student Veterans of America currently has 950 chapters nationwide and serves 440,000 students.

For more information regarding the Student Veterans of America, students can contact the Southeast SVO office at (573) 651-2263 or log on to studentveterans.org.