Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center Receives Commonwealth’s Captain Thomas Kelley Community Engagement Award

BOSTON (Nov. 12, 2026) – The Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center (CIVOC) received the 2026 Captain Thomas Kelley Community Engagement Award from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services. Executive Director Jim Seymour and Board President Steve Carter accepted the award at the Massachusetts State House on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

The award came with a Governor’s Citation signed by Governor Maura T. Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kimberley Driscoll. The citation calls CIVOC “a trusted community organization” that helps veterans across Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket get the services and support they deserve. It also recognizes CIVOC’s “dedication to strong partnerships, compassionate outreach, and a deep understanding of the region’s unique geographic and transportation challenges that has helped veterans overcome barriers to care and essential resources.”

For veterans on the Cape and Islands, reaching care often means crossing bridges, riding ferries, and driving long distances. CIVOC’s outreach model brings services to veterans where they live.

“This award belongs to our veterans, staff, Board, volunteers, and partners,” said Seymour. “Serving the Cape and Islands means meeting veterans where they are. To be recognized with an award named for Captain Thomas Kelley, a Medal of Honor recipient who devoted his life to veterans, is a profound honor.”

“On behalf of the Board, we are deeply grateful to the Executive Office of Veterans Services and the Healey-Driscoll Administration,” said Carter.

The award is named for Captain Thomas G. Kelley, a Boston native who received the Medal of Honor for his service in Vietnam. He later served as Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans’ Services.

The Cape & Islands Veterans Outreach Center (CIVOC) is a tax-deductible, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It was founded in 1983 by a group of Vietnam Veterans who did not find the services and programs they needed to transition back to their communities anywhere in our region.  Ever since then, we have been an indispensable provider of veteran services across the region.  Building on the legacy that our founders established over 43 years ago, CIVOC is built on four interconnected pillars that address the most pressing challenges local veterans face: safe and stable housing, reliable access to nutritious food to combat food insecurity, dependable transportation so veterans can reach medical care and essential services, and comprehensive mental-health services and outreach that provide counseling, case management, and connection to community supports, all working together to ensure veterans and their families can live with dignity, stability, and hope.

Media Contact:

Jeffrey Begg, Director of Development – Cape & Islands Veterans Outreach Center

Phone: (508) 778-1590

Email: jbegg@capeveterans.com