The SUNY Empire State College Office of Veteran and Military Education sponsored a family fun day for students and their families on July 23, at Darien Lake, an amusement and water park located about halfway between Batavia and Buffalo, just south of Interstate 90.

More than 100 people attended, including alumni, students and their families.

OVME sponsors events, such as family fun days, specifically for veteran and active-duty military students, alumni and their family members, as a way to come together and connect in a relaxing, informal setting.

Some members of the OVME staff, including Jason Collins, the college’s military outreach specialist for the Northeast region, and his wife, Amy, also attended.

Collins served with the U.S. Navy from 2002-07, and achieved the rank of a master-at-arms, second class, petty officer.

He participated in both the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom campaigns.

“Families of active-duty military and veterans serve just as much as the service members themselves,” said Collins. “At SUNY Empire, we take care of the families of military and vets as well, which is a big part of what is so appealing to so many of our students.”

Among the college’s students and alumni, all branches of the military were represented at family fun day at Dairen Lake.

Later this month, on Aug. 20, OVME is sponsoring another family fun day, this time a bit further east, at Six Flags Great Escape, Lake George, N.Y.