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Bob Keller and Eunice Akins, members of Kentuckiana
Chapter 454 in Louisville, Kentucky, received
Volunteer of the Year Awards at the 61st annual VA Voluntary
Service dinner in April. Keller and Akins were recognized
for putting in more than four thousand hours of voluntary
service at the Louisville VA Medical Center
Members of
the Liberty Bell Chapter 266 in Philadelphia took
part in the May 12 kickoff activities of the 12th Annual
Law Enforcement Memorial Run at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Chapter members helped with the start of the event, as a
group of runners, motorcyclists, and vans began their journey
to the Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. Also
on May 12: Chapter member Tom Murtha was among those who
escorted the remains of Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient
Michael Crescenz from Philadelphia, his hometown, to Arlington
National Cemetery.
Members of Central Minnesota Chapter
290 in St. Cloud held a Memorial Day program on
May 31 at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in downtown St.
Cloud. Members of the local Vietnamese community also took
part in the event, the fourth such program sponsored by
the chapter. Those in attendance honored the seventeen
young men from the St. Cloud area who perished in Southeast
Asia, along with all those who have died in service to
the nation.
South Bay, California, Chapter 53
in Redondo Beach successfully lobbied the California
State Legislature to enact two pieces of important legislation.
Through the efforts of Sen. Jenny Oropeza and Assembly
member Ted Lieu, the Legislature approved a resolution
requesting President Bush to support Assured Funding for
veterans’ health
care, and another resolution supporting the 20th anniversary
celebration in December of the California Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Sacramento.
The Rochester, New York, Chapter
20 Marching Unit had a busy May. The unit took
part in the annual Rochester Lilac Parade on May 10. The
Honor Guard conducted the closing ceremonies May 11 at
the Moving Wall’s visit to Wellsville, New
York. The Unit marched in the Irondequoit Memorial Day Parade
on May 25 and in the Downtown Memorial Parade May 26. After
that parade, came the annual Memorial Day Service at the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Highland Park. The Unit’s
final event of the month was taking part in the Mendon fireman’s
parade on May 31.
The Honor Guard from Quad Cities Chapter
299 in Rock Island, Illinois, joined other veterans’ organizations’ ceremonial
units from across the state to take part in the annual vigil
held every May at the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial
in Springfield, the state capital. The Chapter Honor Guard
stood as silent sentinels to the fallen beginning at noon
on May 3. The vigil went from Friday, May 2, to Sunday, May
4.
Dean K. Phillips Memorial Chapter
227 in Northern Virginia recently
inaugurated a new program called Operation Jump Start.
Under it, the Chapter is donating $25 to each new resident
of Compassion House, a small transitional facility for
homeless veterans that opened last year in Culpeper County,
Virginia. The money will help new residents purchase personal
items.
Members of Nassau County, New York,
Chapter 82, working
in conjunction with the Northport VA Medical Center, held
a Health Expo at the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa on May
10. The event was co-sponsored by New York State Assemblyman
Joseph Saladino.
Porter County, Indiana, Chapter 905 was instrumental
in convincing the Portage, Indiana, City Council to proclaim
May 7 as a day to honor Vietnam veterans and to designate
the week of May 12-16 as Vietnam Veterans Recognition Week.
Jim Lynch, the Chapter President, accepted the official Proclamation
on behalf of the Chapter at the May 7 City Council meeting.
Graterford,
Pennsylvania, Chapter 466, an incarcerated chapter, recently
held its annual fund-raising drive to purchase underwear
and socks that the Chapter then donates to the Philadelphia
Multi-Service and Education Center, an outreach group that
serves that city’s veterans in need. The items were
purchased from Pennsylvania Correctional Industries, which
contributed to the cause. The chapter raised just under $700.
Pennsylvania State Council President Jeff White picked up
the clothing and made the delivery to the outreach and education
center.
Plymouth-Canton Chapter 528 in Plymouth,
Michigan,
holds many fund-raising events throughout the year. Here’s
a list of the some of the most-recent recipients of the money
raised by the chapter: Tomorrow’s Child, Sew Much Comfort,
Indiana Vietnam Veterans Reunion, Michigan Military Mom’s Walk, Marine
Corps Toys for Tots, American Diabetes Association Walk, POW/MIA Committee of
Michigan, Marine Corps League Northwest Detachment 162, VVA Chapter 310’s
annual Ann Arbor VA Hospital Christmas Party, Grand Rapids Veterans Home, Michigan
Veterans Foundation, Wyandotte Purple Heart Memorial, U.S. Army National Museum,
Salvation Army, Adopt-a-Road Program, and Girl Scouts.
The two-float entry put
together by Lawton, Oklahoma, Chapter
751 came in first place
for the second year in a row at the May 17 Lawton-Ft. Sill
Armed Forces Day Parade, which is believed to be the oldest
in the nation. “The streets
were lined with hundreds of spectators on both sides of the
three-mile parade route,” said Chapter Membership Chair
Luis Cantu. As the VVA floats came down the parade route,
he said, “you would have thought that the winning
touchdown had just been scored in the final five seconds
of the Super Bowl. The cheers from the crowd as they stood
up to salute our members were very touching. You could read
their lips as they were saying, ‘Thank you, Thank you.’”
Stevens
Point, Wisconsin, Chapter 115 recently donated $500 to help
with the restoration of the monument in Veterans Memorial
Park on Stevens Point’s
south side. The chapter became the first organization to
purchase personalized bricks for the walkway surrounding
the monument, which was dedicated in 1923. The bricks will
be inscribed with the names of the sixteen Portage County
men who perished in Vietnam. One brick will be inscribed
with the Chapter’s
name. Two chapter members, Phil Kallas and David Bigalke,
are members of the Memorial Park Restoration Committee.
VETS
CONNECT
Washtenaw County, Michigan, Chapter
310 held its second annual
Frenchie’s
Support the Troops fund-raiser in April. The chapter raised
more than $2,000, which should cover the cost of mailing
about 170 care packages to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The event at Frenchie’s restaurant in Ypsilanti
included music, a raffle, and an auction.
A good number of
members of Greater Hartford, Connecticut,
Chapter 120, led
by life member Mike Daugherty, took part in a trip to Walter
Reed Army Medical Center in Washington on April 21. The trip
was part of Operation Gift Cards, in which many Connecticut
veterans’ organizations present gift certificates and
other items to boost morale of veteran patients at Walter
Reed and nearby Bethesda Naval Hospital. Since 2005, Operation
Gift Cards has delivered more than $95,000 worth of gift
certificates to the patients at Walter Reed and Bethesda.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Six high school seniors each received $600 scholarships this
spring to further their educations from Westchester
County, New York, Chapter 49. The winners were: Michael Brill of
Somers H.S., who received the Pete Lambert Memorial Scholarship;
Jerry Battipaglia of Somers H.S., the Peter T. McCauley Memorial Scholarship;
Alexandra Kaye of White Plains H.S., the William Sudderth Memorial Scholarship;
Peter Spengeman of Hendrick Hudson H.S., the Hamilton Fish Memorial Scholarship;
Kevin Blank of Sleepy Hollow H.S., the Anthony Shine Memorial Scholarship; and
Eve Woogen of Somers H.S., the Jonathan Shine Memorial Scholarship.
Appleton Area,
Wisconsin, Chapter 351 presented a $1,000 scholarship this
year to Sarah Anderson of Hortonville High School. The
program is funded by donations, including a grant from
Impressive Roofing & Siding. Chapter members David
Evans, Mike Weaver, Chuck Lewis, and Leon and Chris Meidam chose the winner.
San
Jacinto Chapter 343 in Houston awarded a total of $2,000
this year in the Connally Scholarship Program to graduating
high school seniors. Five hundred dollars went to Kayleigh
M. Carter, who will attend Texas A&M in the fall.
Two-hundred-fifty dollar scholarships went to Brittany A. Euresti (who also will
attend Texas A&M), Kealey I. Parkin (Texas Tech), April N. Euresti (Texas
A&M), Tyler Rutledge (Blinn College), Dustin Rutledge (Blinn College), and
Blake Baker (Sam Houston State).
Tupelo, Mississippi, Chapter 842 awarded its
annual Patriotic Grants this spring to Erica Logan and Zarchary
Sheffield of Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton,
Mississippi.
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©2006-
2008, Vietnam Veterans of America. All Rights Reserved. 8605 Cameron
Street, Silver Spring, MD 20910