Did you know there are approximately 19.6 military veterans in the United States today and of that number, 1.6 million are women? Did you know that 3.6 million veterans suffer from a service-connected disability? The sad news is that many of our severely disabled veterans reside at VA Health facilities and tend to be forgotten by the rest of us as we go about our daily lives.
One group of individuals who has not forgotten these veterans are the men and women from our local VFW Post #260 in Broad Channel. This past Saturday our Broad Channel VFW Post hosted a Valentine’s Day dinner for two busloads of disabled vets from St. Albans Hospital who spent several hours enjoying a sumptuous home cooked meal followed by entertainment, games and lively conversation. The large sign at the end of the wall said it all – “Post #260 Welcomes our St. Albans War Vets “ During a conversation with one female vet I thanked her for her service she stopped me and said “No…thank you! Thank all of you. A Valentine’s Day dinner for us? You guys are great. We look forward to each time we come here because you always make us feel like we’re among family, you know, regular people who are genuinely interested in and care about us.” How’s that for an endorsement?
Sad to say but Saturday’s event was the first time these veterans had left the confines of the hospital since they last attended our VFW’s Thanksgiving dinner for them back in November of 2014. Events such as these entail a lot of planning, coordination and hard work on the part of the VFW membership and although there is never a shortage of volunteers to do the work there is also a cost attached to each event, be it a summertime BBQ or a mid-winter dinner inside the VFW Hall. And when the veterans can’t make their way to Broad Channel, several times during the year, the guys and girls from the VFW personally deliver the meals, gifts and entertainment to the vets where they live at St. Albans. As much as the VFW would like to sponsor more of these type events as a means of thanking our vets and getting them out of a hospital setting for just for a few hours, these events cost money.
One of the ways the VFW funds their efforts in this regard is by conducting fundraising events and, would you believe it, they have a fundraising event scheduled this Sunday, February 22nd when the VFW will resume its monthly Bingo games. I know what you’re thinking…”Bingo…really?” All I can say is don’t knock it until you try it. Bingo is one of the most popular games in the world. The main reason that bingo is so much fun is that it is a very social game. When you play you will find that you usually spend a big chunk of your time talking to and enjoying the people around you.
Doors will open this Sunday at 12 Noon and bingo will start at 12:30 p.m. A $2 admission fee gets you a seat at the table and a door prize ticket. During the games there will be raffles and a 50/50. Coffee and cake will be also be served. Come on down for the afternoon, who knows, you might win a few bucks and, since you have read this far, you know it is for a great cause!
Broad Channel, why would anyone want to live anywhere else?
Contact Information: Email – rtbetweenthebridges@gmail.com
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