#Middlebury #Veterans #HolidayParty #VAMedicalCenter
VETERANS POST
By Freddy Groves
Have you given thought to how you’re going to step up this holiday season and give a hand to other veterans? If you’re in a veterans group such as American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars, you’re in a perfect position to pull off a holiday party at the closest Department of Veterans Affairs medical center.
Your first step (after getting group consensus) will be to contact Volunary Services and let them know you’d like to host a party on one of the wards. (Suggestion: Long-term care has veterans who’ve been there far too long.) Get their permission and input for the best path to take going forward. Perhaps a lunch on a certain December date? Perhaps pizza, soft drinks and holiday cookies? Is there a large day room on the medical ward? With tables and chairs?
Do you want to consider gifts? Contact the nursing station on your designated floor and ask about small gifts of things like puzzle books, mechanical pencils, military caps, handheld games, T-shirts, candy, handkerchiefs, small bedside calendars and so forth. Get a head count (and add a few extra in case more patients check in) to make sure each veteran gets a little wrapped gift.
Contact a local pizza shop and arrange for several types of pizza (plus the paper plates and napkins) to be delivered at a certain time. You might even get a big discount if the owner or manager is a veteran. Don’t forget cups and ice for the drinks.
Borrow a CD player and all the holiday tunes you can find to play in the background. If there’s a base near you, ask for volunteers to come help at the party, in addition to your own group. The more the merrier.
What will be most appreciated at your party is listening. Sitting with the veterans in the hospital and sharing your experiences and listening to theirs might well be the highlight of their holiday season. You might be the only visitors they get.
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