Jacksonville, Florida, Chapter 1046 has coordinated visits of chapter members to local high schools to talk about the Vietnam War for the last two years. The school program started after a local TV station ran a documentary, “Voices of Bravery,” with chapter members and other Vietnam War veterans talking about their war experiences. Since then, chapter members have visited more than 15 schools accompanied by one of the documentary’s producers, Jeannie Blaylock. “Jeannie starts the program by asking the classes, ‘How many of you are 18 or are going to be 18 this year?’ Then she tells them that they have a choice after they graduate what they want to do, and says, ‘These vets did not. They either enlisted or got drafted,’’’ said chapter member Bob Henning. “She then shows the documentary and after that has the class talk to us and ask questions.”

Photo Courtesy Bob Henning

Ann Arbor, Michigan, Charles S. Kittles Chapter 310 Treasurer Berry Bourne and the chapter fundraising Chair John Kinzinger presented a check for $10,000 on July 10 to Kate Melcher, the executive director of Fisher House Michigan. “The chapter’s continuing support gift will be matched and will cover the food costs at the Ann Arbor Fisher House for over three months,” Kinzinger said. “This food is provided free for the guest family members of Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center veteran patients. This Fisher House, next to the Medical Center, has sixteen guest units and maintains nearly a 90 percent occupancy rate. It is a beautiful, four-year old blessing for family members of hospitalized veterans.”

Fargo, North Dakota, Chapter 941, held its annual Veterans Independence Day 5K and 10K fundraising run on July 4th in West Fargo. The event drew 120 participants and raised about $2,500 for chapter activities.

Appleton, Wisconsin Chapter 351, threw a 35th year anniversary party on June 25 in Appleton during which chapter members received handmade Quilts of Valor. “In 35 years, to be as active as these ladies and gentlemen are, and still do everything they do for the community, including their education programs in high schools, is outstanding,” said Region 6 Director John Margowski, who was on hand for the celebration.

The Villages, Florida, Chapter 1036 recently announced that it has become VVA’s largest, with nearly 1,000 members. “At the start of my term as president, we were the seventh-largest chapter, so it was easy for me to convince the board and members to strive to become the largest,” chapter President Rick Rademacher said. “I’m proud of our chapter in that we have more in the charity budget per year than we’ve ever had.”

In the spirit of VVA’s Founding Principle, “Never Again Will One Generation of Veterans Abandon Another,” New Bern, North Carolina, Floyd H. Austin, Jr., Chapter 886 has been a strong supporter of veterans attending Craven Community College in New Bern. On July 29, chapter members presented a “Salute to Our Veterans” wall plaque to the college’s veterans. Having Chapter 886’s support “is huge for our club and for the school itself,” Logan Previglian, a member of the college’s newly formed Student Veterans of America group, said. When chapter members learned about the SVA group, “we thought we could support them and that will be our legacy,” said chapter member Bob Cusik. “When we came back from Vietnam, we weren’t welcomed by society. We were only welcomed [by other veterans,] so it is very important to have that friendship.”

Photo courtesy Vickie S. Clay

Plymouth-Canton, Michigan. Chapter 528 has been participating in the Wayne County Adopt-A-Road Program since 1997. Chapter members are in charge of clean-up efforts on a heavily traveled 2.25-mile stretch of Joy Road between Canton and Plymouth. “Wayne County gives us three dates for us to clean up the road, from April to late September,” said Rich Whipple, who chairs the chapter’s Adopt-a-Road committee. As always, on July 19, chapter volunteers met at a parking lot and donned reflective vests and began picking up the roadside debris. “When the job is finished,” Whipple said, “we generally go to a nearby restaurant to enjoy a good breakfast and enjoy the camaraderie.”

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Michael J. Novosel MOH Capital Chapter 542 provides financial support for the local Dauphin County Veterans Court through the court’s Support Fund. The bulk of the chapter’s denotations, which go into a special bank account, cover “whatever they need that the judge deems necessary and approves,” said AVVA chapter member Janet Groff, who also is the Vice President of the AVVA State Council. The account in July had just over $7,000. “We make sure the fund does not go below $3,000,” she said. “The Veterans Court has an extremely high success rate of over 90 percent.”

Courtesy Denver Roger McGill

Richard Neher, the president of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, Chapter 1052, took part in the Parish Library System’s July 29 program honoring veterans at the branch library in Hammond. The program featured a performance by the Victory Belles, a group of entertainers at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. In his introduction, Neher talked about seeing the Bob Hope show in Vietnam. “The show lifted all of our spirits and it made us think about our homes and how much we missed family,” Neher said. “USO shows meant so much to so many serving far away from home and tonight you will get a taste of how important these shows were.”

Photo Courtesy Mokie Porter/VVA

London, Kentucky, Chapter 1050 chose six graduating seniors from Laurel County as this year’s chapter scholarship recipients. Chapter president Clelion Miracle presented the scholarships in a June ceremony to Trey Jackson and Parker Huffman from South Laurel High School and to North Laurel High graduates Allyson Clark, Chloe McKnight, Waylon Allen, and Camden Fields.

Rutland, Vermont, Chapter One presented its 2024 Stafford Technical Center Scholarship to Rory Landrie, who graduated from the center’s Health Careers program. The granddaughter of a veteran, Rory Landry received her nursing assistant, phlebotomist, and medical assistant state licenses after graduation and is continuing her education in Radiology. Her instructor at Stafford said Landry was “one of the most dedicated and hard-working” students, and she also “managed a job when she was not studying or attending classes.”

South Bay Chapter 534 in Torrance, California, awarded five $1,000 scholarships in 2024, the 23rd year of the chapter’s Scholarships for High School Seniors program. The recipients, who each wrote an essay about a Vietnam War veteran, were Jack Raynor, Ryan Tran, Jackson Mancilla, Miki Yu, and Ben Tittle.

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