For the eighth year in a row, a handful of members from District Anna Hurban of Chicago met on Saturday, May 3, 2014 for its Join Hands Day event at the Edward Hines, Jr., VA Hospital. Twenty of the District members spent the afternoon with thirty-five of the resident veterans playing forty-nine serious games of bingo where the vets had the chance to win some of the $975 in commissary coupons available as prizes.
The District provided the initial $500 and branches added the additional $475. To make the playing field fair, each of the vets received an initial gift of $10 in coupons along with one of the FCSLA drawstring backpacks. District President Mary Therese Tylus stated, “The vets truly enjoyed our visit and when asked if we should come back again, the reply was ‘Yes – how about next weekend?’ ” A huge thank you to the following branches for adding to the commissary coupon pot: S180, S181, S225, S248, S258, S274, S287 and S421 – your additional generosity is greatly appreciated!
This VA Hospital located in Maywood, Illinois is the largest of the Chicago-area Veterans’ Hospitals, well known for its many programs and specialties including: blind rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, neurosurgery, radiation therapy, cardiovascular surgery, and serves as a Polytrauma Center for severely injured veterans with skilled medical professionals who treat patients with traumatic brain injuries.
Once again, the afternoon filled with lots of laughter and fun, and all the members in attendance agreed that it was just a small way of showing these vets how grateful we all are to them for the sacrifices they have made to ensure our American freedom!
To view photos from this event, check out the Photo Gallery on the Chicago District Web site.
