By Lisa A. Esposito
Make a Difference Day - Adopt a Veteran was a huge success, thanks to you! The Community Services Committee (CSC) did it. We adopted every veteran on the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital’s hardship list, but we couldn’t have done it without the generosity and commitment of you, our members, and your friends, family, and co-workers.
On October 26, 2013, CSC members visited
with our nation’s most revered treasure, our aging veterans in need, to thank
them for their service and deliver gifts of gratitude. If you donated, thank you. If you helped deliver or spread the word, again,
thank you! The hours we spent meeting
these soldiers surely left its mark on us.
In fact, I would like to share one of my
experiences meeting an extraordinary veteran whom I will call Bob. Bob is 96, still feisty, and quick with a laugh. He spoke of his time in the Navy during World
War II. He smiled when he talked about being a butcher, a baker, and a
traveling salesman. No, he wasn’t a
candlestick maker, but he did try lots of professions in his lifetime. He told me about making doughnuts while a baker,
doughnuts better than Dunkin’ Donuts, according to Bob, and in talking with him
I would have expected no less.
Although Bob outlived his family, he still
tries to find things to make him laugh every day. This day, it was the colorful shirt he
received from a member. Bob laughed, saying
he would smile when he wore the shirt as the colors reminded him of his youth! Wow, powerful stuff! Talking with this extraordinary man made me
appreciate my life, my freedom that he helped secure, and my family. Thanks, Bob.
My story is just one of many that occurred
throughout Hillsborough County on Make a Difference Day. I hope that all who came out will share stories
with your neighbors and family. The
soldiers we visited that day delighted in having someone with whom to reminisce
about their lives, and we got to learn about their memorable experiences. We thought
we were giving to them, but we walked away realizing we had received so much
more.
If you couldn’t participate in
Adopt A Veteran, no worries. In December,
CSC will work with another nonprofit group, Aging Solutions, participating in Elves
for the Elderly Holiday Gift Drive. Our
members will become Santa’s elves, adopting needy elderly state wards who can
no longer take care of themselves and have no family support. They need our help with basic necessities such
as shoes, socks, maybe a stuffed animal to hug when times get tough! Help us put some presents under their trees/menorahs. Without elves like us, they would have no
gifts this season! Interested in
adopting an elder or donning some antlers and visiting some special people this
season? For more information, contact Lisa
Esposito (lisa@lesposito.com) or Lara LaVoie
(llavoie@garrisonyount.com).
