BERKELEY – The Bayville Elks invited veterans to their lodge for an afternoon of entertainment, community, and support with lunch and a resource fair.
There were seven tables set up at the event, providing veterans and their families with resources and services that they could have trouble finding.
A tricky tray event was set up with over fifteen different baskets, that attendees could purchase tickets and enter to win.
Ron Schwieters, Past Exalted Ruler and Co-Chair of the veterans committee said that the money raised goes back into the veterans service fund, helping out active duty, retired, disabled, homeless and five star veterans.
“Even one little thing, if we can get them something they deserve but haven’t gotten, then the day is worthwhile.”
Jan Bernardino, leading knight and co-chair of the veterans committee said this event is significant because she was in the system as a veteran’s wife as well as a nurse by trade, and case manager.
“I’ve been taking care of people from World War II all the way up until active duties,” she said. “This event means a lot to me. I feel that because they served our country, they should get the resources that we offer.”
The Sadie Vickers Community Resource Center in Manito Park assists individuals with housing and utility issues by connecting them to other service providers. They also manage a community garden, distributing free vegetables from July to October on select Saturdays.
Chaplain Barbara Miles, Community Liaison of Sadie Vickers Resource Center said this event allows a community to let veterans know that “we’re here for them and allows us to help them know that we haven’t forgotten.” More information about them can be found at sadievickers.org
Albert Veltri, who serves as the southeast district’s veterans committee chair for Ocean County, said the fair grew out of the lodge’s longstanding veterans picnics, which the Elks had held for eight years before adding the resource fair about four years ago. The idea, he said, came from watching the lodge’s annual veterans memorial ceremony and wanting to do more.
“If we all do our part, it will make the district that much better,” he said. “I am a veteran myself, so I know how hard each one of these veterans have worked in their lives and the sacrifices they made because I did it myself.”
Sidney Cook, a Navy Veteran who was stationed at the Polaris Missile Facility in South Carolina and the USS Jesse L. Brown in South Carolina shared that he has used some of these services available at the event, including those provided by Veterans Administration, where he received medical care for Graves’ disease.
“This event is great because of its sense of community,” Cook said. “It gives us a chance to get together and socialize.”
