GRUNDY COUNTY – St. Juvin Post members visited veterans in assisted living, skilled care and memory care facilities in Wilmington, Dwight and Morris with their Blankets for Vets program.
Since the first blankets were distributed to Post members in 2013, World War II vet Bill Finn, Korean War vet Sheridan Bailey and Vietnam War vet Gary Simons as a trial to see if the personalized tapestry throws with the branch of service logo would be a good replacement for the usual monetary gifts or gift packages presented to vets.
The program was conceived by then Post Commander Charlie Brown’s wife Kathy and proved to be very well received by veterans.
While the bulk of the throws are presented during the Christmas season, the program spans the entire year. Each blanket has a custom label that reads “The members of St. Juvin Post 1336 veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States present this throw to you as a symbol of your service to a grateful nation”
Last year, 32 blankets were awarded at Christmas and an additional four during the year for a total of 36, raising the nearly decade-long program to almost 600 representing about $33,000 raised by the Post’s Buddy Poppy events, raffles and generous donations from our special benefactor Tom Fulton and the entire community.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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