YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A VETERANS'S LIFE "Be A Volunteer At Your Local VA Medical Facility"

by Chester Wisnesky, Department Commander

The Webster's Dictionary defines the word Voluntary as: done, made, brought about, undertakes, etc., of one's own accord or by free choice: a voluntary contribution. Then there is the word Volunteer: a person who voluntarily offers himself for a service or undertaking; a person who performs a service of his own free will.

You might ask yourself, "What can I possibly do to make a difference in veteran's life?", "How do I go about doing this?" or "What's in it for me?".

The answer to your first and second questions is to volunteer at your local VA Medical Center. There is something for everyone to do. Think about this -- have you ever been lonely or just wished you had someone to talk to? Think about how a veteran feels sitting or laying in a hospital bed or a Nursing Home alone. Maybe he or she would appreciate someone reading to them, playing some games with them or maybe just taking a little walk and talking with them.

Did you ever wonder what you would do if you had no transportation to get to your appointment at the VA? The DAV needs volunteers to drive the vans that bring our veterans (who don't have their own transportation) to the VA for their appointments.

There are so very many veterans who need our help in so many different ways and it seems to me, that as Disabled American Veterans, we (each one of us) has been in that position of needing help or just needing a friend.

There are so many areas at your local VA, DAV Transportation Department, Clinic or Nursing Home that need volunteers. How about your chapter volunteering as a group one or two days a month, or you alone (maybe even making it a "special volunteering day" with your spouse one or two days a month. You can make a difference in a veteran's life by either calling the Voluntary Service Office or stop in and visit them and find out what is involved.

Now the answer to the last question, "What's in it for me?" Well, the Disabled American Veterans has a Volunteer Recognition Program where you can receive tokens of appreciation (hats, mugs, fleece jackets, and a whole list of items). The DAV motto says, DAV Volunteers make it happen. But there is more. It' that feeling that you get deep down inside yourself, that good feeling that sometimes you just can't describe it to anyone. That's the feeling you will get when you know that you have made a difference in a veterans life.

Do you have a few minutes to spare?

PDC Frank Fantanza is now residing at an Assisted Living facility. The address is:

Chapel Oaks 2112
1550 Portland Avenue
Rochester, NY 14621

It would be a fraternal act to write or call him. He is one terrific man.

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