Columbiettes honored helping vets

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 3, 2019

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On Monday, Sept. 9, the Bishop Greco 9499 Columbiettes from Holy Family Catholic Church in Clemmons were recognized by the Knights of Columbus and the VA Volunteer Services (VAVS) for their dedication and support for our veterans at the Liberty Lane hospice facility at the VA Medical Center in Salisbury. For a number of years, the Columbiettes have held a variety of fundraisers (Poker for Patriots, Bunco for Patriots) so that donations could be made to the VAMC. In 2016, $1,500 was donated to purchase umbrellas and bases for the patios outside the 12 hospice rooms so that the veterans and their families could enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. Over the last two years, more than $2,200 was donated to purchase Walmart gift cards so that the hospice staff could easily purchase items needed for the care and comfort of the veterans in hospice.

The local Knights of Columbus groups — Bishop Greco Council 9499 and the Triad Assembly 2282 (4th degree) — have also been generous with their donations to our veterans over the past six years. In addition to providing some fellowship opportunities such as sponsoring VA Bingo or hosting wheelchair veterans for an annual outing to a Winston-Salem Dash baseball game, funds have been donated to support the annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games, Fall Festival, annual Basket Bash fundraiser, Holiday Open House and “Coats for Vets” (along with other needy item collections/donations) as well as volunteer hours at the VA Health Care Center (HCC) in Kernersville.

The Columbiettes and the Knights of Columbus continue to do an outstanding job of supporting our veterans at the VAMC in Salisbury and in our local community.