VA event at Van Wall on Friday
/Cookout will raise funds for honor flights
The Crawford County Veterans Affairs (VA) office will conduct a community event at Van Wall Equipment in Denison on Friday, August 18.
The VA portion of the event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a community cookout will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“In the lobby, we’ll have the Omaha VA Medical Center, the Carroll VA Clinic and some VA employees from Fort Dodge and Des Moines,” said Crawford County VA Director Louise Galbraith.
Dave Conrad, outreach worker with eligibility and enrollment at the Omaha VA, will be on hand to help veterans understand the different departments of the VA and available benefits.
“Sometimes, veterans use VA healthcare, but they don’t know there is a program called Move! that’s about diet and exercise to help veterans become healthier and lose weight,” Galbraith said. “He knows about all those programs. Veterans who have never enrolled can talk to him.”
The Omaha VA Medical Center also provides therapy and counseling for combat veterans and their families, she noted.
Galbraith said some veterans may be uncomfortable about visiting the VA or think that they’re just one in a million.
“Each veteran is treated very well,” she emphasized. “They’re not just a number.”
The Van Wall event is an opportunity for veterans to meet with VA staff and others in a hometown setting.
“The veterans who have gone to Omaha or Carroll for years get excited to see VA staff outside of the clinic area,” Galbraith said.
Veterans and non-veterans are encouraged to attend the event.
“A lot of times, family members will come and they say, ‘My dad lives in another county and I think he needs help. How can we get it done?’” she said. “Then we work with family members to help educate them about what their veteran is eligible for.”
She encourages family members to come to the event if they have aging parents who are veterans.
“Sometimes, when you’re helping them make decisions, the VA can help because there are so many programs to help veterans as they age,” Galbraith said. “Even if they’ve never used the VA, they are probably still eligible for those things. If a parent or an uncle is a veteran but doesn’t want to come, and you want that information, we want to get it to you.”
Younger veterans may also want to attend to get information about available services.
“Most of our National Guard veterans that have been deployed are enrolled, but if they’re not they can come in and get that information,” she said.
Galbraith noted that through the VA Community Care program, some veterans may be eligible for care through a local provider; information about the program will be available at the event on Friday.
“Sometimes you don’t have to go so far for those VA appointments,” she said.
Representatives of United States Senator Joni Ernst’s office will also be at the event.
“Even if you’re not a veteran, if you have any issues you want to be brought forward to the senator, someone from her Sioux City office will be there,” she said.
The Van Wall event will also act as a fundraiser for Brushy Creek Honor Flight, which provides free plane trips to Washington, D.C., for veterans to visit the national memorials to their service.
“We’ll have a TV there and we’ll play videos of the different honor flights,” Galbraith said. “If a veteran hasn’t been on an honor flight, they can see what their trip would be like.”
Individuals interested in donating to the honor flight may also be interested in viewing the videos to see what the trips entail.
“You can see what it is and see how your money is spent,” she said.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Crawford County Cattlemen’s Association will grill hamburgers.
Arcadia Meats is donating 300 hamburgers and cheesy potatoes for the meal.
St. Croix Hospice is donating dessert and Reed Place will set up a beverage station.
Van Wall is providing and decorating the location.
“Everything that wasn’t donated, our office is covering through our budget,” Galbraith said. “I think buns and condiments were all I ended up with.”
Visitors are asked to provide a freewill donation that will be given to Brushy Creek Honor Flight.
“I think it’s so important for people to come because it’s a 100% donation day,” she said.
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