THERE IS ALWAYS SOME GOOD TO DO
VIETMAN VETERANS
March 29 marked Vietnam War Veterans Day. In honor of the event, the Plant City Elks Lodge, Plant City Armed Forces Memorial Foundation, American Legion, AMVETS, Plant City Republican Women, and Heroes Heart Inc. sponsored the second annual, Welcome Home and BIG Thank you to Vietnam Veterans, event. The proceedings began at 10:00 a.m. at Veterans Park on N. Wheeler Street. Several veterans wore their uniforms. The event provided people with hot dogs, potato chips, and bottled water. Freddie Lee Washington and his son, Fred Jr., grilled the hot dogs.
“I will always try to honor our Veterans in any way possible,” Judy Wise, who has been the force behind the event, said. “In 2017, I read that President Trump signed a law designating March 29 as National Vietnam Veterans Day. I thought there would be more made of the day, and when 2018 arrived and it was still rather low-key, I decided our little town needed a special event. I just had to sell it to the Elks….Two years ago, Jennifer Closshey asked me to be on the Plant City Armed Forces Memorial Foundation. I was honored. One morning, we were there looking at how we could improve the grounds, and it hit me…this is where we need to have the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Event, and so it began. We had the same peaker this year as last. Oh my goodness, he brought the horror of that war to life. I won’t stop honoring our Vietnam veterans until God stops me. Some of the vietnam Veterans are still not comfortable coming out and reliving those terrible days and nights, but we cannot act like it didn’t happen. Some contact me by email or cards and letters to thank me for caring. One of the best aspects of these endeavors is the people who eagerly volunteer to help me—my husband Ed, my friend Sherry Scheitler, and dozens of others. Last year and this year, we had Boy Scout Troop 744 (always there for me), Plant City High School honor students, and the Plant City Republican Women, as well as the Elks Lodge, help out.”
Tangled Threads gave Freddie Washington a Quilt of Valor. A Quilt of Valor is a quality, hand-made, quilt awarded to a service member or veteran that says unequivocally, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice, serving our nation.” Tangled Threads has awarded more than 650 veterans with these quilts of comfort and healing. Washington served in the First Infantry Division in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. After his three years of service to the nation, he worked for Mosaic for 45 years as a mechanic for bulldozers and locomotives. “They called me and asked me about cooking for the event. I said, ‘Yes’ because I cook at the American Legion for Memorial Day. “I didn’t know about the quilt until they told me.”
KIWANIS AND KEEL FARMS
Saturday offered the first-ever Kiwanis Club and Keel Farms Wine and Cider Festival. The event on the Keel Farms property raised funds for kid’s programs. Kiwanis are local groups of like-minded volunteers who make a difference serving together to change children’s lives.
The Kiwanis sold “I Love Plant City,” tee-shirts, collected new toys for its Christmas Angel Project, and took in new books for its Head Start, and Read around the World programs. Also, tickets were available for $35 that included four drink tastings, one sampling from Sismito Food Truck, and gave a $10 donation to the Kiwanis. The fundraiser also gave Kiwanis an opportunity to network in the community to increase awareness of everything the organization does, and bring on new members. In addition to Keel Farms offering space, the Verner Foundation Inc. sponsored the event.
