An Afternoon of Bingo with the Vets at Hines VA Hospital, Maywood, Illinois
For the tenth year in a row, members from the District Anna Hurban of Chicago met on Saturday, April 23, 2016, for its Join Hands Day event at the Edward Hines, Jr., VA Hospital. Eighteen of the District members spent the afternoon with thirty-six of the resident veterans playing thirty-one serious games of bingo where the vets had the chance to win some of the $885 in commissary coupons available as prizes. The District provided the initial $500 and branches added the additional $385. To make the playing field fair, each of the vets who arrived to play bingo received an initial gift of $5 in coupons along with FCSLA Join Hands Day baseball cap. So as not to forget the other 64 resident veterans who were unable to attend the bingo event, the District also gave each of them a $5 commissary coupon book.
Once again the event was a huge success with the vets truly enjoying their visit with us and asking how soon we could come back to see them. A huge thank you to those members who came to play bingo with the vets as well as to the following branches for adding to the commissary coupon pot: S181, S225, S248, S274, S287 and S421 – your additional generosity is greatly appreciated!
This VA Hospital is located in Maywood, Illinois, and is the largest of the Chicago-area Veterans’ Hospitals. It is well known for its many programs and specialties—including blind rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, neurosurgery, radiation therapy, and cardiovascular surgery—and serves as a Polytrauma Center for severely injured veterans with skilled medical professionals who treat patients with traumatic brain injuries.
Once again, the afternoon was filled with lots of laughter and fun, and all the members in attendance agreed that it was just a small way of showing these vets how grateful we all are to them for the sacrifices they have made to ensure our American freedom!
To view photos from this event, visit the Photo Gallery on the Chicago District Web site.
