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Students from Incline High School's JROTC batallion present the colors in October at the Veteran's Apple Pie Social at the Donald W. Reynolds Community Non-Profit Center.
The Incline Village/Crystal Bay Veterans Club spends their meeting time debating issues important to local veterans, including ways to make things better for vets staying at local hospitals.
They’ve made kits to send to those veterans with important hygiene items and clothing to help the down-on-their-luck to feel valued. They started a veterans fund at the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation and a Web site, which begs the question, how did the club get started?
Sheila Leijon, IVGID Senior Services Coordinator, said the group rose out of a get-together she organized for veterans to meet one another before last year’s Red, White and Tahoe Blue event.
“The way it started was that we had a reception for the veterans so they could introduce themselves to one another, it just started with them sharing stories and socializing,” Leijon said.
An interest was born out of that meeting for regular veteran get-togethers and possibly a club, said Leijon.
“They have a certain brotherhood and I think all veterans see something in each other that you can’t really know unless you served,” Leijon said.
So, with the help of local veteran James Peterson and Leijon’s ability to let the club use IVGID facilities for their meetings, the club formed.
“They were very enthusiastic about the prospect of a club, since many of the veterans weren’t officers and couldn’t participate in MOAA (Military Officers Association of America) since they weren’t officers,” Leijon said.
The group’s first meeting was in October, an apple pie and ice cream social where the Incline High School ROTC presented the colors.
“You could tell by the end of the social that they really wanted to have this club, they wanted to go to the VA hospitals and help out other veterans,” said Shannon Skarritt, the Americorps volunteer who has been helping Leijon with the day-to-day tasks in support of the club, like taking minutes at the monthly meetings and setting up the group’s Web site.
Since then, the group held monthly meetings and is planning two Memorial Day events at the Tahoe Biltmore casino.
From 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 24, there will be an Honorary Dinner with live music in the Nevada Ballroom at the Biltmore.
Lt. Col. D. Rodger Waters, President of the Veteran's Guest House, will be speaking about his tour in Afghanistan as well as the importance of Memorial Day.
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 25, there will be family activities at the Biltmore, including a display of the Vet Kit, food and a flag folding ceremony courtesy of the High School ROTC program.
For information on the club, including how to join and how to donate to the fund, contact Skarritt at (775) 832-1325.
They’ve made kits to send to those veterans with important hygiene items and clothing to help the down-on-their-luck to feel valued. They started a veterans fund at the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation and a Web site, which begs the question, how did the club get started?
Sheila Leijon, IVGID Senior Services Coordinator, said the group rose out of a get-together she organized for veterans to meet one another before last year’s Red, White and Tahoe Blue event.
“The way it started was that we had a reception for the veterans so they could introduce themselves to one another, it just started with them sharing stories and socializing,” Leijon said.
An interest was born out of that meeting for regular veteran get-togethers and possibly a club, said Leijon.
“They have a certain brotherhood and I think all veterans see something in each other that you can’t really know unless you served,” Leijon said.
So, with the help of local veteran James Peterson and Leijon’s ability to let the club use IVGID facilities for their meetings, the club formed.
“They were very enthusiastic about the prospect of a club, since many of the veterans weren’t officers and couldn’t participate in MOAA (Military Officers Association of America) since they weren’t officers,” Leijon said.
The group’s first meeting was in October, an apple pie and ice cream social where the Incline High School ROTC presented the colors.
“You could tell by the end of the social that they really wanted to have this club, they wanted to go to the VA hospitals and help out other veterans,” said Shannon Skarritt, the Americorps volunteer who has been helping Leijon with the day-to-day tasks in support of the club, like taking minutes at the monthly meetings and setting up the group’s Web site.
Since then, the group held monthly meetings and is planning two Memorial Day events at the Tahoe Biltmore casino.
From 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 24, there will be an Honorary Dinner with live music in the Nevada Ballroom at the Biltmore.
Lt. Col. D. Rodger Waters, President of the Veteran's Guest House, will be speaking about his tour in Afghanistan as well as the importance of Memorial Day.
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 25, there will be family activities at the Biltmore, including a display of the Vet Kit, food and a flag folding ceremony courtesy of the High School ROTC program.
For information on the club, including how to join and how to donate to the fund, contact Skarritt at (775) 832-1325.
