Wallace Elks No. 331 Veterans Corner
Will Workshop — Coeur d’Alene Attorney Anne Solomon gave an excellent presentation on writing wills at the February Veterans Appreciation Dinner. Each month Ms. Solomon will be available at the dinner to assist veterans with accomplishing their wills for free. A great savings, considering a basic will can cost a minimum of $150 and $1,000 for more complicated wills. If you are interested or need additional information, please contact Tommy Hayes at 208-682-5179 to get your paperwork started.
Spokane Mobile Vet Center — Joe Dumlao and Stu Sturtevant from the Mobile Vet Center were on hand at the February Appreciation Dinner and will be back for the April 30 dinner, and available from 2:30-7 p.m. to answer all your questions concerning applying for VA benefits. Aside from the great Swag and Girl Scout cookies, they come bearing a huge amount of resources for veterans. If you served in the military, you may be eligible for a wide variety of medical benefits and veterans benefits, such as education, home loans, aid and assistance. If you haven’t signed up for your VA benefits — these are the guys who can get you moving in the right direction. Bring your DD 214 to the April 30 dinner and let’s get you signed up.
Adopt a Squadron — 5 Months in the Box! A big shout out to our community for keeping this program alive and well! If you haven’t been following, here is a quick synopsis of the program: In October the Wallace Elks No. 331 adopted an Air Force Squadron, 380 ELRS, at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. Each month we send a few packages and letters to our deployed airmen. Over the Christmas holiday, we shipped 13 boxes filled with personalized Christmas cards, games, toiletries and treats. All greatly appreciated and consumed immediately. We would also like to partner with the local schools to create a “pen pal” program. How can you help? Write a letter to our airmen, better yet, have your children or grandchildren write a letter to our airmen, crayon pictures are awesome too. You can also donate one or some of the following items: Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, seasoning salt, baby wipes, elk jerky, jerky, fly traps, toiletries, AXE body spray, crossword puzzles, sunflower seeds, coffee cakes, word searches and organic fruit snacks. If you are interested in participating, please drop off your donated items and/or letters (cash is fine too), at the Wallace Elks office between 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.
Welcome Home — The Elks National Veterans Service Commission is now in the fourth year of the Welcome Home program, which has helped thousands of veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The Wallace Elks is committed to helping our veterans in need by providing Welcome Home Kits for veterans exiting homelessness and moving into new homes. If you are a veteran in need or know a veteran in need, we can help by providing up to $200 toward household items, such as sheets, towels, dishes and cleaning supplies. Please contact Sharon Howard at 509-230-7373 for more information.
NRD.GOV — The National Resource Directory (NRD) is a resource website that connects wounded warriors, service members, veterans, their families and caregivers to programs and services that support them. It provides access to services and resources at the national, state and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. Visitors can find information on a variety of topics that supply an abundance of vetted resources. For help finding resources on the site, visit the How to Use this Site section of the NRD. Major categories: American Red Cross, Choose Home, Community of Care, Education and Training, Employment, Family & Caregiver Support, Health, Homeless Assistance, Housing, Military Adaptive Sports Program, Portfolio of Veterans Benefits and Transportation & Travel.” Great Site!
Shoshone County Volunteer Van Drivers Needed — Please consider being a driver for the Shoshone County Veterans Services Van, driving veterans to the VA Medical Center in Spokane or Coeur d’Alene for medical appointments. Volunteers can serve regularly or “on call.” To become a volunteer driver, you will need to fill out the Shoshone County application for voluntary service, complete the Shoshone
County authorization for release of information, hold a valid Idaho driver’s license, driving record/background check, complete a “ride along,” and watch a defensive driving online video. If this sounds good to you, we would love to have you as a driver! Please contact Susan Hendrixson at 208-752-3331.
If you have ideas on how to improve our program or new subjects for future dinners, please send an email to sharonhowa@msn.com. We hope to see you at our next dinner on March 26. Bring the kids and grandkids for dinner, then head upstairs at 7 p.m. for fun, prizes and treats at the Kids Carnival. Bring a veteran to dinner new to our program and receive an additional three door prize tickets. On behalf of the Wallace Elks No. 331, we extend our deepest appreciation for your sacrifices through military service and for helping keep our country the home of the free and brave! Thank you!