Opening day event for sports fans
Sports fans gathered to get geared up for the football season during an Opening Day Event September 21, at the Coatesville VA Medical Center's Community Living Center (CLC).
The event was sponsored by the nonprofit group, Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors, which provides personalized football and baseball jerseys from professional sports teams to Veterans who are receiving nursing home level of care.
"We go into long-term care facilities and hospitals. We try to create unique personalized gifts for the Veterans," explains Dan Ocko, the secretary for Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors. Along with the jersey, Veterans are set up in front of a backdrop with a football and helmet for their own personalized sports card.
One of the Veterans who attended the event was Elmer Van Gorder who is from Pennsylvania but a diehard 49ers fan.
"The jersey to me is something special. I'm not an Eagles fan, but that's beside the point. The point of it is they got it for me and I appreciate it."
Van Gorder served three tours in Vietnam as a Seabee, the Navy's construction force and has been receiving care at the VA since 1990. A little more than a year ago it became clear he needed a higher level of care and chose the Coatesville VA's nursing home.
If you are or know a Veteran who has yet to register for care, visit Coatesville VA's register for care page.
Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors is a nonprofit group made up completely of unpaid staff and sponsors Opening Day events for Veterans at all federal and state-run VA care facilities in Pennsylvania.
"Veterans give so much, and they protect our way of life, and they selflessly serve. And after a lifetime of service, if they're in a hospital or if they're in a long-term care facility, this is a really nice way to give a unique gift," says Ocko. "Something that they may have had earlier in their life, but might have lost when they moved to a hospital. Something that will last a lifetime."
If you are interested in more information about volunteering or donating to Veterans, visit our volunteer or donate page.