Skip to Content

You are viewing this page as a TRICARE beneficiary.

American Legion Auxiliary's annual Holiday Gift Shop helps Veteran patients shop for their families

Veteran holding gift is flanked by two volunteers at the holiday gift shop.
Volunteer Walterine Nixon, ALA District 10, who also is a Gold Star Mother, stands with Veteran Gerard Holland, center, and volunteer LaVera Davis, also from ALA District 10. Holland, who is in a residential treatment program at Lovell FHCC, was one of the Veterans who shopped in person and picked out gifts for family members at the recent ALA Holiday Gift Shop.
By Jayna Legg, Public Affairs Specialist

The American Legion Auxiliary’s annual holiday gift shop at Lovell Federal Health Care Center this year was unique for a couple of reasons, including the fact that for the first time since the pandemic, some of the inpatients “shopped” in person for presents for their family members.

The American Legion Auxiliary’s annual holiday gift shop at Lovell Federal Health Care Center this year was unique for a couple of reasons, including the fact that for the first time since the pandemic, some of the inpatients “shopped” in person for presents for their family members.

“It’s just delightful to have patients come this year,” said volunteer Janet Billings, from Gurnee ALA Unit 771, as she helped put out hundreds of items the day before on tables in a Voluntary Services conference room. Billings said she has helped with the event at least 10 years and finds it “joyful” to assist Veterans who can’t get out and shop for themselves and give gifts in person. 

About 30 Veterans currently receiving treatment in residential programs at Lovell FHCC did walk over Saturday morning to select from the new clothing, games, jewelry, mugs, purses, wallets, toys, household items and so much more. The rest of the gifts for more than 100 other patients who couldn’t come in person were carefully selected by the volunteers, gift-wrapped and packaged to be mailed out the following week to their family members. 

Lovell FHCC recreation therapists provided patient wish lists and home addresses to the volunteers prior to Saturday. As is tradition, American Legion members packaged the gifts, with holiday cards, and will take them to the post office. 

The second reason the holiday gift shop at Lovell FHCC is unique is that other VA Medical Centers have stopped having patient gift shop events all together, said Lovell FHCC Voluntary Services Chief Kenneth List. Instead, family members are given gift cards.

Prior to Lovell FHCC’s holiday gift shop, which is always the Saturday before Thanksgiving, ALA volunteers from across Northern Illinois spent about $1,500 donated to their respective units to shop for the gifts. In total, 29 ALA units, three American Legion posts and two Sons of American Legion groups contributed to this year’s effort.  

The more than two dozen volunteers at the gift shop included special guest 98-year-old Ruth Buehrer, from Libertyville ALA Unit 329. Buehrer picked out a wish list and shopped on behalf of one Veteran with the help of her granddaughter, who is her caregiver.

And, again this year, sisters Julie Moore and Judy Shippee from Lena ALA Post 577 drove 2.5 hours and brought 43 dozen homemade cookies to give to inpatients at Lovell FHCC.

“We are very grateful for the many volunteers and donors who make this large undertaking possible every year,” List said. “This year was extra special and meaningful on both sides – for the Veterans who shopped in person and for the volunteers who got to see them face-to-face and help them pick out gifts.”

Thank you to the following ALA units: Mundelein 867, Lake Zurich 964, Gurnee 771, Fox Lake 703, Libertyville 329, Lena 577, Genoa 337, Wauconda 911, Waukegan 281, Northbrook 791, Rockford 1207, Districts 7 and 10, and the Dept. of Illinois ALA. The Fox Lake and Lake Zurich Sons of the American Legion, and Lake Zurich, Waukegan and Gurnee American Legion posts also helped.