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The Gift of Giving

Employees and Santa Claus visits an inpatient Veteran.
VA Northern Indiana's leadership team and Santa visit inpatient Veterans to delivery stockings filled with goodies.
By Alex Sharpe, Public Affairs Officer

This holiday season the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System (VANIHCS) is focused on spreading holiday cheer with the gift of giving.

With the help of generous sponsors, VANIHCS Social Work and Center for Development & Civic Engagement (CDCE) assisted in providing Christmas gifts for numerous Veteran families.

“Our Social Work department helped us identify Veteran families in need and we contact our supporting organizations, businesses and individual donors who buy those families Christmas gifts,” said Tammy Thompson, Assistant Chief of CDCE.

This year, the sponsors provided gifts for 18 Veteran families in the Fort Wayne, Muncie, Marion, and South Bend area.

“None of this would be possible without our sponsors. We would like to thank Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, American Veterans, Howard County Vietnam Veterans Organization, Lori Casiano with TI Fluid Systems, Deanna Chinn, Lynn Nemeth, Mary Golden, Daughters of the American Revolution, Disabled American Veterans and Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary, and the Elks for their generous support,” said Thompson.

CDCE will also be handing out 455 stockings this week. The stockings are filled with candy, donated by Soldiers Angels, along with other donated items such as knit hats, gloves, tablets, puzzles, books, pens, pencils, and socks.