Belleville Sons visit & donate to Fischer House Foundation home

By Kevin A. Canessa Jr. kc@theobserver.com

The Sons of the American Legion (SAL) Squadron 105 in Belleville, for the fourth straight year, has concluded a fundraiser resulting in the donation of $2,500 to the Fisher House Foundation, a series of comfort homes at VA hospitals across the country for veterans and their families.

Belleville SAL says $1,250 of that donation was then also matched by corporate donor Signia. This year’s program was more impactful to the Sons than previous years as it actually had an opportunity to visit a Fisher House in New York City.

Sons from Belleville took a trip in early February to make a portion of the donation in person to the Fisher at the John J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, while also getting a tour of the facility.

“I was blown away by today, I really was,” SAL 105 Commander Steve Sangemino said following the visit.

The Fisher House Foundation builds comfort homes where military and veterans’ families may stay, free of charge, while a loved one is in hospital. These homes are located at military and VA medical centers around the world.

Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room. Since inception, the program has saved military and veterans’ families an estimated $451 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation. It is in this way a veteran may be surrounded by his family during perhaps some of the most difficult times in their lives. Currently, the foundation is building its 100th home in

Atlanta.

The houses is built by the foundation using private funds, then gifted to the federal Secretary of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). They’re built directly on VA property, and are available to veterans and their families for as long as they are getting care, at $0 cost. Stays might range from a few days, to weeks, to months.

The donations from SAL 105 were raised in a 50/50 raffles in November and December. This year, the SAL printed 400 tickets, which were sold in just three days. Another 200 were printed by Thanksgiving and they, too, sold out, netting a donation of $1,500.

At a meeting in January, the squadron then voted to add $1,000 on top of what was raised through the 50/50, making the total donation $2,500.

A portion of the donation was made in person to Belleville’s nearest Fisher House in the Bronx. House Manager Ellen Trbovich arranged a tour and coffee afterward.

“ … Your donations are greatly appreciated and will go a long way to help the families here. This all helps the veteran in the hospital, so they don’t have to worry about their family,” she said Michael Vahoviak, an assistant manager, while chatting over coffee about what a big impact these donations have on how the house is operated, said: “All of the donations –100% of them — go to these families. Especially important for those who can’t afford it.”

After returning home, the group recounted the experience to Post 105’s Walter LaBar, an Air Force veteran and the Legion’s First Vice Commander. He said: “…it sounds like another name for the Fisher House should be the ‘Dream House,’ because it’s a dream-come-true for those who need it.”

Find out more about Fisher House by visiting www.fisherhouse.org.