The Bristol Veterans Council honored Operation Gift Cards by presenting a plaque to the creator and chairman of the program, Al Meadows of Shelton, in recognition of the success of the program.
Operation Gift Cards (OGC) has delivered over $833,000 in post exchange (military department store) gift cards and corporate donations to the wounded troops and their families at the Walter Reed National Military Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland during the program’s 109 visits.
The Derby/Shelton AMVETS Post 43 is one of the major contributors in funds and volunteers for OGC. Forty-nine members of AMVETS Post 43 have participated in a visit to the wounded troops at Walter Reed, many of the post members have participated multiple times. Four members of the post were assigned to Walter Reed while they went through rehabilitation after being seriously wounded (two were at Walter Reed over two years).
Shelton residents have been very supportive of OGC and several local veterans organizations have co-sponsored the program: Derby/Shelton AMVETS Post 43, Derby American Legion Post 24, Shelton American Legion Post 16, Derby DAV Chapter 4, Derby/Shelton MOPH Chapter 1, Huntington VFW Post 10466, and Derby VFW Post 10585.
In order to support a different wounded warrior program, AMVETS Post 43 will have team in the 5th annual Sunset Run For The Warriors race to be held at the Huntington Green on Sunday, Aug. 17. At last year’s race AMVETS Post 43 was the highest team fundraiser and post member Lauren Cust was the highest individual fundraiser.
Please consider joining their post race team (10K or 5K run or 1 mile walk) to help them continue their mission of assisting and informing OEF/OIF/GWOT/OND veterans and their families. Click here to register for their team.
Click here for Operation Gift Cards’ Facebook page or click here to email Meadows.
