Warriors And Caregivers United

Article in the VVA310 Newletter - Written by WACU President, John Kinzinger

"On January 11th, our Chapter lived up to the motto of our Chapter. The event at Frenchies in Ypsilanti Depot Town was very successful. All of the funds raised that evening will go to support the activities of Warriors And Caregivers United (WACU). As President of WACU, I cannot thank you enough for the support of our Chapter. Thank yous go to all who attended, presented checks, donated items to the auction and bid on items. I personally appreciate all of you very much for helping WACU make a difference for a wonderful group of warriors and their families.

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There are so many people who made it great. Just to name a few I would have to list entertainer Stacey Mason, those who have heard her perform know what I mean. She alone is worth attending the event. Then we had some of our WACU officers and mentors there, some of whom drove two and three hours to attend.  We cannot forget Linda and Jessica French who arranged for Frenchies to be available for our use. Their volunteer wait staff managed to serve us well maneuvering around the crowded room. Then we had several nice items donated for the auction, like Al Walk’s Red Wing ticket package, Don Behm’s beautiful pendants and much more. Our bidders, like the Hittes, made the auction a nice success raising almost $2,000 the evening. Thanks go out to our auctioneer, Louie Hamlet, and his helpers Roy Hall and Larry St. Antoine. We had some special check donors like Foundation of American Veterans, friend Carol, VFW 423, VVA 310, Elmer, Chief and others. Many more folks contributed, so many I cannot list them all here.  Thank you all.

We had a very special moment at the event. Terry (warrior and our Events Director/Chairman) got down on his knee and proposed to Stephanie (caregiver and our Secretary). That was a surprise touching moment to have witnessed. Bless them both in their journey together.

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If you would like to know more about WACU, its mission and events, please go to wacu.org. Representing our WACU group, I say thank you all very much for sponsoring and supporting this event. Those who know me, know the money raised will be spent wisely working toward our goals and mission. Our most important goal is to save returned warriors from losing the battle back here at home. We thank you all for helping us make a difference."

Our second annual Ypsilanti Sidetrack fundraiser on January 11th was another success with great fun, food, raffle and donors. We raised enough money that evening to cover the costs of our events in the coming year. Thank you all who participated.  Most especially we thank the Sidetrack Bar and Grill owner, Linda French, and her staff.  I better not forget the great vocal performances by WACU’s great friend and professional performer, Stacey Mason. The hit of the night was when Events Director Terrence Hall proposed to Secretary Steffanie Fairbotham.  Please watch for details for our 3rd Annual Sidetrack event next January. Come on out and witness it for yourself.