By Sandy Hawkins
For the last several months members of the Silver Sage 4-H Community Club and the Bouncing Bunnies 4-H Club collected, organized and delivered food and cleaning items to the Veterans Guest House in Reno.
Under the leadership of teen leader in both clubs, Nora Streng, the club members and their families collected donations. We would like to recognize the others who donated: Susan Rogers, Carson/Storey Cooperative Extension staff, Carson City DMV, Carson NDOT, Carson River Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints and the Smith Family.
Nora, and SSCC junior leaders Rylan and Bryar Fancher delivered the items and gift cards to Linda Grace, Program Coordinator at the Reno Veteran’s Home. They were given a tour of the facility.
Here is some more info about the Veterans Guest House:
The Veterans Guest House, Inc. is a Nevada Non-Profit 501(c)(3) and is not affiliated with the Veterans Hospital or the Veterans Administration. It is privately supported by individual and community donations from people like you who recognize the need for supporting our heroes. No government money is received for the day-to-day operation of the house, which costs approximately $350,000 a year to operate the House.
Mission: The Veterans Guest House provides United States Military service veterans and their families’ temporary overnight accommodations while receiving treatment at a medical facility in the Reno/Sparks area.
Short History: The Veterans Guest House was founded in 1992 after some veterans noticed that people were sleeping in their cars in the VAMC parking lot. In particular, a woman was seen getting out of a car one morning and when asked informed these men that her husband was in the ICU and that she and her children had no means to sleep anywhere other than the car. That is when “Never again on our watch” became the mantra of the founders.
Who stays at the Guest House? Veterans and their families span the globe and have served in WWII, Viet Nam to Iraq and Afghanistan. The majority of guests receive treatment at the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC). The VAMC covers 100,000 square miles from Bishop to Auburn, Elko and Ely. We welcome them with open arms and thank them for their service.
