 President’s MessageDear Vaughan PVA Members, Friends and Supporters; It seems like it was just a few weeks ago that “summer had arrived”, now I am writing that “summer is over” and that fall is upon us. All of our planned summer activities are over and were a success. My summer went by so quickly it is somewhat of a blur…several activities of my summer stand out to be remembered. I had the privilege early in the summer of spending a day with PVA President Randy Pleva. President Pleva called me and asked if I would like to go to a NASCAR race. He explained he would be in my area for the race and as the President of Vaughan PVA he would like to invite me to be his, as well as Richard Petty’s guest. As many of you know, PVA is involved with Richard Petty Racing as a fundraising venture; the NASCAR races were coming to Chicago Motor Speedway, so I accepted. I had never been to a NASCAR race and it certainly was a treat. I spent a little time sitting and talking with “The King” himself, Richard Petty. I found him to be a very personable man with a genuine concern for the veterans of this country. He is a great supporter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America as well as an extraordinary spokesperson for PVA. After a little lunch and visiting with other sponsors we proceeded to the garage area to meet the road crew and then to the pit area where we met the pit crew. It was great to see the Paralyzed Veterans logo strategically shown on the Petty car, as well as their uniforms, tool boxes and haulers. I must say as a NASCAR fan it was an exhilarating experience to sit in the pits through the majority of the race and as a former mechanic it was exciting to be surrounded by those powerful machines. I also attended and participated in the National Veteran Wheelchair Games, held in Omaha, Nebraska. Many of our members attended with the Vaughan Vets and were very successful. The majority of our team members came home with medals; our Chapter Sports Director will have the totals. I can say however; I accomplished my goal. I wanted to earn my tenth Gold medal in Air Rifle. The morning I was to shoot I woke up ill, shivering and not feeling well. I managed to complete my shoot and win the Gold Medal in my division. I was thrilled; then it was sweeter yet to find out that I was the 5th highest shooter out of 300 plus shooters. This past August I attended the Paralyzed Veterans of America Convention where the business of PVA was conducted, many resolutions were passed and the election of new officers was held for the upcoming year. See my National Director’s article for the results. On a sad note, I lost my father this summer. He was 88 years old and lived a very productive long life. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who sent flowers, cards and expressed their sorrow for my loss. He will be sadly missed. I hope everyone enjoyed this years Vaughan Chapter picnic. Unfortunately I was unable to attend, as I was home recuperating from a medical procedure. My understanding is those in attendance had a wonderful day. The food and the entertainment were said to be fantastic, the day was perfect and a good time was had by all. Special thanks go out to Maria and Ofelia for the efforts of putting together a well planned event; including the surprise guests, the “Luvabulls”. Show your appreciation, call the office and thank them for this wonderful event; they will appreciate it. As I have said many times in the past and will continue to emphasize, our main objective is and remains our member’s healthcare, as well as our mandated programs. If you feel you have not received the quality healthcare you deserve, or you have an issue with prosthetics, pharmacy or any other issue relating to your healthcare or benefits; please contact the NSO. The chapter Service Officer can act on your behalf; but only if you inform him of the issue. If you have issues which relate to the chapter, chapter outings or functions, or have ideas for outings; then please call the chapter office and ask for assistance. Finally I ask you please keep in your prayers the men and women in uniform who continue to be away from their loved ones and in harms way.
Regards.
Gary McDermott President |