Photo by Chris Sykes
GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL 一 The members of Camptown Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1941 on Chestnut Avenue, including Commander Cheryl Kipp-Turner, seated center; Senior Vice President and Commander William Powell, standing at left; Chaplain Fred Mulligan; third-year trustee and District 4 Jr. Vice Commander Collie Stradford and Jr. Vice Commander and historian Frank Prather, gathered together on Saturday, Aug. 22, following the Back-to-School Backpack and School Supplies Giveaway and Cookout at their headquarters.
IRVINGTON, NJ — The members of Camptown VFW Post 1941 proved they are as committed to serving the Irvington and Essex County community now as they were to serving their country as members of the U.S. Armed Forces on Saturday, Aug. 22, when they hosted a Back-to-School Book Bag and School Supply Giveaway and Barbecue at their headquarters on Chestnut Avenue.
“We gave away approximately 150 to 180 book bags to the kids in the neighborhood and we also facilitated approximately 35 to 40 kids with autism with the ARC organization,” Commander William Powell of Camptown VFW Post 1941 said Saturday, Aug. 22. “We had face painting, games, various events for the children and a free barbecue from noon to 4 p.m. for the community.”
Powell said, even though the barbecue was supposed to only “be open to the Irvington community,” the VFW nevertheless accommodated anyone who showed up, regardless of where they came from. Post Commander Cheryl “Kit” Turner said it was just the right thing to do.
“We’re here to serve and nothing else,” Turner said on Saturday, Aug. 22. “We already served, but we are still serving. This is our mission.”
Turner said the event was a nice time. She said it was the post’s second back-to-school giveaway, but would not be the last service for the Irvington community — and the extended Essex County community — in the coming months.
“We’ll be doing our Coat and Toy Drive in December,” Turner said. “And we’re going to try to have a Christmas dinner on Christmas. We do not serve alcohol at our post or sit around drinking. Our mission here is to help our veterans first and our community second. This is what we do.”
“We also had an essay program where we asked the children 一 as we gave the book bags away today, so they could all get a fair shot 一 what it meant for them to be a veteran so they could get to interact with the veterans at the VFW Post,” Powell said. “Upon them writing an essay, we gave away a $250 reward for the kids that placed first in the essay from grades one through four, as well as kids from grades five through eight, as well as kids from grades nine through 12. So, in total, we gave away $750, along with the book bags.”
Collie Stradford Jr., the third year trustee and District 4 vice commander for Post 1941, said that although the post is located in Irvington, it does serve all of Essex County, and the Back-to-School Book Bag and School Supply Giveaway and Barbecue was a reflection of that fact.
“Our event is an annual event but the Book Bag Giveaway is not just for the Irvington community it’s for the Essex County community,” Stradford said on Saturday, Aug. 22. “We want to give back to the community. Our goal is to get the community involved in the VFW and also to introduce all other social organizations that we can network with so they can get involved with veterans.”
Stradford said the post’s other main goal is “to make sure we get veterans off the street; get them housing and jobs.” He said the post also will hold a cancer awareness event Saturday, Oct. 10, with the B.A.B.S. organization, which the post also collaborates with each month to offer free breakfasts for anyone in the community.
“They’re doing a Cancer Awareness by the B.A.B.S. organization that’s open to anyone here in the area,” Stradford said.
Post 1941 Jr. Vice Commander and historian Frank Prather said networking and collaborating with other service organizations is a main priority for the post’s members.
“Even though we are the VFW service organization, we also assist all other service organizations, whether you’re Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, AM Vet, Purple Heart, etc. We all assist one another as service organizations,” Prather said Saturday, Aug. 22.
“We reached out to the community in spiritual activities, as well as cultural activities. We do many cultural events because our youngsters who come with us are new and have to learn their own culture, as well as other cultures. We try to pass on our knowledge to the youngsters, so they have a better start than we had when we came along.”