Veterans are Touched by Children's Interest

"The Veterans' Reception was a great way to bring two vastly separated generations together," said Ron DeWaard. "It makes up for so many times when older people and younger people purposely avoid each other because they think they have no common ground."

Vietnam Veteran Ron DeWaard and his wife Linda, along with more than 100 other veterans and their wives attended the first annual Veterans' Reception hosted by members of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holland (BGCH) in September 2002. The reception, honoring veterans for service to our country, included a tour of the Boys and Girls Club, a dinner, and a program of speeches by both youth and veterans. Ron and Linda were touched by the expression of kindness on the part of the 85 Holland youth involved.

The reception was the culmination of a year of correspondence between club members and veterans. Letters, holiday cards, valentines, and photographs were exchanged. A club member from the 5^th grade had the greatest response from her veteran. After her first letter, she received a large package. It contained an extensive letter in which the veteran answered all her questions and included a book and pictures of the ship that he served on while in the Navy. In addition to giving students a window into the lives of veterans, the year-long project gave them opportunities to practice letter-writing and computer skills.

The program was not directly designed to bring homeland security into the lives of the youth and the community. But with so much news these days focused on national security, it was unexpected outcome.  The youth gained a new awareness of what it means to serve your country and be part of a nation and community.   An equally exciting outcome was how touched the veterans were by the interest of the children.

"Acts of kindness are always rewarded," shared Army veteran, Bruce Glass. A lifetime member of VFW Post 2144 and former member of the 352^nd Communication Reconnaissance Company, Mr. Glass served in the Korean War. He told the club members, "Your kindness toward old soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen will not be forgotten. We salute you."

Students in this program also:

• Planned with community leaders and decorated the parade route for the Veterans' Day and Memorial Day parades
• Cleaned up and prepared equipment for storage after parades
• Researched the wars which veterans corresponded about

This service-learning project is part of the Learn and Serve - Michigan program at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Holland. The Michigan Community Service Commission recently approved a grant so this service-learning program can continue throughout the 2002-2003-program year. The BGCH service-learning program will engage at least 175 students in the upcoming year. The BGCH practice of service-learning is expanding throughout their youth serving programs.