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Post
and Auxiliary meet on 3rd Mondays at 6:30 PM
at the Parish Hall of St Joseph’s Catholic Church on West Lemon Street in Lakeland, Fl.
A potluck dinner follows all meetings.
Membership is
open to all Catholic Veterans who honorably served
Post Commander: Hal Alves
Post
supports the James A Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa
VAVS Representative:
Tom Browne
VAVS Deputy:
Steve Jones
Contact Information:
820 Cumberland Street Lakeland, FL 22801 (863) 688-8787
We Will Never Forget Ways to Say Thank You to Catholic War Veterans BY Joseph Pronechen November 8-14, 2009 Issue | Posted 11/1/09 at 11:00 PM Having recently returned from his second tour of duty
in Iraq, Army Sgt. Christopher Stokes thought back on the times he has been thanked for his service by strangers in airports.
“The biggest thing for me was feeling appreciated,” a humble Stokes said, referring to his travels home while
on leave and in uniform. The same was true for veterans of World War II and the Korean War. Upon returning home, many
were feted with big parades, waving flags and children eager for heroes to look up to. Sadly, things were different
for thousands of returning Vietnam veterans. Many were jeered rather than cheered. Some were met with taunts and even violence.
By now, amends have been made and Vietnam vets recognized, but the dichotomy suggests a question as America honors her war
veterans on Nov. 11: How should we thank our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines for the sacrifices they’ve made for
our nation? Read More
The statewide Knights of Columbus Charities
Program/VAVS is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Veterans Memorial Road Race at the Tampa USF campus on Sunday,
November 8th 2009. The proceeds of the race will benefit the Fisher House, Haley's Cove and the VA Athlete
Program at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa. The enclosed attachment is info on the race; the Race
Director is Mr. Brad Frank, he can be reached via email at bfrank37@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at 813-728-0504. There will be a 10k race (cost is $25.00);
5K race (cost is $25.00) and a 1 mile fun run (cost $15.00).
The Father Mendoza Assembly #154 is part
of the Knights of Columbus and we will be supporting this cause very worthwhile cause.
Those folks wishing to race can register
on line at: www.veteransmemorialrace.com or they can contact Mr. Frank at 813-728-0504; (I also have some hard copy registration forms
that can be mailed in; if anyone would like a hard copy they can contact me at cstokes9@tampabay.rr.com or they can call me at 863-899-6005. Make checks payable to:
K of C Charities/VAVS and mail to P. O. Box 169 Tampa, Fla 33601 (Donations are tax deductible).
 Maggie Younginer, an eighth grader at St. Joseph's Academy in Lakeland, placed first in the Catholic
War Veterans National Essay Contest. The title of her essay was "What Veteran's Day Means to Me." To read more on this story, click the Ledger link above.
 "Father
Mendoza Assembly #154 of Knights of Columbus" will be conducting our final "SUPPORT THE TROOPS"
collection at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Lakeland on April 25th and 26th at each of the masses those two days.
The Father Mendoza Assembly will be packing up the donated hygiene and snack items at the Knights of Columbus Council
2505 Hall located at 2014 Lakeland Hills Blvd. in Lakeland on Thursday April 30th at 6:30pm. Since the
Father Mendoza Assembly #154 began the "Support The Troops" project in September 2007, we have shipped over 650
care packages to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If anyone would like to donate any hygiene or snack
items can contact Charlie Stokes, Faithful Navigator of the Father Mendoza Assembly #154 at 863-899-6005.
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Members of the Catholic War Veterans Post 1917 from Lakeland
assist other Pro Veteran groups on December 16, 2008 assembling and distributing nearly 500 gift bags to every patient and
resident of the James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital in Tampa, Florida
Catholic
War Veteran’s Post 1917 Commander Steve Jones and Treasurer Ralph Burzynski present a check for $1000 to Staff of the
James A. Haley Veterans Hospital (General Fund) during a recent meeting of the Veteran’s Administration Volunteer Services.
above is a photo of a local guy (Polk County's Best),
Christopher Stokes, with a bunch of Iraqi kids. Christopher is from Lakeland, graduated from Santa Fe High School in
2003 and is on his second tour in Iraq with the 101st Airborne.
Go Screaming Eagles!!!
Thank
you Christopher for your Service to our Country
A response from the Middle East:
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 5:34 AM
Subject: Thank you for the care package
Mr. Stokes,
Thank you, St. Joseph's, and The Knights of Columbus
for the great care packages. I have shared them with the other Soldiers, Marines, Air Force and Naval personnel
I work with. We are grateful for the support that we receive from the folks back home and are doing our
best to win this battle with honor and dignity. We are doing well, we are well fed, housed and taken care
of. Tell SGT Stokes that a fellow Screamin' Eagle says hello and to keep up the good fight! Again, thank you and God Bless.
SFC Mark -----
Up coming events:
Catholic War Veternas
of St. Joseph's Church have been talking alot about issues etc the last few months. The Father Mendoza Assembly
this Fraternal Year; we are currently on a year long project of mailing care packages to the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan;
to date we have sent almost 200 care packages to the troops. Spending over $1,800.00 for the postage.
We have been raising money through donations at St. Joseph's every other month and I've also been soliciting
donations from businesses in the Lakeland area. The Father Mendoza Assembly and the ROTC Dept at Florida
Southern College is currently doing a joint fundraiser. We are doing a raffle (prize is a $500.00 gift
card for Publix) Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 tickets for $5.00; The profits of the raffle
will be split evenly and the portion going to the ROTC dept at Florida Southern will go towards the LT. CHARLES RUBADO Scholarship
Fund (Lt. Rubado graduated from Florida Southern in 2004 and was killed in Iraq in 2005) the other half
of the raffle funds will go to the Father Mendoza Assembly to cover the cost of future care packages we send to the troops.
We are selling raffle tickets at Knights of Columbus Council 2505's bingo sessions on Wednesday and Saturdays (9:00
am till 2:00pm) and we will also be selling raffle tickets at the Florida Southern College Men's basketball game this
Saturday (Feb 9th) at George Jenkins Fieldhouse on the campus of FSC, we will also sell the raffle tickets at the FSC/Univeristy
of Tampa men's basketball game on February 27th (Wedesday night); we will have the drawing for the
raffle at halftime of the FSC/University of Tampa men's game (about 8:30 pm) winner will be contacted
by phone. If you know of anyone whom might want to help in this endeavor, please have them either e-mail
me at cstokes9@tampabay.rr.com or call me at 899-6005 and I'll make arrangements to get them raffle tickets.
Thanks for
your support!!!!!
Charlie Stokes - CWV, KOC
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